Smiles

I'm upgrading my 4-spoke to a 3-spoke.

I got the right bolt out with no problem. The left bolt was a big problem. I couldn't feel it at all. I tried every angle, and spent something like ten minutes trying to loosen this damn bolt.

Finally, I pulled out a flash light and an inspection mirror. Guess what? A previous owner stripped the hell out of the head. I don't know what he used (an air gun?) but the bolt head now has a cone carved into it.

So... Are there screw driver Easy Outs for this kind of thing? I'm a little nervous working with an Easy Out where I can't really see what's going on.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Garth S

I used a T-handle allan key in this ugly location, as it can fully rotate once inserted without withdrawing: having said this, for a stripped head, I would be tempted to jam the tip of this tool swabbed with 'liquid steel' ( stiff epoxy/steel putty) or JB weld into the cavity and tape it down when aligned until the filler dried ..... hoping for the best on a first attempt.

Paul902

Smiles,

there are socket shaped tools that have spiral biting edges on the inside, instead of a hex. They are nice to use on a bolt head since they are not as brittle as easy outs. I'm guessing from Garth's description, though, that this is a cap screw. The tool I'm talking about doesn't work as well in that situation since the round head doesn't give as much to bite onto, but might still be worth a try.

like this....http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/...rwinProd100512

Smiles

Thanks, guys.

Garth, you might have been the guy working on this last! I think they used an allen wrench instead of a Torx wrench, too!

I hear your suggestion for an epoxy, but the bolt head is so rounded that I don't think it has enough mechanical bite to work.

I'd prefer to use a tool like Paul described, but there really is no room. It needs to be already on a shaft like a screwdriver or Garth's T-handle.

Also, is there somewhere I can get a single bolt to replace the stripped one? McMaster or other sources usually sell in quantities of 100, or gross, or whatever.

Thanks again. Any other tips would be welcome.

(And grrr... Whoever stripped this thing was a &^%%#.)

Garth S

Must be the black cars that use torx bolts ... the blue ones have allan heads .
The real pain is that the heads are deeply recessed (~ 30mm) under the backside of the wheel spoke. One trick that can work is to take the next larger size allan key, and file or grind the flats razor sharp ..... then tap it into the stripped head. The best 'next larger size' is usually found by fumbling between your SAE and Metric sets. One can also pull off this stunt using the torx keys - so whatever is slightly oversized and can be hammered in.

The left handed spiral extractors are also useful. It is likely that a tip must be ground back to get a "biting fit" in that shallow stripped well.

Oh - and to avoid forced swallowing of your dentures, keep your face to one side of that loaded airbag

Smiles

Perhaps I'm the guy who stripped it!

I used a Torx 25 on the right side, and it worked great. But when I looked at it with a mirror, it sure looked like an regular hexagon.

Thanks for the airbag warning. Although I'm already a little nervous; I don't want to be there when I start getting an extractor to bite. I should do this by hand, right? (I've only used extractors with air or electric tools.)

Garth S

Yes, I would go it by hand .... far better 'feel'.
The square cut rear on most extractors fits best on a collet type T- handle driver .... and the 'T' bar slides side to side, allowing continuous rotation in such tight quarters.

And I thought they were a PITA to get at with good heads ....

Smiles

OK. I got it off, and got the new CPZ wheel on.

One thing I didn't realize is that these bolts are captive. I don't think you could drill the head off of the bolt and have the airbag fall out of the wheel center. If you did that, the bolt (which is captive in the wheel) would still hold the wheel to the airbag. (I think.)

I think you definitely need to back out the bolt from the back slowly with an extractor. (I post this in case anyone else finds a similar stripped bolt, and finds this thread via a search.) Now it's on to HID headlights and a 3rd brake light repair. I love this car!

Thank you for your help, Garth.