I have a 9/16 bolt on my exc. that the head is rounded off pretty good. I have tried a host of tools to try and get off.
Thinking I may have to have someone weld a nut on it and use that nut to wrench off. Before doing that I am wondering about other techniques. I do have a grinder. Thinking about grinding the bolt head square and try a pipe wrench to get it off. Would that work or are there other methods to try?
This bolt just holds a small metal plate in place that covers my track grease zerk.

Thanks guys.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: old rugged cross,

These work great.

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Exc - Excavator?

Welding a nut to it is a solution for sure, if the bolt isn't rusted stuck, I have had success by flattening two sides and locking a set of vice grips really tight to it and turning.

I've also pounded on a smaller socket from an older set and you can use an extractor kit like Balze posted

to add: Hit it with PB Blaster, Kroil, or some good penetrating fluid and let it soak for a while, if that doesn't do it, heat and cooling it will help to break the rust free.

HRK beat me to it.

Is the head rounded off because the bolt is rusted in place? Welding a nut to it seems like a winner as long as the bolt doesn’t snap. Maybe heat and cool the bolt a few times to break the rust before welding a nut to it.

quote:

I have tried a host of tools to try and get off.

How rounded is the bolt head (are there any corners left on it at all?), and what tools have you tried?

Heat and then cool with water is the most effective. Applying Kroil oil or Corrosion X would help. Corrosion X is the best I have ever used, but I have been told that Kroil oil is similar.

I would hold off of welding on the bolt head. Better to make sure the threads are loose, than breaking the bolt in two.

Thanks guys. I have tried a combo wrench, cresent, pipe wrench, Vice grips, etc.
I have tried some wd40 type stuff. I do not have any CorrosionX. I have not tried any heat yet.

At this point it is pretty stripped. Not completely rounded off though.

I think Balze's idea is worth the $23 maybe???

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Thanks guys. I have tried a combo wrench, cresent, pipe wrench, Vice grips, etc.
I have tried some wd40 type stuff. I do not have any CorrosionX. I have not tried any heat yet.

At this point it is pretty stripped. Not completely rounded off though.

I think Balze's idea is worth the $23 maybe???

I'll tell ya', they work. I completely rounded the head off of my oil pan drain plug once. Everything I tried was hopeless. I ordered that kit and had that plug off in five minutes.

I'm a fan of Kroil, it's ability to be wicked into a rusty hole is something that has to be seen to really believe it. Note if you don't have a shop in your area that sells Kroil then get online and just order some. While it's not cheap it is absolutely superb for penetrating into crevices and a decent lubricant for squeaky door hinges. Note my favorite oil for firearms is Lucas Gun Oil and around the house Mobil 1 motor oil.

Have you tried hammering the top of the screw straight down into the hole? If the base metal is Aluminum and the screw is steel you have a galvanic corrosion problem. Apply a bit of Kroil at the base and tap the head of the screw with light to moderate taps and the shock wave will break open some gaps in that galvanic corrosion and after a days soak you may find that screw will come loose with a pair of vice grips. If it doesn't then redo the tapping and Kroil and come back a day later.

I will also not that stuck fasteners in Aluminum require a careful technique. What you to is get the fasterner to work loose for 1/4 turn if that's all you can get at the start. Then you rock that fastener back and forth while extending the swing towards loosen slowly. It will take time but eventually you will have that fastener out of it's hole. I used this method when I restored my Motorcycle and there were some that took me 2 full hours to get the fastener free. After I got everything free I then took all those corroded screws to a screw supply warehouse that carried stainless steel Metric screws and replaced every one with a Stainless Steel version. In a couple of spots where the corrosion was really bad I re-tapped the holes to the full depth of the drilled hole and then installed stainless steel studs with locktight and used nuts to lock things down.

Finally WD-40 is a water displacing oil designed to provide some rust protection. It was never designed to be a lubricant or penetrating oil and for such uses it's a horrible choice. IMO the best location for a can of WD-40 is on top of a snow blower because it's a bit better than PAM for helping the outlet stay clean. If you don't live in a climate with snow the best location for keeping your WD-40 is a Trash Can or Hazmat disposal container.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

I'll tell ya', they work. I completely rounded the head off of my oil pan drain plug once. Everything I tried was hopeless. I ordered that kit and had that plug off in five minutes.

This is what my drain plugged looked like. Nothing was getting that off except a proper extraction bit. Vise Grips did nothing but make it worse. You can see where the bit grabbed and bit in allowing me to loosen it up and out.

Regarding heat, I mean with an acetylene torch. Propane may not get hot enough.

The welded nut solution almost always works. Many times, even if the head is broken completely off, you can get it out with a sharp punch and hammer... it's a little bit of craft to it. The inserts in the link can work too. A left-hand drill bit can sometimes do the trick. PB blaster helps.

Agree WD-40 isn't really good for this situation, PB Blaster, Kroil and the others listed work better.

Have you heated the bolt up yes as was suggested, cycling it heat, let cool, heat causes expansion and contraction of the bolt and may help it loosen up.

When replacing some anti seize may be needed to prevent this in the future.

I wouldn't try to put more torque on the bolt head until hitting the threads with some good penetrating oil several times over a day's time.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Thanks guys. I have tried a combo wrench, cresent, pipe wrench, Vice grips, etc.
I have tried some wd40 type stuff. I do not have any CorrosionX. I have not tried any heat yet.

At this point it is pretty stripped. Not completely rounded off though.

I think Balze's idea is worth the $23 maybe???

A set similar to this should be in your tool
chest.
I have a Craftsman set that has helped me out a number of times.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Thanks guys. I have tried a combo wrench, cresent, pipe wrench, Vice grips, etc.
I have tried some wd40 type stuff. I do not have any CorrosionX. I have not tried any heat yet.

At this point it is pretty stripped. Not completely rounded off though.

I think Balze's idea is worth the $23 maybe???

A set similar to this should be in your tool
chest.
I have a Craftsman set that has helped me out a number of times.

I have a set made by Irwin, I believe. They've helped me out of a few situations.

quote:

Welding a nut to it seems like a winner as long as the bolt doesn’t snap. Maybe heat and cool the bolt a few times to break the rust before welding a nut to it.

The reason welding a nut to it works so well is not only something to get a solid grip with a tool, but the heat from the welding breaks that bond caused by corrosion.

I doubt it would be, but it's worth asking. It's not a reverse threaded bolt is it?

Thanks guys that gives me a lot of good info. I did order the 13 bit kit. What did you use for the drill hammer to remove Balze?
I need to get a good penetrating oil. I have a propane weed burner. Would that provide enough heat?
I now have some hope. Appreciate it gentlemen.

In my case, I got away with simply using a good ratchet. I had to stop a couple of times and hammer the bit back on the rounded bolt, but I soon got a good bite, and it broke loose.

Since this was an oil pan drain plug, I didn't really want to use a hammer drill, but of course that's an option.

Weed burner is not directed enough.
Get yourself a Bernzomatic and a blue propane tank. Unfortunately the MAP in the yellow tank was neutered some years ago and is not worth the extra cost.
https://www.bernzomatic.com/Pr...stant-On-Off/TS4000T