Thread: Bolt Removal

If you cut the bolt of then remove the diff the pressure will be of the bolt. Can you get a small drill bit into were the bolt is? If so heat till you smell locktite. That should be enough to melt the lock tight. Then drill and use a easy out. Or if you can after cutting the bolts and removing the diff grind two flats on the remaining bolt. You can then use a shifter. Strong language is also good, won`t get the bolt out but will make you feel better
Cheers Hall

stripped or rounded?

assuming its rounded and assuming you have already tried belting it with the FBH to flatten the head down a bit and restore the edging before going it again with a good quality socket.

Have you tried putting the other bolts back in to take up some of the tension?
have you tried doing the back and forth?
have you tried an irwin stripped nut/stud extractor?
have you tried warming the whole area with a 500W spot light at close range then spraying the offending bolt with freeze'n'release?
have you tried a cam lock style stud extractor?
have you tried loctite solvent or acetone?
have you tried hammering on the next smallest almost but doesnt quite fit socket (which may be imperial)

failing all of that.

carefully cut the head off of the bolt. remove the remaining parts (assuming it doesnt foul on the shaft of the bolt) grab it with your strongest and trustiest vice grips then give them a couple of gentle belts with a rubber mallet (make sure you put them on the right way round) bonus points if you set them so tight you need further mechanical assistant or someone else to help you squeeze them on.

when that doesnt work.... have an off sider hit the the remainder of the stud with a hammer (or a drift and a hammer if you dont have enough stud to hit) while you pull mightily on the vice grips.

IF that doesnt work put a piece of pipe over the fixed end of the vice grip handles and pull carefully on that (this is when you work out if you put them on the right way or not) while your mate beats on the stud with one hammer you hit at the handle with a rubber mallet while you pull the extention bar.

When they slip off.
find a nut that only just doesnt quite slide onto the shaft and hammer that home leaving a small gap below the nut then plug weld it in place and un do as per normal.

IF all that fails

meh, its a freelander flog it and buy something with sliding windows.

If going down the 'drill a hole' and using an easyout path, there are reverse ( anticlockwise ) drill bits that can also be used. They can help by not only drilling a hole, but applying pressure and heat in the correct direction to withdraw ( undo ) the offending bolt.
If all else fails, resign yourself to replacing the pinion seal, and hit it with decent heat.

Originally Posted by garrycol

I need to replace the front rear diff mount in my Freelander. Held in by one 15mm bolt and two 13mm bolts - due to the spot sockets are needed - of course one of the 13mm bolt heads is stripped and will not budge - the other came out OK. They all have blue loctite on the threads.

There is just enough room to slot the bolt head with an angle grinder however despite using an impact screw driver, a cold chesel as a screw driver and hitting the cold chisel to try and turn the bolt it has not budged. I have resisted using heat as the bolt is near to the pinion oil seal.

At this stage I think I need to grind the bolt head completely off and remove the diff mount. With the head of the bolt and the mount removed about 1cm of the bolt shaft exposed - however I am not sure what I can use to grip the bolt shaft in the tight area to undo it - noting that it is really tight.

As I said I am weary of using heat but will a little heat kill the loctite?

Open to suggestions please.

Thanks

Garry

The Blue LR loctite is a pain they put too much on at the factory.
Put some heat on it i find about 150c will easily soften it.
I use a Portasol soldering iron it has a nice gas flame very small and targeted flame i check the temp periodically as i heat the offending nut with a hobby infrared heat detaector.
Failing that with a rounded bolt i get a nut that fits over the bolt and weld the sucker on as best i can 90% of the time i find this one works as the heat from the welding loosens it all up.
Pinion seal is easy changed and probably $10-$15.

Well done Blknight.aus you have tried everything

A trick I learned from a bloke I couldn't stand but knew his stuff- if you have a stick welder, soak a few electrodes in water, put one of them in the welder, attach the earth strap to the job and, with the welder switched off, hold the end of the wet electrode against the head of the bolt, then get someone else to switch the welder on. This generates a lot of heat without striking an arc. The electrode will dry out and glow red within a few seconds. Switch off and then repeat the process with a few more rods. Allow the job to cool and then remove the bolt in the usual manner.
This applies heat very locally so will not wreck your seal. Disconnect the battery first. Wear the welding mask. Don't run with scissors.

be very carefull with this trick if the bolt your holding is threaded into aluminium.

HEAT AND SHRINK.
When I worked in engine reconditioning , we were able to remove all sorts of frozen bolts and screw in plugs on both iron and alloy castings buy heating the bolt/plug red hot with an oxy welding tip and then shrinking it by dribbling or squirting water directly onto it.
wagoo.

Thanks for all the comments - really do not want to have to have to pull the diff out - this was supposed to be a quite one hour job. The diff is aluminium.

So plan of action will be to heat it up a little bit with a propane torch rather than oxy-acet and cool with a water pistol (don't have the freeze stuff) and see how I go.

Failing that grind the head off the bolt and remove the mount. If the bolt shaft will not come out the I will weld a nut on and see what happens.

I have been cursing the jerk who did the job last time putting on blue loctite and over torquing the bolt - oh - that was me in 2005 .

I appreciate all the great ideas - it is easy to see who has all the good gear and those who just have the basics like me.

Garry