Stripped torx bolt

[dcmdon]

Not bad yet. Get a carbide tip drill bit, go slow and use lubricant.

I think what he's saying is to get a good bit and keep drilling. Which is my advice to you also.

Eventually the head till pop off, that will allow you to remove the hinge, which will expose 1/2 inch of bolt. You can file flats on it and turn it out with vise grips at that point.

I just removed a bolt on the cowl today. It was so tough that I thought it was cross threaded. It didn't break loose but was difficult to turn for 4 or 5 revolutions. Eventually I got it out but saw a ton of blue locktite on it. I was very close to calling it quits.

One thing that helped is once I got it a few turns out, I sprayed some PB Blaster on it, then turned it back in. This got some oil a bit farther in, and then out a bit, spray, back in. Etc. That worked well.

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[GOCAMPN]

That bolt in particular is held in by pressure thanks to the shape/design of the head, just weaken the head a little more and it'll turn freely. I had the exact same issue doing the exact same install. Here's my post below, in the end all we did was hit it on a counterclockwise angle with a chisel and hammer.

Soooo... I chewed up the T40 head on my door hinge trying to remove it to install steps to access my roof rack. Tried for hours doing all the tricks like hammering in a larger T50 bit, cutting oil, extractor kit, etc. The drill bit snapped and the drill skipped across the hinge, then the T50 moved and I hit the door with a hammer.

Ended up taking it to the local machine shop and the fella humbled me hard as he pops it out in 30 seconds flat still in the parking lot, didn't even move it into the garage. He tried to make me feel better by saying I "loosened it" for him. ?

 

[WILDHOBO]

Were you using and impact or drill to try and take them off? May try and have a welder try and weld a bolt on it and use a socket and back it out slowly with a ratchet?

I wouldn’t weld it. It’ll kill the paint job on the hinge and maybe even the door, depending on the welder’s skill.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I think what he's saying is to get a good bit and keep drilling. Which is my advice to you also.

Eventually the head till pop off, that will allow you to remove the hinge, which will expose 1/2 inch of bolt. You can file flats on it and turn it out with vise grips at that point.

I just removed a bolt on the cowl today. It was so tough that I thought it was cross threaded. It didn't break loose but was difficult to turn for 4 or 5 revolutions. Eventually I got it out but saw a ton of blue locktite on it. I was very close to calling it quits.

One thing that helped is once I got it a few turns out, I sprayed some PB Blaster on it, then turned it back in. This got some oil a bit farther in, and then out a bit, spray, back in. Etc. That worked well.

Agreed on all points. Drill carefully, slowly increasing bit size, 1/16 at a time. I’ve broken or stripped my share of sensitive bolts. It’s the only sure fire way to win.

 

[SelfmodJT]

I know these things are probably torqued down quite a bit, but what about using a dremel and notching a slit in the bolt so you can try a flathead screwdriver? I don’t know if you’d get enough torque with a screwdriver to loosen these things but worth a try

19ft lbs is the torque rating for these bolts but the paint is probably what binds them. Break the surrounding paint first and then try but if you drilled in too deep already you'll probably break the head off anyway. I almost did the same thing, I thought I hammered the torx bolt all the way in but it only went in halfway and ate it partially. I got a bigger torx bit and cut the paint with a scalpel before hammering it in with a mallet. Luckily the bolt came out after that. Good luck, and theres no point in saving those bolts imo those bolts are trashed after removing them.

 

[Victoryrider78]

Cut your loses and trade it in for a new one ?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Do you have access to one of those induction heating devices? Heats bolts without flame, and heats it quickly to minimize damage.
I've spent decades dealing with broken bolts for reasons ranging from - they were put in place 100 years ago (very much literally) and have rusted, to some idiot thought if tight was good, King Kong tight was better, to cross threaded to wrong bolt thread pitch in the threads, to you name it - in exhaust manifolds, engine heads, transmissions, if you can imagine it, I've likely worked on the bolts - including wind mills, 120 year old plows and more.

In every case, patience is the key. Next in line, use only quality bits for bolts like torx........
high quality drill bits (if the bolt is hardened, you have an instant disadvantage).
One thing I have done is if the part is portable and can be loaded up on my cheap consumer-level mill, I'll mill the bolt out with such precision there's 0 damage to threads.
And that gave me an idea - how about an end mill in a drill? Hmmm - it's worked at times, they are sharper than heck and generally better quality steel than drill bits at a hardware store.
I've used end mills on about a dozen fasteners so far after my first success. Try getting a steel bolt out of an aluminum starter drive end housing........ one that's 40 years old and the oxidation has locked the 1/4" steel bolt in place in the aluminum housing.

You are likely fighting some sort of thread locker - LocTite, perhaps.
The heads on these aren't any different than almost any other screw or bolt so just like many others, if the thing is stuck due to tension, bolt stretch, then yes, popping the head off can relieve the tension and allow the rest to be turned right out - but only if there's no thread locker. Sorry, these aren't special and the head shape isn't doing anything different than any other machine screw or bolt (cap screws are different as they have a different head shape next to the shank - a washer shape made under the head to control the contact area for more precise torque)
Quality SHARP drill bits. Luckily on the button head type screw with the torx head, you already have it centered for you. Use a bit that just fits to get started as it will center in the torx recess, then stop and go to a smaller bit that will now find center in the hole you started to make. If you start with a small bit, it may start off center, so I always begin with a bit that just fits in the torx shape, once I have a cone shape in there, I go to a smaller bit that will center in the "cone" created by the first, larger bit, and work your way up.

 

[Lost1wing]

It looks to me that you didn't drill deep enough for the extractor you used. I think you should drill a bit more and tap the extractor and give it another try.

 

[chaosjake]

Gonna need some of that there Blue Rhino for that bolt. Should come right out after that.

I tried a version of this when I was young and dumb. Threw a 1lb camping propane canister in the fire, stood back, and shot it with a .22, thinking it would go up like a bomb. It went off like a rocket instead, and my friends and I spent the next half hour putting out little brush fires before they could become a big brush fire. Never made that mistake again.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I've also found certain extractors work against you if you have drilled a large enough hole in the center that the remaining walls of the bolt can be flexed and stretched by those tapered spiral extractors. I've seen them make it harder to remove a bolt - drive it in, then turn it and it wants to dig into the hole deeper, expanding the remains of the bolt as it does so.
I don't use a tapered spiral extractor unless I believe it can't work against me and expand the bolt's shank outward as you turn it.

Get a set of left hand drills. The rotation and heat will often break it loose when it gets a good bite in it. Just make sure you hold it straight and take your time.

This - that's another helpful tip.

 

[cuellar13]

JB weld a nut to it, then use a wrench. You'll prob need to remove some of the paint on the head, first.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

These are a countersink/tapered head type screw. Like with the TJ, the tapered section creates a lot of surface friction or gets stuck by rust or paint. I'd just use a reverse drill bit that is slightly larger than the outer points of the torx head (the hole in the head), drill it until the head comes off, then the remains of the screw will come out with a pair of vicegrips (sometimes will only even be finger tight at that point) after removing the hinge.

 

[MikeyK]

“The drill bit snapped and the drill skipped across the hinge, then the T50 moved and I hit the door with a hammer.”

I’m laughing and cursing at the same time, knowing full well that’s exactly what would happen for me!!!

??

 

[ShadowsPapa]

One reason these are such a pain, among others, I'm sure, is because the torx bit is a snug fit in a finished bolt - that's a bolt with the plating or black oxide or other, whatever the use and choice is. That being said - add paint and the smart thing to do is dig the paint out before ever putting a bit in the bolt head. I use a couple of dental tools. You are messing with the finish otherwise so why not save the anguish and make that bit fit into the recess as far as it's designed to to and not be held out by a thick layer of paint that's settled into the screw head, and try to grip the torx edges through paint. A good bit should fit the bolt and not really wiggle once it's in the recess. So either dig the paint out, or at least drive the torx bit in a bit with some light taps to get it in there. The paint is preventing the torx bit from going as deep as it should, and gripping the hole like it should.
Looking at the other bolt, untouched, I can see trouble brewing with that thick paint in there preventing the tool from going as deep as it needs to in order to not slip. Clean the paint out of the hole, then put the bit into the bolt head.

 

[cfowler55]

GOCAMPN has it right. Get a small hammer and a good pointed center punch. Start tapping on the outside edge counter clockwise. This has always been my first try on stuck , stripped , or broken bolts. Works well over half the time. To qualify , I’ve been a line tech and / or a shop owner since ‘73 , retired in 2021.
Charlie

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