Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

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Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby Rye » 16 Jun 2018, 17:04

I've tried everything short of tack welding to get off an allen head bolt from a wheelchair rim. Penetrating oil, punch and hammer, forcing in a larger bit did nothing for this one. What do you guys do for a situation like this? Buy a new rim? banghead
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby Burgerman » 16 Jun 2018, 17:38

I take everything apart and grease threads with normal lithium grease or coppergrease if I have it about. BEFORE it seizes solid later on. And I regularly buy new allen keys of decent quality. T bar type. Same with posi-drive screwdrivers. Because once these slip from inexperienced use, or wrong angles, or slight wear, thats it. You are screwed.
Cheap... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hex-Key-Set- ... 3322499112
Quality... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8PC-METRIC-B ... 0752.m1982
A smear of grease and they come undone easily years later.


My new Salsa chair, my auto mower, and years ago my motorcycles are typical examples of this. Stripped and greased as soon as they arrived. Some fasteners were already siezed and rusty and squeeky and it was brand new.
Because most mass produced items like powerchairs are just bolted together dry, And as soon as they see any moisture, from the air (80% humidity today!) or from rain, or washing, the fasteners corrode electrically like crazy. This happens any place there are dissimilar metals.

How do you deal with this after its too late? Hammers, drills, welding a rod to a bolt, pullers, replacement parts.

Use penetrating fluid. Use a socket type key.
Image
Apply slight undo pressure but not enough to make it slip. Wile you strike the head of the ratchet or bar, with a hammer towards the bolt to shock it. It will come undone. If not use moderate localised heat too.

Go buy new bolts not made of cheese, and coppergrease...
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby shirley_hkg » 17 Jun 2018, 02:21

Drill press .
Drill deep and start with small drill bit , than bigger till the head comes off .
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby Burgerman » 17 Jun 2018, 04:00

Leaving him a wheel rim with a seized thread and no head? :cussing
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby shirley_hkg » 17 Jun 2018, 04:22

drunk2
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby bob_libby » 17 Jun 2018, 12:03

I am a retired engineer and we always used cap heads instead of bolts and i have often buggered up allen keys on seized cap heads. As burgerman suggested its always best to use quality allen keys as cheap ones are made out of what we always called monkey metal. If the allen key strips then grind or file it back shorter but DO NOT deburr the end of the allen key, knock it in with a hammer and the sharp edges will help drive it better. If the hex hole in the cap head is worn then get a slightly bigger allen key and grind or file it tapered till the smaller part starts to enter the worn cap head and drive it in with a hammer. What ever you do use loads of penetrating fluid and soak it beforehand.
If that does not work then you have no choice but to drill it out and retap it, the hole in the head serves well to centre the drill but make sure you keep the drill parellel to the screw and not at an angle. Start with a small drill and go bigger in stages till you reach the "tapping" size drill then clear the threads out with the correct tap. Taps and wrenches can be bought for reasonable prices and info is available online as to the size drill you need for the thread size that is stripped.
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby ex-Gooserider » 19 Jun 2018, 00:25

Burgerman wrote:Leaving him a wheel rim with a seized thread and no head? :cussing


Depends on the exact setup, but usually when I do the "drill the head off" trick, there is still a stub left - perfect for grabbing with a pair of vice-grips.... 8-)

I also find that between the vibrations of drilling, and that the bolt is no longer under tension, it often unscrews pretty easily...

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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby flagman1776 » 19 Jun 2018, 02:03

Sometimes a few cycles of tightening & removing tension will free it.
Yes... about drilling as a last resort. You want a light touch, remove as little material as possible. Once the piece, in this case the wheel, is removed, you can often vise grip the remaining shank to remove. You can add penitrant & even heat the part. Being a former boat mechanic, I dealt with a lot of badly rusted bolts & sometimes resorted to grind off or drill out techigues. I hated to. Sometimes there's no choice.

Can you get pentrant in from the back side, between the hub & the wheel?
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby Rye » 20 Jun 2018, 21:32

I soaked both sides with penetrating oil and it's not budging. It's funny because I had the rim apart a couple weeks ago with no problem. Must have slipped tightening that one. I think drilling it out is my only option now.
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby flagman1776 » 20 Jun 2018, 22:09

WAIT! You say you" had the rim apart a couple weeks ago with no problem". Am I to understand this bolt holds the wheel halves together? This changes everything.
Have you taken the valve out and released ALL the air pressure. If not, the air pressure could lock the wheel halves & the bolts.
Rmove the valve core completely. There's a tiny tool for it. Even try collapsng the tire sidewalls with clamps to free it from the rim. Even better if you can remove the tire / wheel assembly to get to it.
Then go back with your pentrant & wrenches.

Or maybe I misunderstood your last post.
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby rlnguy » 20 Jun 2018, 22:31

If there are 2 bolts, near each other, holding something together, I find it often helps to loosen them a little at a time-alternating, maybe a quarter turn, on each, until they loosen.
I've had bolts completely stripped, and drilled the head off, and once the head was off, I could unscrew them with my fingers.
Not uncommon on brake clamps on manual chairs, or Permobil drive wheels.
of course, once they are stripped, it gets a lot tougher.
Try putting a dab of valve grinding compound on the end of the allen wrench, or in the head of the bolt, to give the wrench some bite.
good luck
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Re: Stripped Allen Head Bolts!!!!!

Postby flagman1776 » 21 Jun 2018, 00:39

rlnguy wrote:If there are 2 bolts, near each other, holding something together, I find it often helps to loosen them a little at a time-alternating, maybe a quarter turn, on each, until they loosen.
I've had bolts completely stripped, and drilled the head off, and once the head was off, I could unscrew them with my fingers.
Not uncommon on brake clamps on manual chairs, or Permobil drive wheels.
of course, once they are stripped, it gets a lot tougher.
Try putting a dab of valve grinding compound on the end of the allen wrench, or in the head of the bolt, to give the wrench some bite.
good luck


ringuy makes a good point. To expand on it, if you have the other bolts out... grease them & put them back... snug. The parts may be out of alignment binding the stuck bolt. Then try the stuck bolt again. Losen them all gradually. The reverse of how we tightened auto lug bolts (back when people chainged their own tires).
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