Distributor trauma: strip those threads!

[STORMINORMAN]

So, trying to pull the trigger points requires pulling the distributor, but when the hold down "bolt" looks like a knurled, threaded hex bolt (fastener) that has been stripped, internally (the 5mm HEX part) and has nothing to grab on to...

What do I do? Are we Talking SEARS Easy Outs, tm? There is no "unter" bolt I'm not aware of?

HELP! I can't believe they put a stripped fastener on my car! Did they?

Help!

Norm

[GaryF]

So the timing probably hasnt been adjusted in a while....

You may be able to get a hacksaw blade to it and make a groove across the top for a screwdriver. Or cut the head off and remove the stump once the distributor is out. A dremmel cutter would be perfect for this.

Good luck !

[Tomguy]

YIKES! This is why my old allen bolt was replaced with a standard bolt!

Are you sure it's 5mm? Try a 5.5mm (if you can find one) or a 6mm. If those are too big, you have two options:

1) Hammer a torx bit into the stripped hole and take it out that way
2) Hammer a 12-point socket over the outside of the bolt and take it out that way

I use the #1 method to adjust the stripped screw in my MAP sensor.
Using the #2 method I've removed wheel locks without actually having the key adapter. I've also dremeled around the outside of head bolts (ground them down a bit) and removed them via this method.

Aside from that, you may try an extractor bit, but I've tried those on the head bolts before and they did not work.

[STORMINORMAN]

...in the confines of the area under the belts, with all that clearance betwixt radiator, fan blades, engine block & heads, right next to the "$300" trigger points pigtail!

Thanks for the replies: it appears from these responses that it well may be an allen head with no external flats for an easyout/bolt grabber to grab. Why not a regular bolt?

I did pick up some tamper-proof Torx inserts: maybe one of them might work?

I'll advise my success or the lack thereof...

Cheers!

p.s. Actually the distributor was REPLACED (no foolin'!) only a couple years ago by a previous owner. But they didn't bother to REPLACE the bolt: they STRIPPED IT!

[Tomguy]

It will be impossible to get at that with a dremel, I'm sure. However, if you have two 1/4" extension bars (or 1 of double the standard length), and the proper 12-pt socket to hammer over the old bolt (or torx to hammer into), you can use that and hammer on the end of the extension bar. You WILL be able to get the bolt out by doing this, it may just require work including guessing which 12-point socket fits the best. I hope you have all the 12-point sockets in standard AND metric!

[cth350]

your first line of defense with an old allen head bolt is to clean out the insides. More often than not, the guy that stripped it didn't strip it all the way down to the bottom, because the bolt was full of crud and it's now packed in well.

Get a 5mm allen key on a socket (sears for about 5 bucks) and after you've cleaned out the bolt and are sure you're touching bottom, put the tip in and hammer on the it a bit (not too hard) to seat the allen key against whatever bit of flat surface is left.

Worse case, you remove the radiator and then remove the whole distributor mount from the timing cover.

-CTH

[STORMINORMAN]

I took a "TORQUE" anti-tamper bit (I originally thought they were TORXtm?) and hammered that puppy into the ?mm allenhead fastener, spun it around counterclockwise & clockwise, then went up one size allenhead (?mm+) and it loosened!

Need a new bolt, that's for sure!

The trigger point assembly looks like new, but there is a little oil or lubricant of some type on some of the interior clear plastic surfaces. So...

2 questions: can I (1) just spray some CRT electrical contact cleaner (safe for plastics, dries clean, etc.) on the 4 trigger points or do I need to (2) pull off the circlips and disassemble them to get at the platinum points?

I have the rotor marked as pointing directly to one point and the distributor body eyeballed at another point on the block: I'm pretty sure I can get it all back together pretty close to where it was originally vis-a-vis the timing.

Heck, I still have my old timing light and dwell meter

Cheers!

[Tomguy]

You'll NEED the timing light, that's for sure. The plastic guards - Are they removable or can you work around them? If not, I'd tear them off. I'd want to make SURE I got those points as clean as could be with lint-free, non-abrasive paper (like an index or business card).

REASSEMBLE WITH A STANDARD BOLT and NOT an allen-head bolt! It will be MUCH easier to remove in the future - trust me.

[cth350]

you can close the points on a new dollar bill and it's tough, abrasive ink will clean the points in a jiffy with no residue.

On reassembly, you can time the engine at starter speed (about 200rpm) to 0 TDC if all else fails.

-CTH

[t walgamuth]

i never had much trouble with allen bolts. i always felt they were superior to standard bolts.

you have to clean the hole out before taking them out though. and make sure the allen goes down in all the way.

tom w

[STORMINORMAN]

Thanks for the replies: anyone had any experience with just using the contact cleaner on the points?

Cheers!

[Tomguy]

Norman: I'd want to be able to open the points and slide a card in just to make sure they're 100% clean. You CAN just use spray if you want, but I wouldn't want to take the dizzy out a 2nd time if I were you.