stripped hex bolt
 

Tried to replace my leaky oil cooler line today. What a PITA that procedure is. I was just going to replace the lower one because the upper one was $75 at a local shop, but now, knowing how hard it is to get it off, I think I'll do the upper one as well.

It was tough going but all was well until I tried to remove the motor mount. The bolt that screws in from the bottom looked more rounded than hex. I tried to undo it but the hex socket kept slipping out. I tried an impact wrench, but had no luck. I'm working on the ground with the car on jackstands and there isn't room to sling a hammer at the impact wrench.

Any suggestions? Should I just drill it out and replace the motor mount?

Thanks,
Mark
1983 300D Turbo

The same thing happened to me, I thought the hex allen bolt was stripped out, but the allen wrench was not going all the way into the bolt. I had to basically hammer the socket into the bolt to get it in there and then I was able to get enough to loosen the bolt. Make sure the allen is going all the way into the bolt. If that doesn't work then you will have to drill the head off. Good luck!
Brian.

same problem
 

Hammering the socket in worked for me too.
Dave S

You're gonna hate hearing this but, when I did motor mounts on my wagon and stripped the head of the hex screw, nothing worked...hammering, praying, you name it! I eventually had to pull the entire support arm off the side of the engine...yes, it CAN be done if you jack the engine high enough and are persistent, and sufficiently strong enough to pry the engine over to one side AND pull the support arm out.

Once I had it out of the car, I used the fearsome Sawzall WMD (weapon of motormount destruction) to hack the mount apart so that I could get a pipe wrench onto the head of the offending hex screw. It was still a bear to get loose.

But, new mounts were definitely worth the effort.

Good luck!

I remember trying to remove a stripped allen-head bolt with an EZ-Out. I don't remember whether it worked. I think it did.

Well, I finally got it out. I took a good look at it and realized that the access hole through the frame was in the wrong place. So I drilled it a little larger. Then I hammered a bit into the hole and it held enough to remove the bolt. Now I can't get the bit out of the bolt, but that's ok, I need to buy a new bolt anyway. I'll eventually recover the bit.

While putting on the new hose I discovered that the lower fitting on the oil cooler was stripped, too. I thought the old hose felt funny comming off. I managed to get the new one on. Hope it holds.

I have service records for the last ten years that the p.o. kept. I'll have to check to see who might have buggered up the fitting and the bolt. I'll be sure to avoid that indy.

Thanks for the comments and advice.

Mark

To remove stuck bits, sockets, etc. from bolts, throw them on the ground (concrete or pavement) as hard as you can. It may take quite a few tries, but it works. Just keep an eye out to where the two pieces go when they do seperate.