Hi all. I am trying to remove my starter motor and am having a heck of a time with the uppermost bolt. I've tried everything I can think of, and it still won't budge. I tried my torch (numerous times); I've used a lot of PB blaster; I tried using a small cheater bar on my ratchet; I tried using a contractor's impact driver---I know it doesn't exert the same force as an air tool, but it's what I got. I also tried taking a small bottle jack and pressing up ever so slightly on the bottom of the starter, thinking that perhaps the weight of the starter was exerting force on the bolt. Nothing has made any different whatsoever. I'm starting to get concerned about rounding off or breaking the bolt. The bolt head does not appear to be that badly corroded, although the other bolts were. Does anyone have any further suggestions? I'm pretty much out of tricks. Thanks.

 

Heat.

If you can get your hands on a small torch, heat up the casing around the bolt. Then use that impact wrench again.

 

I used a breaker bar on mine.

 

Well, now I did it. The bolt head rounded off. I was trying my torch once more, and the impact wrench spun the socket on the bolt head. $%#!

Anybody got any suggestions?

 

Sears sells sockets for rounded heads. http://www.sears.com/craftsman-10-pc...p-00952166000P 13mm is the size of the bolt head.

 

I dont know how that happened.. I was replying to a thread on a different board..

 

Huh?

 

JMC, thank you! Looks like I will be making a trip to Sears later this afternoon. It looks like that socket should solve that part of my problem.

I'm amazed at how stuck this bolt is. It feels solid like it's all one big piece of metal, not two. I usually have better luck getting stuff loose than this.

 

I think he is having a stroke. Anyone around jethat that can check on him?

 

When I start saying stuff like that, it usually means I need a beer, or need to crack a window or something. Too many sliders in an enclosed space.

I don't have that extraction socket yet. I got tied up and will have to do it tomorrow. It looks like the extraction socket needs to go inside a normal socket, is that correct? I'm not sure if there's enough clearance between the bolt head and the starter to do that. The wall of a regular socket all by itself pretty nearly filled that space.

 

You can try beating a 12 point on there.

 

Maybe his account has been kidnapped.. by the Government. It's a conspiracy.

 

You could try drilling it out from the other side. The bolt hole goes through the transmission.

 

Maybe try putting the other two bolts back in first, help clamp the starter back on the bell housing

take a wire brush and clean the back of the threads where it comes out the transmission. soak PB more, and wire brush until its nice and clean back there. You don't want to have to drag all that through the threads when the bolt comes out.

 

Thanks for the ideas, guys. However, I still can't get it. I got an extractor socket but for some reason I can't get it on the bolt head; it seems to go on, but it won't grab the bolt head. The next size down is way to small.

I'm half wondering if I'm going to have to remove the exhaust manifold to get better access. I hadn't really planned on that. The exhaust manifold is so rusty, it looks like it came out of the ocean. I plan to replace it eventually; but I was trying to limit the scope of what I'm doing presently.

I don't have a 12 or 13 mm 12-point socket; I might get one and try banging it on to the bolt head. JMC mentioned possibly drilling it out from behind. Maybe that would be less trouble than screwing with the exhaust manifold right now.

Patman, I put a little jack up under the starter to ease the pressure on the stuck bolt like you say. There aren't any threads protruding out from behind, beyond the bell housing. The bolt isn't that long. I squirt some PB into the hole, but I'm not sure how much good that has done.