Tools & Technique for Upper Bellhousing Bolt Removal? - Success!
 

Well, I started my TT and TC overhaul. I'm doing it by removing the bellhousing and dropping the TT out from the front, but I've run into a snag. I can't get the left upper bellhousing bolt loose. Funny thing is I had it out 6 or 7 years ago when I did the rear main seal. I'm having a hard time getting any of my wrenches to seat firmly and I've partially rounded the corners already as the tools slipped off. Before I really get into trouble, I thought I'd ask for advice. Guess I overtorqued it last time. It's stuck.

Here are a couple of pics of the bolt head and my tool selection. I have been trying to use the long prybar to back the wrench head, but it is awkward to hold that and try to strong arm the wrench. I'm interlocking the large wrench for leverage or using the pipe over anything it fits. I didn't do anything special last time on my car of a similar TT and TC job on Edco's 91 S4, although I had a helper backing the wrench on Edco's job. I deally I'd have a helper and much longer 19mm wrench.

What next? No, I don't want to cut the bellhousing crosspiece, but I stared at it for quite a while tonight. Also, with my 4 post lift, dropping the rear suspension is problematic, although I wondered about jacking the body up with my lift's sliding jack, maybe not fully removing it, but raising the body enough to get at the TT and TC rear bolts.

BUT primarily I'm looking for tools and ideas to get that last bellhousing bolt out without further rounding it.

Bill,

Nothing to be gained at this juncture by asking did you use an "anti seize" compound on the threads of the bolts? Every time I remove a bolt I apply anti seize as I know I will possibly be back in there.

First I would try wrapping a rag around the head of the bolt and also laying a strip of rag over the bell housing joint in way of the bolt shank and apply some WD 40 or other penetraing oil to see whether it will wick along into the threads as well as between the bolt head and the bell housing. Every little bit helps.

If there is room you may consider drilling a small hole throught the casing into the threaded area of the bolt to introduce the penetrating oil directly into the bolt threaded area. An extension drill will be required. I have made these by getting say a 1/4 inch piece of machined rod, use say an 1/8 inch and drill a hole in the end of the rod, reverse the drill and silver solder the shank of the drill into the rod. Build a small dam around the hole and apply penetrating oil.

After giving the bolt a good soak for a few hours try the following:

Not much room, however, so I would suggest that you use the ring end of your stubbie ring and open ender spanner and put it on the head of the bolt with the shank off set facing to the front of the engine and then fit a ring spanner with a big off set, as shown on the ring spanner second from the bottom in your photograph of your tools, over the right hand jaw of the open ended spanner and get the leverage to apply a pretty good torque on the head. Start to apply the torque slowly and you should get the bolt to move with "crack". If possible I would try to use your left had to push forward on the ring end of the spanner to feel is there is any slippage that would cause further damage to the hex head.

As another alternative, try to use a hex headed socket.

I don't think there is room to get a hex headed socket into this position using a universal headed breaker bar, but if you can you will get a better purchase on the total bolt hex head that is left. If you can get the hex headed socket on see whether you can get some hardwood wedges to hold the braker bar into the socket and onto the head of the bolt, so that it does not slip off.

You maybe find a second set of hand to help from underneath to apply the forward pressure onto the braker bar head and hex socket by devising a fulcrum purchase onto the breaker bar using a piece wood with one end on a piece of free area of the fire wall as a landing, the centre area onto the breaker bar head and the second set of hands applying the forward axial force.

I hope this helps.

Tails 1990 928 S4 Auto

If normal sockets will not fit anymore use one of these. Select suitable size so that it will not bottom out
http://www.biltema.fi/osteri/data/we.../19-1269_h.jpg

+ add small piece like this to allow using normal twisting tools like wrenches
http://www.biltema.fi/osteri/data/we...e/10-099_h.jpg

+ put one of these wrong way round to point tool towards front and get other end to clear firewall
http://www.biltema.fi/osteri/data/we...e/10-023_h.jpg

+ add pipe on top to get leverage.

Bill,

Your write-up from the rear main seal is the one I used to get my bolts out. The 'interlocking wrench' technique is all that was required (and lots of patience since you can really only get about 10 degrees of rotation from any angle).

I'd try some kroil on there for a day or two while tapping it and make sure you're using a six point wrench instead of a 12 point. If you check I think Snap-on has the 6 point that has the weird shaped points because the wrench is designed to use the flats instead of the corners. Adam G. showed me a set of these and they work well on bolts with rounded corners.

In that spot you should be able to get a propane torch in there, maybe a few heat cycles with some kroil will help the bolt separate from the flange a bit?

Mr $10 Craftsman, Meet Mr. RotoZip
less than 5 mins to cut of the end of a craftsman wrench with a Rotozip and an 24 inch torque intensifier (1" inch water pipe) got mine out. It did soak in PB blaster for an hour or two. The socket end is angled (hard to see) and that brought the handle toward the front of the car where it was easy to get the pipe over it.

https://rennlist.com/forums/members/...-craftsman.jpg

I did it from the top. The fuel lines and the driver side dapener was removed, then used a flexible handle wretchet with a shallow socket.

Look at the tools in post 31 of this Schocki's thread...

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-issues-3.html

Except, I a fan of initially using six point combination wrenches and sockets when ever possible.

metwrench :)

Flex-head ratchet, 19mm 6-point socket and 3 feet of pipe.

You might still get it with a good-quality 6-point socket. Or try an impact socket as those are thicker and stiffer.

I use a 19mm wrench from the top and have had to use a secondary wrech on it a couple times to get it free

When I've got this problem, I use what Vilhuer has in his first picture. They come in real handy.

Lord.. I have to do this myself. Watching closely good luck!:corn:

As a matter of fact, yes, there's copper antiseize on the threads of the other bellhousing bolts I removed. Thanks for the suggestions. I've got them in mind. I do have a nice 6-point socket and I do have a slim-line, flex-head, rather long 3/8" drive ratchet. You can only get 3/8 inch drive stuff down between the body and bellhousing. One problem is that the supercharger intake is in the way. I'm going to remove that later. Also, I might actually have a shot at this bolt with an extension from down along the TT.

I do have a rather handy, long flexhead ratchet and a 6-point socket. I need to remove some of the supercharger intake and blow-off (not too big of a deal) to use them. When I did this before I had a stock intake and there was more room.

Thanks for all the ideas. I don't have a 3/4" breaker bar to use as an extension like Shocki did. Good excuse to go get one. The bolt isn't rounded on the whole head yet. If I can get the wrenches to stay fully seated, there is a good portion that is still clean. The flexhead Gearwrench with a boxend interlocked as an extension usually works best as it can take the proper head angle, but it is not staying seated. Same with my long angled combo wrench. I do have an offset as Erkka suggests, that I haven't tried. As I mentioned in my reply to Tails, I can see the bolthead from the TT area. I tried some 1/2" drive stuff from down there, but it was too big. May try 3/8" drive long extension and U-joint from there. There are a bunch of sockets that grip the flats rather than the corners, but I haven't got a clear shot from above for a ratchet yet due to the supercharger intake bits (the ratchet inherently sits back further than a boxhead wrench so the shaft angles more forward and hits the intake). Then there is Metwrench.....:)

Thanks again. I'm headed off do some wrenching with other locals today, so will report back later.