F£&*$( allen bolt got screwed.... now what?

[A80Avant]

One of the allen bolts of the cam cover got screwed today while trying to loosen them up to replace the gasket. Unfortunatelly its the one closer to the wastegate.

Any ideas how to manage to take it out?

i tried making the whole thing a bit wider to fit the larger allen key, and it didnt work.

im thinking if i can fit a cutter to make a simple straight line and then fit a screwdriver to open it. I am not sure if i can fit a cutter in there though...

open to ideas..

[LHD_Kid]

One of the allen bolts of the cam cover got screwed today while trying to loosen them up to replace the gasket. Unfortunatelly its the one closer to the wastegate.

Any ideas how to manage to take it out?

i tried making the whole thing a bit wider to fit the larger allen key, and it didnt work.

im thinking if i can fit a cutter to make a simple straight line and then fit a screwdriver to open it. I am not sure if i can fit a cutter in there though...

open to ideas..

You should be able to hammer a torx screwdriver bit into the hex hole, choose a size slightly too large to push in by hand... shouldn't be too bad...

Chris

[TimE-J]

if it were me and I was in work personally I would either get a torx bit or a spline bit, preferably spline and hammer into the bolt.

[A80Avant]

i tried to fit the larger size torx. it doesnt fit. i dont want to make it rounder though.

how do i make the 5 axis a bit wider to fit the torx?

[A80Avant]

dont have a spline unfortunately.

[madpugger]

As said, use a TORX (not allen) or multi spline and hammer it in, also, once it is home, give it a good beating with a hammer before trying to loosen it. Ideally you want to hit where the threads go into the head but you can't get access. Make sure you hold the bit square to the bolt, don't let it go at an angle. Also, use a bit with extension and ratchet, not a key.

[A80Avant]

ok, ill try the torx idea. i did hammer it a bit, but the hole bolt allen top is still too small for the torx. I assume that is not a bad thing necesseraly

[newsh]

Yes, put an extension on it so you can easily hold it straight without hitting your fingers and give it a good whack straight on. It's a steel screw into alloy so it's corroded in. A few good blows with the hammer should break the corrosion and it'll come right out.

[quattro]

Weld a rod or a 1/4" extension to it and then allow it to cool totally the expansion and contraction will 'crack' the bolt and then it will come straight out!

[A80Avant]

i dont have welding capabilities guys! im on my own in a parking lot of my apartment!

[Error404]

Another vote for the torx & hammer technique

[s2_bo]

If the torx bit failed try to hammer a normal multi point socket on to it. I have done this in the past and it's worked fine. I can't remember the size but 12mm springs to mind. That might have been a bigger head though.
Good luck

Edit: 12mm was for the IM bolts so it would be a couple of sizes down from that

[A80Avant]

hmm i dont have that but if it fails, ill either try to see if i can fit the cutter there to make a simple groove and use a screwdriver...

[newsh]

Yes a Dremel or modelling drill with a thin cutting disc and make a slot for a flat blade, I've had sucess with that technique many times, but its really important to hit it a few times straight on with a drift and hammer to loosen it. You can use a 3/8 or 1/2 inch extension as a drift.

[madpugger]

Try Vise-Grips (not Mole grips, you'd be amazed at the difference in ability between Vise-Grip and ANY other competitor!)