Stripped bottom vacuum pump bolt...ARRRG
 

OK got the radiator out and all of the bolts out of the vacuum pump except the friggin bottom one. And of course it is stripped.

What have others done in this situation?

Where is my whiskey bottle....???

You can pound a flat head screwdriver into the bolt head and then very precisely turn it without letting go or slipping it, make sure to clean it out first.
Super common problem.

Is there room for something like this - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96335 ?

Sixto
87 300D

I've found that Torx sockets work very well in stripped hex heads.

I used vice grips.

irwin extractors work really well

Great idea... great minds think a lot alike... I tired it.. no glory.

I think I will need to get a SMALL pair of vice grips. The pair I have are too big.

I wish I had more room to move around.

I would like to thank the previous owner for being a D.A. in putting the stripped bolt back in the hardest place to get at.

There I feel better.

Neighbors.
 

I'd put the bolts on either side of the stripped one back in, to take the pressure off that bolt.

Good luck!

Jay.

Hmmm good idea. Thinks for the tip.; I will give it a try!

the best idea thus far has been the vice grips. it might be easier if you remove the radiator and evaporator first, or at least undo the couple of bolts for the ps pump and get that out of the way to gain access to the area. tap on the nut a few times with a mallet and then the vice grips should do the job

If you have one use a Propane Tourch to heat the head of the bolt. People are going to say it will expand the bolt but heating it also makes it longer.

Qusiton for someone else: Do those Irwin type External Bolt Extractors really work on Allen Head Bolts?I go mine from Sears but have not had to use them on anything.

yes....


used them one a few rounded upper oil pan bolts...saved me a lot of grief and time

Unless the car has ben retrofitted with a heat pump, the evaporator should not be much of factor. That ranks up there with removing the fuel tank to improve access to the steering wheel.

lol

propane torches are great. minus the spark/flame, you can use them to detect vacuum leaks in the engine compartment

by the way guys, the main reason people strip these bolts is because there's so much grease on the bolts, that the allen wrench will just slip and strip the inside of the bolt. the best bet to prevent this is to use some small screwdriver and some q-tips to remove the grease before going at the bolts with a 4" allen wrench embedded in a socket. tap the socket when the allen wrench is in the bolt hole with a mallet until you're tired of it--always works for me.