Things to address before the new job...
 

First of all, thank you all for the awesome support and advice given to me the past two years owning my Benz. :) It's still ticking! :D And on a related note, it's going to be ticking a lot more here soon. :eek:

I got myself a nice job at a big school district in the Seattle area. I figured my car is in good enough shape that I can run it for a little while on the 50 mile round-trip (freeway) journey every day. BUT....there are a few issues that I want to look at and hopefully resolve soon. Actually, just one major issue at this moment. Has to do with the awesome problem of oil leaks. :D
The oil filter housing is leaking progressively worse at the gasket. I saw this a while a ago and thought it'd be an easy enough fix. Save myself trouble down the road by doing it now. So I go and buy an OEM gasket from the dealer and I'm set to replace it and refresh the housing a bit....

...or not. :( I go to remove the allen bolt that sites right next to the steering box, and it turns out it is rounded out! Guess a PO or shop did this...grr, and it had to be THIS bolt out of all of them! Thanks, Murphy....:mad:

So, gents, what would be the best way to remove this stubborn thing? :) I've heard of tapping it out, getting a set of vice-grips locked onto it, hammering in a larger allen screw or even a Torx head into it....the real issue is space. Not a lot to work with here next to the steering box. And if anyone has a few of these bolts laying around, I could really use extras! If not...to the junkyard I go.

I was sitting here thinking about grinding the head off but then you got the shaft to deal with. I have had success removing fasteners with vice grips.

Can you get an external grip extractor on the outside surface of the bolt head?

http://www.irwin.com/uploads/product...actors-802.jpg

Sixto
87 300D

Those external extractor sockets are amazing little things, and I have a set that I use fairly often. (I swear they are the only way to disassemble a Datsun 280Z!) If those won't fit, then you're in trouble, because most of those bolts are so darn hard that you'll wreck a torx bit hammering it in, assuming you can even get enough swing on it.

In the rare instances where all else fails, I will usually take a stubby hex bolt and weld it to the end of the offending fastener, then use a wrench or socket to turn it out.

If Stugist gets stuck on this, I'm probably close enough to offer assistance.

This would be my first attempt.

Next, I would grind off the bolt head, remove the other bolts, slide the housing out as far as it will go toward the PS box and use needle nose pliers to unscrew the shank of the bolt in the block. EDIT: Or cut the shank with a hack saw blade and use a stud puller once the oil cooler housing is out.

Would this work on one of these bolts? I find it kind of hard to believe, unless it chews/grips on the outer portion of it.

Attachment 117216 (From Google, not my own)

I just did this job this summer... 2x on welding an allen bit or even hex head

That's the general idea. The only other thing I can think of is grinding two flats on either side of the bolt and using a small open end wrench to break the bolt loose.

They will definitely grip an allen head; I've done it several times. Just seat it with a few hammer blows to help it find grip, and the come right out.

Sometimes this helps (not always but some times) => If it is only one bolt remove the rest - twist the housing so that the stubborn one gets a bit looser and then use the wrath of <INSERT NAME OF SCARY WOMAN YOU KNOW HERE> to frighten the bolt out the rest of the way!

Hmm. I don't know... I happen to know a few scary women, and the idea of summoning the wrath of any of them fills me with significant apprehension. I'd rather summon the devil, honestly.

(Okay, not honestly... I'm just saying that scary women can be really scary, and the stuck bolts are only likely to take notice sometimes.)

William Congreve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pretty tight with the steering box in the way for hammer blows and grinders. We had to grind down a regular L shaped Allen key to get in there for at least one of those bolts. Maybe you could get one of those bits as pictured above on the head and use a prybar to apply pressure to the bit while you turn the bit with an open end wrench. I have a set of those bits and mine have flats on the out side for a wrench, they probably all do. Maybe hammer the prybar you have held against the bit...might give it enough bite doing that + holding pressure on it while turning. Maybe a die grinder would work, but there is hardly room to put your hand in there. How hard is it to drop the steering box down abit....I think there is 4 bolts accesible from the drivers side wheelwell....easier than lifting the engine a few inches.

go to harbor freight, and get a set of tie rod poppers, then remove the steering box, then you have free and clear access to the bolt. there should be room for the external extractor to fit, have fun!

Oh, he'll have lots of fun with the steering box! Getting it out is the easy part.