I stripped one of the allen bolts!!

[bsukalski]

Hi all. I have been browsing this forum for a while, and have decided to go through with the recommended carb mods (I put the DJ kit in, and am really unimpressed) and remove the smog equipment on my 2002 XR650L.

Well, I got home from work tonight and decided tonight is as good as any to start! Well, I got 3 of the 4 allen bolts out, then had to loosen the headers to get to the 4th (the one nearest the smog pump). Then guess what.....a seized bolt!! My impact wrench completely rounded out the inside of the bolt!

So, now what? I guess i could drill and ex-out it....but this this is really in there good. Could I disconnect everything, but leave the pipe near the front of the cylinder head? Could i just plug it with something? I really want to get rid of the backfiring...as people are starting to think I am shooting at them

thanks in advance,

brandon

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[wr450fyamaha]

i dont know

[msharp]

Brandon, be careful drilling on the bolt. you don't want the drill to drift into the aluminum. If all you did was round off the inside of the bolt try visegips on the bolt head, or tack weld your allen wrench to the bolt. Why using an impact wrench anyway? Matt

[don87xr600]

i dont know

post whore

[justicedone]

Use some wd40 and visegrips would be my call. Maybe run the emgine a few minutes? hmmmmm

[dirtriderwjc2000]

Try using a hole punch, make a hole or notch in it with a hammer, than put the whole punch in the notch, and tap it to the left with the hammer. I just got two broken bolts out this way. Good Luck!!

[xr500_89]

or take the next size allen up and pound it in with a hammer then carefully take it out

[miguelitro]

I like the last idea cuz it will still allow the attempts of the other if it fails.

I sometimes use a chisel on the side of the bolt that will knock it loose.

if its an allen head you might as a last resort grab it with vise grips.

what a pain though man i feel for ya...

maybe oil over night befor trying anything.

And Don- thanks for backing me up on that WR guy!

does he even ride or what?

[don87xr600]

He might be my new best friend if he lives near the six days.

[miguelitro]

??

[bsukalski]

thanks for the advice everyone!!

well, i tried the vice grips with no luck. then i let it run for a few minutes, then put the vice grips to it. No luck. Heck, all I'm doing is stripping the outside of the bolt now What makes a bolt seize like this??

I think i will try pounding the next size allen wrench in next.

Matt: i am using an impact wrench for this exact reason. the other ones were on the virge of being stripped out with a regular allen wrench...and the impact took em right out! And thanks for the advice on drilling. I don't like the idea of drilling into the aluminum!!

Maybe a beer in my hand will help now?

i think now i will let some more WD40 soak in overnight and see what happens tomorrow.

thanks again!

[Max Power]

Hit the bolt, like it is a nail, with a ball peened hammer 3 or 4 times, and then try the vise grips again. Never fails.

[bsukalski]

Hit the bolt, like it is a nail, with a ball peened hammer 3 or 4 times, and then try the vise grips again. Never fails.

alright, I'm counting on it!

Seriously, though, I will give that a try tomorrow...after the WD40 has set in.

Another question for the group (and you guys really seem to know your stuff!!): Since the DJ kit comes with a washer (.025" thick??), can i use this for the carb mods I am going to do next with the stock needle? Seems to me like it should work just fine...I don't know...since I haven't gotten that far yet...

[Supplicate]

If nothing else works, instead of using WD 40, I suggest getting some PB Blaster. We use it at work all the time, and if it won't break it loose, nothing we have used will and we wind up taking a cutting torch to the stuff we are working on.

If you have some kind of butane torch, or even an oxy/acetalyne rig, and can focus a very small amount of heat around the bolt and have the metal around it expand (aluminum heats up faster then the metal of the bolt ) it will come out easier that way as well. But I would completely understand if you didn't want to go this route

all of the other ideas are good ones, but to add to the hammer piece, have the vice grips on the bolt applying a slight (well, push on it pretty decent) pressure while tapping on it, that works with rusty or just plain old pain in the ass set screws.

Also, if all of this stuff fails, go to your local industrial supply store and pick up a set of Proto screw extractors, they are these tapered square stock pieces with big biting edges on them that when you pound them in with a hammer would work much much better then the next size up allen key.

[Supplicate]

Also, if all of this stuff fails, go to your local industrial supply store and pick up a set of Proto screw extractors, they are these tapered square stock pieces with big biting edges on them that when you pound them in with a hammer would work much much better then the next size up allen key.

this is what I was talking about:

http://www.protoolsdirect.com/product.asp?sku=24298

[XRsteve]

I fix this sorta thing all the time. Usually when others have given up. The best thing to do first is spray with WD-49. Then get an impact driver, the kind you put a socket on and hit with a hammer. use the next size up socket or maybe a torx bit, whatever you can get to fit in tightest. Then (make sure it's on loosen) pound that thing and hopefully it will come loose. This usually works for me. It you end up destroying the bolt head the next thing I would try is a reverse drill bit and extractor set. Make sure to drill directly down the center of the bolt. Use the largest drill/extractor that will fit inside the bolt. If all else fails, just drill the bolt out completely and install a heli-coil. You just might decide to try using one bolt to hold the block off plate, it would be easier and probably wouldn't leak. There is only exhaust pressure behind it.

By the way, the carb mods DO make a big difference in throttle response! The block off kit only reduces popping and loses 2 lbs. If your bike is like mine, (99 XR650L) don't use the small plugs that come with the IMS kit. Run a vacuum hose from the port on the top of the intake side to the port on the right side. That is a decel valve and helps reduce popping too. But it only works when it's hooked up.

Sorry about the long post, but I've been there, done that. Good luck and don't give up.

[cholwerk]

i dont know

We already knew that.

bsukalski,

Kroil is the best penetrating oil around, if you can find it. Anything threaded into Aluminum will sieze if it does not have some kind of coating. Use anti-Sieze anytime you thread into Alum. The siezing is caused by a combination of the realitive softness of the Alum and its propensity to corrode.

[ghoti]

A great tip I learned long ago was to tighten the fastener first. Somehow it helps break it free. Sadly, it's too late for your dilemma. Maybe one of the Craftsman bolt remover sockets on you impact. Tapping on the bolt head helps the penetrating oil work its way down the threads. If your vise grip teeth are sharp, try those again while tapping the head of the bolt. The best alternative is welding something to the bolt head. Good luck.

[Toolmaker]

Hi , I work with Allen bolts everyday , we have a set of extractors that look like a tapered Allen wrench that you drive into a stripped out bolt head , and they work pretty good .

If that fails use that blaster stuff one on the other guy's mentioned it works well, then weld a nut or something to the end of the bolt and back it out with that .

I would drill it at last resort ,because of the risk of miss drilling it .

[bsukalski]

Alright guys, I have good and bad news. I'll start with the bad. I STILL couldn't get the allen bolt to budge. I went to Sears and bought some 'Bolt-offs' AND heated the area around the bolt slightly with a torch....still no luck

I guess I'm alright with the smog stuff on for now...it really doesn't bother me that much.

Now for the good news. I replaced the DJ kit with Daves mods and removed the snorkel. What a difference!! I used the washer from the DJ kit (it fit perfect)...even though it's only 0.023"......

Anyways, thanks for all the advice! Very helpful, but this is a bit above my head in this case. I may have a pro look at it sometime.

Well, since it's about 11 pm here, I will have to wait till tomorrow after work to fine tune it