idosubaru Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 2006 Tribeca EZ30. I accidentally picked a 12 point socket and stripped the nut and a 6 point spun too once the edges were already weakend (the nuts are rusty and tight - I did the rest by hand and needed a 3 foot pipe to break them loose). 1. I'll try to weld another nut on top of it if the rusty stud allows it.I2. 'll try a chisel at an angle to loosen the nut - but i highly doubt that will work as tight as they are. Might torch throws a rather large flame I can't imagine getting under the vehicle without burning something up that way - I guess I need to learn how to use a torch and dial the flame in correctly. It should be possible to use my torch under the engine to burn that nut off? Nut splitters look cool but I don't think there's room for those. Any other options...will a die grinder fit up there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Torch probably won't hurt anything if you get it tight up by the nut. Do you have acetylene or propane? Acetylene works faster but propane can work if you can put the heat in the right place. Get it hot then hammer a 12 point 13mm socket on there? I just had to torch 5 nuts and all 8 manifold bolts on a ford econoline conversion van to get the manifold off to fix an exhaust leak. Only accessible through the dog-box cover, inside the van! Carpet and dash board about 3" from a 5,000° flame! Talk about fun! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 well i would have suggested a nut buster but you would be the best judge of space requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Sears sells a small kit of special sockets designed for this problem. Sort of "easy out" sockets. They only grip turned one way and once they bit, they really hold. Wife or someone bought a set for me years ago and have only had 2 or 3 times when I needed them. I could send a photo if I can again find your email address. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Great, thanks. I have oxy-propane. I think I'll try everything suggested... I'll torch and weld just for the heating up. Then hammer a 13mm socket on there. Then get the Sears kit. Wow that van job sounds terrible - how long did the bolt/nut extraction take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 +1 on using the Sears Bolt-Out set. I also got this for Christmas or a birthday years ago. I've only used it twice, but I was very glad to have it at the time. Mine is labelled Craftsman 9-32161, but www.sears.com have some newer sets: Just search for 'Bolt Out". I used one recently on a 14mm engine-mount nut. Same thing, I wrecked it with a 12-point socket. The 13mm Bolt-Out wouldn't fit. But I was desperate, so I hammered the 13mm Bolt-Out on to the 14mm nut, and it gripped OK, and the nut came off. Easy Peasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Sears sells a small kit of special sockets designed for this problem. Sort of "easy out" sockets. They only grip turned one way and once they bit, they really hold. Wife or someone bought a set for me years ago and have only had 2 or 3 times when I needed them. I could send a photo if I can again find your email address. John i bought one of those sets as well, they work really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I have a set of those and I think they might be too short to reach over the stud. Propane should work OK. I've used that plenty of times on other exhaust parts to get rusty bolts and nuts loose. Just focus the heat on the nut itself. You won't get it to glow (at least not easily) but it will still expand the nut enough to crack the rust seal. Took about an hour to get the bolts removed on the van. Mostly because it was just plain hot! 90° outside, 90% humidity, hot engine, more heat from the torch, and a 100w work light! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstevens76 Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 If you want the easy way without fire or a specialty socket (that may or may not reach): Craftsman Nut Cracker - It splits the nut apart http://www.sears.com/craftsman-nut-cracker/p-00904772000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&kpid=00904772000&pla=&kispla=00904772000P&mktRedirect=y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 If you have a dremel with a cut off wheel you can carefully cut off the nut too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 great, thanks. i do have a dremel i've never used it before. i believe it's missing a few pieces so now would be a good time to get it operational anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 If you want the easy way without fire or a specialty socket (that may or may not reach): Craftsman Nut Cracker - It splits the nut apart http://www.sears.com/craftsman-nut-cracker/p-00904772000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&kpid=00904772000&pla=&kispla=00904772000P&mktRedirect=y does it fit in the confined space of exhaust nuts? that would be a nice hit if it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstevens76 Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 It will on a Subaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 (edited) the bolt extractor sockets are great, but yeah, too short for exhuast work... would be nice if they made them in the deepwell variety. we have the Irwin versions - both metrci and sae - and they do work quite well on short stuff. http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bolt-extractors/9-pc-metric-bolt-extractor-set edit: Looks like Irwin does make a deepwell set... http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bolt-extractors/5-pc-bolt-grip-deep-well-set Edited August 3, 2015 by heartless 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valvestem Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 If you decide on using heat, just put some scrap sheet metal around/over the parts not to be cut off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 the bolt extractor sockets are great, but yeah, too short for exhuast work... would be nice if they made them in the deepwell variety. we have the Irwin versions - both metrci and sae - and they do work quite well on short stuff. http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bolt-extractors/9-pc-metric-bolt-extractor-set edit: Looks like Irwin does make a deepwell set... http://www.irwin.com/tools/screw-bolt-extractors/5-pc-bolt-grip-deep-well-set My craftsman set can slide over the stud and has an outer six point that I can slip a deep well socket over and use for extracting nuts off studs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikevan10 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 This thread is too timely for me not to add a post even though I don't have anything new to add.... Over the weekend (swapping out my kid's Legacy GT turbo motor) I grabbed a 12 point 14 mm socket and rounded the corners off of the right side motor mount nut. The 6 pointer then also slipped. I do not have (and did not know about) one of these clever bolt extractor kits discussed above but will seriously consider adding one to the tool collection. But I did happen to have just picked up a $17.00 Harbor Freight die grinder! So I stuck a carbide burr in it and went to town on the motor mount nut. This worked a treat for about 5 minutes at which point the brand new pneumatic die grinder gave up the ghost! I guess I got what I paid for.... The nut was about toast by this point and a cold chisel finished the job. But that is how I would probably proceed if I were Grossgary. Grind the nut off. Mike V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Nut splitters don't work on a tribeca EZ30 exhaust stud nut. Goes on off center, not enough clearance between the nut and exhaust, and then just walks itself right off as it's tigthened. Welding a nut on top got one off, but not the other. Tried welding it until all was cherry red, still no dice. It's all mangled now - welded on multiple times, cut with an angle grinder...but not enough room to completely get a grinder up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Deep well is available http://www.amazon.com/Bolt-Grip-1859147-Irwin-Tools-Performance/dp/B00LFRS0DG That's an impact set, Irwin also has non-impact deep ones. Could always weld/braze one inside a piece of pipe too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Heat it even longer. Get it red and keep it red for several minutes. Then try a decent pair of vice grips. Other option is buy some Dremel "Reinforced" cutoff wheels (the ones with the material impregnated on one side). They are "no. 426". They'll cut through basically anything and being a dremel, can fit in tighter spots. Cut into the nut against the direction of threads so the nut looks like a " C ". Don't worry if it hits the threads a little as they'll clean up when it's loosened or when the new nut goes on. Get it red and keep it red for a couple minutes when it looks like a " C " and it'll come right off with vice grips. Exhaust studs are even worse if trying to remove from cast iron. That can take 10 minutes worth of heat with a true torch kit, but should give you an idea of how hot the stuff needs to sometimes get. Oh yeah, do yourself a favor and load the threads up with anti-seize so it won't be an issue in the future Edited September 30, 2015 by Bushwick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Thanks kids. Dremel cut it out. First time I think I've ever used the dremel tool, I was impressed. Cut a notch through the nut and banged it out with a chisel. My torch flame is huge because I don't have it set up right and know nothing about torches, i don't trust myself with that big flame under a car with oil, plastic, and rubber and gas lines. I need to learn how to use a torch and just get that thing set up right. Vice grips won't work, no room to get one up in there and I used a 3 foot pipe to get the other exhaust nuts out - I don't see getting that kind of leverage on vice grips in a tight space. If there's room I'd grab the monkey wrench/plumbers wrench, they grab so hard they trash the metal they bite into. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) There are multiple ways to remove stripped nuts and bolts. It all depends on what you have at your disposal and your skill set is to determine what the best course of action is. I have had a lot of experience with remove stripped bolts with minimal tools and I have found that the best thing to do is to heat the nut somehow even by running the motor for a while if that's possible. Get some penetrant on it NOT WD40 but an actual penetrant. Finally get a good grip however you can, I've ground the sides down on a really messed up bolt so I could get a good grip. The most important thing to do is realize when you are out of your realm and when to ask for help from someone that knows what they are doing before it gets to bad. Lol just realized Gary was the o.p. glad you got it! Edited September 30, 2015 by mikaleda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Yeah, with the reinforced dremel wheels, I've cut 1/4" thick aluminum, sheet metal, 1/8" plate (have to score a line with a first pass, then keep going over it), exhaust piping, etc. etc. If the dremel doesn't have the torque, you have to go slower. Those discs can actually grind cast iron better than those sanding drums and can grind aluminum very easily. Buy a pack of 5 discs and you can cut a bunch of steel. They have a cheaper disc w/o the reinforcement, but they burn out to quickly and can even shatter, sending debris in your eyes at high speed. The reinforced ones are MUCH more durable and as long as you aren't putting side loads on it, will wear to a nub before breaking apart. Edited September 30, 2015 by Bushwick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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