<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/2644/stripped_bolt.jpg"></center><p>I don't feel like a total idot, b/c I'm not the one that stripped it. It must have gotten stripped when the dealer changed the timing belt 60k miles ago.

How do I remove this damn thing? Thanks!

Anywhere else that I could possibly find it?

find a matching bolt, and use that. You may not find an allen head bolt, but as you can see, a six sided bolt head might be preferrable anyway. If you can only find a longer bolt, get that, and cut it down to size (assuming you have a dremel or something).

bolt with the new one.

happened when i lost a bolt head on the 90's sway bar bracket. PITA to get one to fit in there afterwards.

Doing so will flatten the had and make the allen fit better.

Also, try a torx in the hole.

Also, the next fractional size up allen may fit with some persuasion.

If he's chosen the right size drill bit, and he's drilled on center, and only until the bolt head falls off, there is no way he'll damage any of the threads the bolt screws into...in facts, he should be several mm away from the top of those threads.

Of course, if you someone screw up, and manage to mangle the threads (you'd REALLY have to botch it up), then you could probably use a tap to clean it up enough to feed another screw into the same hole.

they sucked; one broke in half and i had to drill THAT one out in addition.

bolt HEAD... makes sense now.

it's true. However I've found one problem with that...while helping people in their own garages. Lack of a good selection of tools really limits your options (and that's usually where I get hosed). I HATE working in garages stocked with a floor jack, and a 101 pc craftsman tool set (half of which are standard anyway).

yeah, those things are intended for small screws that aren't held in with a lot of torque. I've currently got one lodged in a set screw on my coilover perch. The set screw rusted in place, so I tried one of those bits, and predictably, it snapped in two, and it's still stuck in the perch. Still haven't figured out what I'm going to do about it.

F*CKING DEALER! And now I have to put in half-assed hardware store replacement bolts b/c they don't stock these parts.

Oh - and I tried the torx trick on the other stripped bolts - no luck. I already ripped in half two 1/2" - 1/4" converter pieces trying to get thse bolts off using the torx method.

I'm thinking of trying the Sears remover thing, but hopefully they won't rip in half.

The important half is not having the problem. Had he notcied that the bolt head was deformed, and had be been using quility allen sockets, it would have been a non-issue.

The one's below are what you're getting, right? You don't have to get the low profile ones, any variety will do. I had a stripped bolt down in my tranny tunnel (prev owner tried and failed at installing a short shifter) and I thought I was hosed. These sockets pulled it out in 5 seconds without a fuss.<ul><li><a href="http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0485500896.1133659470@ @@@&amp;BV_EngineID=ccchaddgghmkmfdcegecegjdghldghf.0&amp; vertical=TOOL&amp;pid=00952166000&amp;bidsite=CRAFT">http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do

very easy. I was scared when I strip one at the crank, but I just hammer 12mm 12-point socket in and voila

sometimes it works.

break it just exchange for another one.

BTW - where did you get your replacement bolts from? I went down to Ace Hardware and they found ones that will work for the A/C belt tensioner, but now the crank pulley bolts are stripped too.

certainly on the smaller end. I returned them and got my $$ back, for obvious reasons!

They sell the low profile set (which I linked), they sell a 5 pc regular set, a 10 pc regular set (which is what I would get), and a 5 pc impact socket set. Get one of the 10 pc sets, they have the largest selection of sizes. The sockets are tapered, and have a fluted interior wall that will bite into a bolt head. So if you use the right size, it'll come right out.

I paid $40 for that little kit! :(

works GREAT when you have the right tools!
I have used them to remove the bumper mount bolts in the past

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