Fuck Head Bolts

"MentalJuggernaut" (mentaljuggernaut) 10/16/2014 at 21:13 • Filed to: None

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05 S40 2.4i. 12 head bolts (hg went). 2 fully rounded off, 1 lightly rounded, 2 WILL NOT MOVE. Ground down rounded off ones, tried to get other bolts off and they wouldn't move.

Things tried: Lots of penetrating oil, loosen/tighten, hammer impact, light heat (aluminum head), 3' breaking bar (kept on lifting), impact wrench. Little shits don't move, broke one of my extensions and 3/8 ratchet.

Things tried on the fully rounded off ones: Welding nut on, welding socket on, heating and putting smaller socket on, various socket extractors, these !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

SO GODDAMN FRUSTRATED. Only things I have left to try on the ones left are heating and cooling with CRC. Any other suggestions? I've literally tried everything (oh and the bolts are extremely tough so easy outs and other such extractors won't work).

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For Sweden > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 21:25

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Having also removed stubbron Volvo bolts, but not head bolts...

Drill a hole in the top of the bolt and twist it out with a bolt extractor , such as the one pictured below.

davedave1111 > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 21:32

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If the stuck ones won't move with an impact wrench, hit it harder.

desertdog5051 > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 21:36

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Damn. You have tried about everything. Way too big for an E-Z Out. My solution, see if you can trade it on a rebuild.

McMike > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 21:39

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I just spent the last two hours wrestling with exhaust fasteners, and I was only able to get one of them off with a wrench.

Worst job in the world. I feel your pain.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > McMike 10/16/2014 at 21:53

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With exhaust stuff, I always started the car for a minute or so if it was frozen. Usually would come right out after that.

cluelessk > For Sweden 10/16/2014 at 21:55

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Depending on the grade of bolt you won't be able to drill into it correctly.

McMike > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 10/16/2014 at 21:57

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Odd thing about these fasteners - enough of the material turned to rust that the wrenches wouldn't turn them. All the 13mm were not 12.5 mm. All the 12mm were also .5mm smaller. The only choice I had was to cut them off.

wantafuncar > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 22:41

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this may work in a pinch —

file the bolt head down into a flat surface. like instead of a generally round shape, file it down to basically a bar type of shape so there is a flat edge on each side, opposite one another.

then you should be able to get a variety of tools onto the flat edges — i'd probably use vise grips, but whatever works.

source: one bolt on my ford's intake manifold still has this treatment.

deekster_caddy > MentalJuggernaut 10/16/2014 at 23:01

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At this point you practically have to drill the heads off. I hate it when jobs go this badly. Good luck!

Also, try lots of heat. Make shit glow.

For Sweden > McMike 10/16/2014 at 23:02

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Thanks, I now have PTSD

wallaby13 > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 00:58

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From my experience on the older white blocks the head bolts were 12pt. So I really hope you were using a 12pt socket for this job. For the stuck bolts an impact gun can help. Also drilling a small hole down the bolt will relieve some tension and it should be easier to remove.

MentalJuggernaut > For Sweden 10/17/2014 at 01:38

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I've talked to a few people who say it's unlikely this would work - these bolts are grade 8

MentalJuggernaut > wantafuncar 10/17/2014 at 01:39

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They're recessed in a hole with an access point of a one inch diameter circle

MentalJuggernaut > wallaby13 10/17/2014 at 01:40

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14mm, and yeah i was. the rounded off ones that i had to grind were my mistake from using a lower quality star socket. i have yet to find a drill that will penetrate the metal

MentalJuggernaut > deekster_caddy 10/17/2014 at 01:41

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Thank you! was hesitating on the heat because of fear of warping the aluminum block, but I figure I may have to at this point.

MentalJuggernaut > desertdog5051 10/17/2014 at 01:41

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Seriously considering it. At this point though it's also a matter of pride so I'll give it a little more time.

MentalJuggernaut > davedave1111 10/17/2014 at 01:42

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The breaker bar keeps lifting. Do you mean nail it with a hammer?

MentalJuggernaut > McMike 10/17/2014 at 01:43

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Ouch. My head bolts are recessed in a 1" diameter hole, so I can't even fuck the shit out of them with an angle grinder.

MentalJuggernaut > cluelessk 10/17/2014 at 01:43

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Exactly - grade 8

For Sweden > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 01:48

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Explosives then

wallaby13 > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 01:54

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Just go slow when your starting and use a lubricant like WD40 to keep the drill bit cool.

MentalJuggernaut > For Sweden 10/17/2014 at 02:00

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Copious amounts.

MentalJuggernaut > wantafuncar 10/17/2014 at 02:01

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wait I just reread what you wrote. I may try to file it down to a smaller bolt head

orcim > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 04:26

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That impact wrench you said you used. Pneumatic or electric? If manual - not good enough.

If the bolts are 6 sided, then a 6 sided socket is required and you just let the impact wrench *hammer* at the bolt - because that's what it does best. (A 12 sided socket will round the bolt under that pressure.) Wear ear protection and use the black impact sockets. Regular sockets are too hard and will break for sure. I'd bet you a dollar to a donut those bolts are on the exhaust side of the block - metallurgy changes under high heat and things become other things.

But if it's already in bad shape and the bolts aren't coming out no matter what, you're looking at, *at least*, a new head will be required because you're going to have to destroy it to get those mf out. I'm talking grinder city. If the bolts have merged with the block in a way that they really can't physically be removed, then sadness and despair, it's engine replacement time. (If Japan, then total replacements can be had for reasonable monies modulo American emissions dingaling compliance stuff.)

I twisted off two headbolts in my disassembly of my engine, right at the block level. I just kept thinking "a bigger hammer will work" and sure enough, it did, but not the way I was thinking. Internet and credit card later, I had a new engine coming my way for much less than me rebuilding the thing. A good thing too, because the valve seat had disintegrated in one cylinder and blown bits and chunks into the others - a total cluster fuck.

McMike > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 05:28

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Makes you want to just light a match and walk away sometimes.

Can you drill/mill the bolt heads away like a rivet?

deekster_caddy > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 07:33

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At some point you have no other choice and heat is the only thing left! Good luck!

wantafuncar > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 12:48

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its cool — i thought it might be worth a shot. i found it hard to type out an explanation of that process.

good luck man!

davedave1111 > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 15:03

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Breaker bar? I thought you meant a manual impact wrench, where you wale on it with a hammer.

If one of those won't shift, just hit it harder. But as orcim said below, if things are really seized you'll eventually just shear the head off the bolt.

sortofindian > MentalJuggernaut 10/17/2014 at 19:57

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If it was overheated enough to blow the headgasket the block is toast anyway. The cylinder liners warp and shift. Toss the Craftsman sockets and get a proper headgasket socket from Snap-On. The rounded ones will need the heads drilled off or ground off with a carbide bit