I have an M114 and I am trying to replace the ring gear. I have the transmission pulled and the flex plate exposed, and the bolts holding the flex plate have heads for an allen wrench. It appears that the size is 8mm but I have stripped out the head of two of the 12 bolts so far. Is there a tool or a trick to getting these bolts out? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we are out of ideas.

Thanks

If you can tap in a 9mm hex or slightly larger SAE size you might luck out. I've had success with this. If not, try driving a socket on it. Done that too. If you can get an impact wrench on it you might have a better chance of breaking it loose

Good luck

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I really gets fun when they all don't run

84 500SL
99 Jeep XJ
93 Jeep YJ
03 Custom Softail

I have had good luck using "PB Blaster" on recalcitrant bolts. Milt.

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Milterino
76 450 S.E.L.

Thanks for the replies, I have PB blasted the bolts and I did try a 9mm allen wrench socket, however it was too big to pound in, I did take an allen wrench and ground it down until I could just manage to pound it in, however when I put tourque on it the bolt did not move but the allen wrench just deformed. These bolts are in there solid, any other suggestions or tricks I might try?

I've had luck with driving a 6pt socket on the outside of them. I know they are hard, you might want to try a decent impact socket so it doesn't split. I had one holding holding my cruise control bracket on we stripped out when doing a timing chain. We drove a 6pt socket on it and it came right out.

Why can't it be easy??

__________________
I really gets fun when they all don't run

84 500SL
99 Jeep XJ
93 Jeep YJ
03 Custom Softail

Thanks, Ill give it a shot, I'll try just about anything at this point, it always seems like 6 weeks of joyfull driving following by 3 weeks of straight cussing

Just be careful you don't hammer on it hard enough that you bend the flange it is bolted to.

__________________
I really gets fun when they all don't run

84 500SL
99 Jeep XJ
93 Jeep YJ
03 Custom Softail

Sears sells a really cool set of extractors that you hammer over the outside of the bolt. They have always worked for me. In order to save yourself the ordeal on the rest of the bolts, throw away that tool made in Taiwan out of hardened butter and buy a top wuality tool from Snap-On or Matco, or better yet Stahlwille.

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Thanks for all the help, my local sears did not have the extractors in stock, I finally got the bolts out by hammering on them with a chisel at an angle until they finally broke loose

Glad to hear you got them out. I guess when all else fails get a bigger hammer

__________________
I really gets fun when they all don't run

84 500SL
99 Jeep XJ
93 Jeep YJ
03 Custom Softail