Danton

Hi listers,
Now that I confirmed I had a leaking HG I started working on the car to replace it. So the trouble begins... I get all the cam tower bolts out except for two. Those suckers are in there good and I ended up stripping them. These are the upper bolts that are recessed in the cam tower. I did everything right... 6mm allen head socket and I also tapped on each one a few times with a hammer before removing them. Someone else had the cam tower off a few years ago but he's a good mechanic and I really doubt the he would over torque them. Anyways, has anyone else had this problem? How can I get those suckers off?! So far I have tried putting JB weld on the allen wrench head and inserting it into the stripped head hoping the two would get glued together but bond isn't strong enough and comes undone when I apply the pressure I need to....

Regards,
Danton
03' 325i
87' 951

Ski

Time to drill unfortunately...which means you'll also need to take the cam out and flush all the shavings out; hopefully the cam retaining bolt is not a PITA. Hint: on the cam retaining bolt, if you have an old 1 1/4 socket, take it to a welding shop and have them weld a pc of 18" pipe to the side of it. This way you can hold the cam gear keeper nut on one side and still use your triple square 10mm through the opening in the socket

MHT

if you have a triple square socket for the cv bolts, you may be able to hammer that into the allen bolt and get it to turn, otherwise, as Bret said, it's time to drill. You might also put some bolts back in the adjacent holes and tighten them, this might take some of the pressure off the bolts that are stuck. If you have to drill, use a 5/16in bit and some Mobil 1 as a cutting oil, the hex of the allen acts as a guide and you can drill the head off very quickly.

alexands

I had the same problem. I took a 12mm socket (I think that's the right size), put an extension on it and pounded it on the head of the bolt so it makes a tight fit on the round head. It's best to use a socket with more than 5 or 6 points.

Once the socket is snug just take it off like any other bolt with a rachet.

adrial

Before you try to get these lose, make sure you have a few bolts installed and tight around it to hold the cam tower down and keep the strain off the broken bolt.

Danton

I already tried to put a 12mm socket in there but it wouldn't fit through the top hole of the cam tower. I'll drill them out tomorrow as I need to get the right size drill bit. I'll also put a couple of the bolts back as suggested. What a PITA this is going to be. Thanks for the help guys!

Thanks,
Danton
03' 325i
87' 951

michael2e

There was a really good saga a few months ago where one of the listers did the same thing and then also broke off a hardened steel bolt extractor inside the bolt. It was a REAL production getting that out. Try a search cause there was a lot of great info. But be real careful

turbite

*cough* *cough*
Yeah, I remember that dumbass.

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-turbo-and-turbo-s-forum/124292-stripped-a-bolt-inside-cam-housing-sweet.html

May yours be easier than mine.
If you didnt break off the tool inside the bolt, I'd just drill it you.
If you did break off the tool, I'd just do what I had to do.

Danton

Thanks guys, I got it off by drilling. Now the fun begins!

Regards,
Danton

Peckster

I was gonna suggest grinding the socket down to fit it in. Oh well.