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Stripped Allen Bolt (HELP!!)

6521 Views 9 Replies 9 Participants Last post by SouthsideDuc, Feb 9, 2006

2UpDuc

Discussion Starter · Jan 31, 2006 (Edited)

I purchased my new Rear Top Box with back rest pad from Ducati Richmond, it came fast and is really nice. I was taking all the parts off of my ST4s and ran into a serious problem. I stripped out the allen Bolts that hold the side bag frames to the foot pegs. I barely put a allen wrench to them and they stripped. I wanted to kill somebody!! I am not sure where to go, or what to do.

Anyone who has any advice I am all ears..

See pics below of stripped bolts...

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psh1959

· #2 · Jan 31, 2006

For the screw that is buggered up you have a couple of options that I would try:

1.) Run down to your Sears hardware store and get at set of "screw-out" damaged screw removers. or 2.) Get your dremel out and cut a slot for a flat screw driver blade

Make sure you have a quality set of hex wrenches, a poorly fitting wrench will ruin even a good screw. If the screws are really tight, a couple of drops of penetrating oil over night will help.

For replacement screws, I like using desmoparts.com. He has every type of metric screw you can imagine and good prices (no affliation, just a satisfied customer).

Good Luck,
Peter

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mcd

· #3 · Jan 31, 2006

hhhhhm had a similar situation...

... over the weekend on a brake rotor bolt. Just drill a hole in the center of the bolts. Be sure it isn't too big where you run the risk of catching the threads and then back the screw out with an easy out.

Good luck.

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mcd

· #4 · Jan 31, 2006

just so happens...

... I had a similar situation over the weekend on a brake rotor bolt. Just drill a hole in the center of the bolts. Be sure it isn't too big where you run the risk of catching the threads and then back the screws out with an easy out.

Good luck.

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jack

· #5 · Jan 31, 2006

I'm assuming, from the pic, you stripped the hex opening, not the threads. A couple of options:

1) see if a standard sized allen wrench will fit, and try lightly tapping it into the hex opening. If you have a grinder, you can "sacrifice" a larger allen wrench by grinding a tapper in the end to get to fit.

2) Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's Ace Hardware, will all have "EZ-outs" You may have to grind the end down to get it to tightly fit into the hex opening.

Don't grind too much too fast off the tool, it'll get hot and loose it's hardness. Cool the part often in water when grinding.

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jamesn

· #6 · Feb 1, 2006

I realize that this is not something that everyone has access to, but.....
If you can buy a left handed drill bit, or grind a regular bit so that it cuts when turned counter clockwise, the stripped bolt will almost always wind out by itself when drilled with a left handed drill. The trick is to get the bit to "bite" into the bolt while drilling it. Slow speed and lots of pressure on the drill is the key. Remember you are trying to make the bit grab and spin the bolt. The worst that can happen is that you drill into the bolt. In which case you can try the "easy out" (screw-out) bolt extractor. A word of warning about the screw extractors. If you break one off in the bolt you are trying to remove, your screwed. They are hardened, which makes them impossible to drill out with standard drill bits. One more option. If you can gain access to the opposite end of the bolt (remove the part that the bolt is in ?), you can drill it from that end with a conventional drill and try to make it wind out. Again, slow speed - lots of pressure. Over the years I've probably removed 50 - 100 bolts like this. P.S. - A drill press is much better than a hand drill if you have access to one.

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mikesnewst4s

· #7 · Feb 5, 2006

Try this..

I had the same problem!! I was able to break it loose by removing the other bolts holding the pieces and turning the pegs/brackets themselves. I cut a little notch in the bolt with a hacksaw just enough to get an old flat blade screwdriver into it to hold it a bit -- not enough to get enough grab to break the bolt free but, once loosened, just enough to back it out.

Mine came already a little stripped and torqued WAY tight.

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Fariborz

· #8 · Feb 8, 2006

1upDuc said:
I purchased my new Rear Top Box with back rest pad from Ducati Richmond, it came fast and is really nice. I was taking all the parts off of my ST4s and ran into a serious problem. I stripped out the allen Bolts that hold the side bag frames to the foot pegs. I barely put a allen wrench to them and they stripped. I wanted to kill somebody!! I am not sure where to go, or what to do.

Anyone who has any advice I am all ears..

I am not sure how badly your Allen head is stripped but the following might help without having to drill the head out.

First of, add some WD40 or Liquid wrench to the thread area of the bolt from behind and from the sides if you can. Let it sit for few minutes so that it can get into the thread area.

Get a small amount of sand (you do not need much) and some grease. Tooth paste can also work in place of grease. Put the sand inside the Allen head and add the grease. The grease will help keep the sand in. Now insert the correct Allen wrench into the head. You might need to move the Allen wrench around a little bit to make it fit. Some grease and sand will be pushed out. But some sand will be trapped between the sides of the Allen head and the sides of the Allen Wrench. This will fill-in the gap caused by rounding the head. Once the wrench is tight enough that it does not spin freely, hit the handle of the Allen head with a hammer or rubber mallet CCW (the same direction that you loosen the bolt). You should --NOT-- try to turn the Allen head by gradually exerting force. That will simply break up the sand and wrench will start spinning in the head before the bolt starts to break loose. The sudden jarring caused by hitting the head with a hammer will try to loosen the bolt before the sand breaks up. Depending on how much you have stripped the head, and how tight the bolt is, you might need to repeat the above few times until the bolts breaks loose.

If the above does not work, Get some Torx bits (star shaped tips) Using a slightly larger Torx bit you can try loosening the bolt. The Torx bit will grab the inside of the Allen head at different grab points than the Allen head.

I have had success using both methods.

-Fariborz

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extrapilot

· #9 · Feb 9, 2006

Another thing that people have problems with are bolts that had been loctited on with the real good high strength red stuff.

The trick is to use heat from a propane torch applied to the head of the bolt.
Loctite will usually loosen up easily with this heat method. Loctite becomes like a liquid plastic when heated well.