stripped out bolt head?

Question

in short it's a lower motor mount bolt on a 93 buick lesabre 3.8 engine. i had the correct socket on there but it was so rusted down and being underneath the mount i kept having to readjust the the ratchet it must have went on at a bad angle and stripped the head a few times. i managed to get it half way out before it got bad. i know a few mechanics know what i am talking about on this type of car, i am trying to get the water pump off, so no room for a torch or a drill. already tried a monkey wrench and a pair of vice grips. what else can i use. i been looking online and i seen a few tools like the gator grips and i think they are called turbo grips or turbo sockets. anyone know bout these tools or anything else i can use would be a big help.

Update:

thanks rob and doug pretty helpful answers. the rest of you i am not sure if you read the whole question or just skip over information there is no room to put a drill to get to the bolt i could barely fit a 3/8 ratchet with the socket in there. my hand barely fits in there

bandit_60 · Accepted Answer

have you tried a off set ratchet or drill ? they get into places a regular ratchet or drill can,t !

Robsteriark · Answer

It's not a stripped-out bolt but a rounded bolt.

Using the correct description will help you find more useful answers. I suggest you search "Irwin Bolt Grip Nut Remover Expansion Set", I have a set of these and they've been very effective over the last few years. There are other similar products which you'll find by just using the search term "rounded bolt" but make sure to avoid the Draper-branded tool as it's useless.

They all work best if the bolt head isn't yet completely rounded, but if it is you may have to hammer the remover onto the end of the bolt, and it seems that you might not have sufficient access to do that. But you don't need to hammer it on much, just enough to get the tool to sit on the end of the bolt head; it then self-tightens onto the bolt as you start to use it.

Final option: chisel off the head of the bolt and after removing the pump use the improved access to get your tools onto the exposed shaft, you could put a pair of nuts onto it and lock them together.

DOUG C · Answer

I would use an "easy out" kit from Sears by Craftsman. They come like sockets in a small set but have agressive teeth design to dig in to the metal in a way that it will turn any bolt with a bad head out. A splash of penetrating oil never hurts ( :

Gatsby216 · Answer

Have you tried to let some PB blaster soak for a few hours?  Spay it on, then a few hours later give another spray and let it soak in. Worst case you might have to drill the bolt out. 
a>

sc0rpyo_nytes · Answer

Get some carbide or diamond drill bits and just drill the head off.   Use an air drill.

Darren · Answer

Try an 8 inch pipe wrench.  It will grip tighter than what you have tried.

Trending News

stripped out bolt head?

6 Answers