Oil Filter Bolt: Frozen & Stripped

[mixelpix]

I've tried vice grips, whacking the heck out of it and yelling profusely to no avail.

I can not get my oil filter cover bolt to budge. I've tried worrying it back and forth, even tried putting liquid penetrant on it, but it's kinda angle the wrong way.

Anyways, there's not much clearance even up on the center stand and cause of the fins I can't get a good horizontal angle on it and the head is stripped past being useful to a socket wrench.

Any suggestions?

I have a spare housing and bolt. I'm almost at the point of smashing apart the housing to get a better grip on the bolt...

-Patrick

[John]

If you have an air powered die grinder/cutoff tool or a dremel with a cut off wheel, and all else fails, then grind the head of the bolt off until you can slip the filter cup over it. That will give you a lot of new surface to grip onto to remove the bolt. There are new bolts available with a 17 or 19 mm hex. It's funny, have one and I can't remember what size it is. When you get the cup off, one trick you can do to make oil changes a little cleaner, is to install a drain plug in the filter cup. Grind off the cooling fin behind the bolt, and drill it to accept a 1/8 " pipe plug. the material is quite thick right there and will take a lot of threads.You could even go up to a 3/8"pipe plug. there's enough material there. I just didin't have that size when I did mine, or it would have been larger. Works great for me. Second thought... a small pipe wrench, maybe?

[rneal55555]

Just a random thought try Running her for a while let it get good and warm may or may not work but can't hurt. Of course if ya already drained the oil out you'd have to waste some to let her run.

[mixelpix]

John, I don't (currently) own a lot of power tools and it's probably time I got a dremel already... I like the idea of the drain plug - any recs on what kind of drill/bit to get the job done?

rneal55555 - I was thinking about warming her up today, but I kindafigured there was more chance of getting play on the bolt while the engine was cold. Either way, couldn't hurt to try...

Thanks for the suggestions!

-pdk

[xssiveone]

There is a socket, think it's called "Gator Grip" that might help you. I've never used one, but supposedly it will grip any size nut or bolt. Or, you could weld a nut onto the end of the bolt. Or, the dremel that was mentioned will work as well. If you have to, grind the head right off the bolt. Then you can remove the filter housing, and what is left of the bolt can be grabed with vice grips or something similar.

[macnut xj]

Sears sells special sockets just for removing stripped nuts and bolts. They are like regular sockets, but instead of flats inside, they have a tapered left-hand "thread" which bites into the bolt head. It's supposed to grip tighter as you pull harder. Might be worth a try! A small pipe wrench may also work as previously suggested. I've done that many times. Also, if all else fails, have someone weld a large nut to the head of the bolt. I've done that too.

[Czekus21]

mixelpix, send me a pm with an address and I'll send you a replacement bolt. I also have a spare housing but it has some hairline cracks on the inside. I will work in a pinch though and does not leak. Let me know if you need it ( if you have to smash the housing to bits )

[Pat Kelly]

The GatorGrip socket works perfectly for this (one of the 1st tips I used from the previous Yahoo group).

[mixelpix]

Originally posted by Czekus21
mixelpix,
Let me know if you need it ( if you have to smash the housing to bits )

What If I just /want/ to smash it to bits...?

-P

[xssiveone]

What If I just /want/ to smash it to bits...?

Not good... you have to remember this is a well engineered machine... you can't cure problems just by getting a bigger hammer.

[John]

Drill sizes

I couldn't tell you what the drill size is, my tap & die set is at work, but the driill size needed should be stamped into the shank of the tap. If not, any hardware store that has any employees who know anything at all, should have a tap drill chart available, and know how to read it. There is an arbor available that can be chucked up in a drill that is made to accept a 3" cutoff wheel. That will do the job.
On the drain plug, I used my cutoff wheel to remove the whole cooling fin that is directly behind the bolt head. Remove the fin, drill and tap the hole, and use thread tape, or pipe dope on a tapered pipe plug, and you're in business. It takes a while for the filter cup to drain , but it is worty it to me, not to have that mess when I loosen the bolt.

[mixelpix]

Originally posted by Pat Kelly
The GatorGrip socket works perfectly for this

Bought it, tried it, and now I have a very nicely rounded head on my bolt. Oh well, it was pretty far gone by the time I got to it. Good thing I picked up a dremmel on the same trip...

[mixelpix]

Happy Ending!

And the winner is: Craftsman Bolt-Out!

I spent a couple extra bucks and got the ones with the 3/8ths socket ends, instead of the more affordbale ones you need to use a regular wrench with (though I guess you could fit a 19mm socket over the cheaper ones.) Real easy to use - just pounded down the Bolt-Out onto the strippped head and worried it loose with a long handled soc wrench. Ta-da!

Thanks Again Everyone!

-Patrick Kennedy

p.s. oh my, what a brittle oil filter that was! But hey - kudos to the PO, the washer plate was still there!

[John]

Craftsman Bolt out.

Check this out!
I discovered last year that my former metal shop teacher and his son make these for ALL the major tool suppliers. He showed me the step by step machining process. Pretty impressive. The shop is called Machine Solutions, and it is in Winslow or Vassalboro, Maine. I dson't remember which as it is in the country, and the the towns kinda blur together up there.

[mixelpix]

shop should be mandatory in school...