stuck allen head bolts

[applejack]

well, its me again and now its 3:08 foggy brain am. have tried search but cant find answer again. trying to remove allen head bolts from motor mount on kawasaki 440 snowmobile (engine donor), have tried extra leverage and tapping on allen wrench combined with leverage. what now? cant heat because its the bearing retainer on the pto side. could try a mix of ATF and ACETONE. any ideas?

[JoeMeg]

I've had much success with LH drill bits. Read the description,it's very true.

Irwin Left Handed Drill Bits & Screw Extractors

Joe.

[azz7772]

sounds like they have locktight on them can you heat just the bolt enough to release the locktight?

[lewis]

Ok, if the head is still in good shape you can go down or call the local Advance parts rental store and rent a impact driver. These are used to set bolts on motorcycles or they used to. Due to the high vibration the bolts could vibrate loose. The impact wrench is hit with a hammer and twists at the same time. If they used locktight a little heat and a whack with the impact driver and it should come loose. Hope this helps. I don't know the location of the bolt you are talking about but to apply heat without a torch if you have a high output soldering gun or a grill lighter that you can touch it to the head of the bolt this will degrade the locktight. Don't do this if it is near the gas tank. Just thought i would mention that.

[Jeff t-boss]

Here's 2 angles that have worked for me over the years. 1; If the component is operational, (Engine/trans, etc) Run it till it gets warm or operating temp. Then shut it down and try loosening them (While tapping the hex wrench as you stated) Stop loosening just as they crack loose, then let the component TOTALLY cool. Then finish removing. 2; Insert the hex wrench in the fastener and lightly heat WRENCH with propane or what have-you. Don't overdoo it with the heat. Heat the wrench till it starts to glow, and while leaving it in the bolt, let the heat transfers to the bolt till the glow is gone. Do this 3 or 4 times without removing the wrench. Then remove the hex wrench and use a (second) cool/cold hex wrench of the same size to crack the fastener loose. Hope this helps you out. P.S. If possible, don't reuse the hardware if replacements are readily available.

[mustangwagz]

Hmm, Sounds like a carbon steel bolt in an aluminum block? (however...kawi may have used stainless and turns out its really tight and lock-tited..) Cannot use heat eh? Well...is it a Cap head, a button head, or a "flush" style alen head bolt? On ANY 3 of these particular bolts there is ONE method i find that works... Get yourself a hammer, and a sharp chisel, Use the chisel to "Cut" a lip into the bolt head, then pound it in the "Counter-clockwise" or "off" direction.. Its tricky sometimes, however, it CAN be done. Sometimes, even with a little practice, this can be done WITHOUT ruining the "Allen wrench hole" and thus, allowing allen wrenching to be done even after you've knocked it loose! As for Flush mounts and button heads, this is ususally the only way to get them out.. for socket heads, ive also got sockets that actually tighten down on the outter most diameter of the bolt head as you turn the ratched in the "off" postion. The sockektsk are made by irwin also.. they make alotta neat stuff.

[racerone3]

drill the head off the bolt, remove whatever component it was holding in place, then put vice grips on the remaining stub of the bolt for removal. once the head is removed, the tension is gone from the bolt, so the only thing holding it would be loctite, corrosion, or cross-threaded-ness.

[LarryW]

Lots of good suggestions here but I like lewis's suggestion of the impact driver. The kind you hold until its snug the direction you want it to go and whack it with a hammer. Very handy tool to own if you dont already. Works great for phillips/flat head screws too. Make sure all the crap is cleaned out of the allen head hole. Good luck.

mustangwagz, Irwin vise grips suck. I like the old Vise grips so much better. Id buy them used rather then buy new Irwin ones, lol. Ill have to check the sockets out, they sound cool though.

[mustangwagz]

mustangwagz, Irwin vise grips suck. I like the old Vise grips so much better. Id buy them used rather then buy new Irwin ones, lol. Ill have to check the sockets out, they sound cool though.

Your right bout the vise grips, the OLD ones are always way better. seems to be the case with 98% of everything! lol

Check out these 2 links larry...

Bolt Extractors - Screw & Bolt Extractors - Tools - IRWIN TOOLS
and
Multi-Spline Screw Extractors - Screw & Bolt Extractors - Tools - IRWIN TOOLS

then do some browsing while your on their site..alotta nice stuff that comes in handy. ive got 2 of their master sets, man they aint cheap! lol

[applejack]

well, thanks for all the solutions. got much better answers here than other site(kaw sleds). solved the problem with propane torch on outter bolts not near aluminum, and 1500 watt heat gun on bearing retainer bolts. i have an impact driver and allen sockets but they're not metric. i have tools, and i have hands, but its the filler between my ears thats missing. thanks