advice please. Stripped allen bolt

[SportSter]

Okay so i posted a little while back that I rounded out the lower allen bolt holding the rear driver side caliper. I have tried heating it up, vice grips, attempts at pounding in a larger size (T-55 in a t-50 hole... couldnt make it fit) Some of you mentioned odd size allen bolts or bolt removers at sears. any more info????

Any ideas? I cant get my vice grips to bite they just buzz around removing shavings....

[absolutegtr]

Holy hell! You still havent got if off yet?!

If you can get a dremel in there cut a nice sized slot in there to stick a big ol common screwdriver in there and get vicegrips on the shaft of the screwdriver and then use the vicegrip as leverage to turn it!!

Also, you dont want to really heat up the bolt...you wantt to heat up the meatl AROUND the bolt so that expands....not saying you did that just throwing it out there

[Charlie]

Take a Spline drive bit and hammer it in there and use a wrench to get it loose. What is this hex bolt on anyways?

[Charlie]

Never mind i forgot it was to the brakes. Well it may be hard to hammer it in there but it should work otherwise.

[SportSter]

i heated everything around it , didnt work.... no hammer room.... its why i couldnt get the trx 55 in there. need more ideas? weld a nut to it and wrench it off?

[Laconvail]

Why are you removing this bolt? It holds the bracket that holds the caliper. The caliper is attached to that with two 13mm bolts. What are you removing it for?

[Charlie]

Well regardless of what hes removing it for he needs to replace it now since its stripped, your better off doing it now than later and forgetting about it, but really try and get a spline drive in there, hit it with the side of the hammer if you could. I had to remove a few stripped Hex bits that way, Along with torx, it should work.

[Laconvail]

Also you could put an extension on the bit and hit the extension. When all else fails I pull out the air hammer.

[SportSter]

i was trying to change the rear rotors as they need to be changed (getting some pretty good grooves in them)

so where are the 13 mm bolts? im just trying to take off the calipers to get to the rotor to change them.

[Charlie]

If he pulls out the air hammer, if hes anything like me something else with break as well.... but thats just me, I get frustrated very easily

[absolutegtr]

Take a pic if you can so we can see how much room your working with.....too lazy to go out and look at my car...and uts 3:20 am here...i need to go to bed

[Charlie]

yeah i feel you on the bed part, I've had a shitty night and my car and everything to do with audi's cheers me up so thats why im on right now.

[Laconvail]

There are two. You need a 13mm and 15mm wrench (a 13mm gear wrench is very handy). The bolt actually holds the caliper to the guide pins. The head of the 13's isnt very deep, and the have some locktite. Hold the flat sections of the guide pin with the 15mm wrench and then turn the 13mm. You shouldnt have to pull the brackets to remove the rotors. Just give them a good smack (probably several) with a hammer to loosen them. When reinstalling be careful not to crossthread the 13's, its easy to do. If you do, dont keep turning it. They break easily and then youll need a guide pin. This is all very straight forward. Those 8mm allen bolts hold the brackets on. If you still want to mess with it removing that bolt it will probably be easier with the calipers off.

[lookaught]

In contrast, I've found it to be much easier to remove the caliper brackets, not the caliper off the pins.

IMO if I were in your shoes i'd use a angled drill to drill the bolt from the backside. Once pressure is removed you can pull the threaded end out easily, or drill through it and use an extractor. There is not locktite on that bolt so it should come out easily when the tension is removed.

These 8mm bolts should not have stripped. In the future make sure the allen key (it should be socketed) is all the way in by hitting it with some instrument of persuasion before you attempt to turn it. 99% of the time an allen strips it's b/c the key is not fully engaged and you round out the top of the bolt.

Also, in my experience it works better to heat the bolt itself, not the metal around it, but either can work. The idea is just to get one hot and the other less hot, thermal expansion breaks the corrosion and then you back it out right away.

Good luck, that's a PITA

[audimymind]

grind a line thought it and use a flat head?

[Das General]

why dont you grind two flat sides and use a wrench...

[SportSter]

well i was out auto crossing today beating wrx's and didnt play with the calipers.


Whats this I hear about not having to mess with the 8mm bolts??? theres another way to take them off???

[dougyfresh]

This is the lower bolt on the rear caliper bracket? It helps to remove the shock from the lower mounting point (you can then move it out of the way) to gain some access.

There is very little room in there (if I recall correctly). Your easiest bet is to grind two flats and put a wrench on the bolt head.

Before you do anything, spray a shit-load of PB blaster on that bolt head and on the other side (the rotor side). Spray every where you can see the bolt and let it soak. You'll be amazed how well that stuff works!

If that doesn't work I'd probably think about removing the whole piece from the car and then you'll have a direct line of sight to get at the bolt head. That is the last resort when all else fails.

[BarryT82]

You can always drill it out. Go to Sears and get a set of easy out bits.

[PhilABowl]

Take a dremel to two sides of it so you can get a crescent wrech on there. In other words grind two flat sides - one on top, and one on bottom. If that fails, get a NEW hex bolt FIRST, and choose a drill bit made for STEEL (not wood), that is about half the diameter. Go down to AutoBone or whatever your local parts superchain is, and get a bolt remover. Drill a bit into it, and you'll get a sort of reverse tap looking ordeal that will help you take it out. I would also plan on potentially replacing whatever you're bolting INTO as the chances of something getting messed up in this scenario are "Medium".

If its a caliper, might be time for the brake upgrade :)

[CO AVANT]

Craftsman Bolt-outs. Work every time

[AudiA4_20T]

Craftsman Bolt-outs. Work every time

Really? Ive found those things to suck they are too narrow at the bottom

Anyway, dont listen to anyone about the screwdriver idea, they obviously don't know how tight that bolt is. I would try to either drill or dremel 2 flat parts and get a wrench on there

[CO AVANT]

Did you hammer them on? You need to hammer them on to get a good grip on a round head... Also the bigger # piece kits (13pc+) have different (better) sizing than the 5-6pc kits....13mm actually worked for me in the bigger kit (tad bigger), but the 13mm/1/2" "combo bolt-out" in the smaller kit was too small... They have some wierd sizing differences but label them similar.

[B6driver]

hmm... 13mm? i took out 2x 21mm bolts to remove my caliper. refer to www.a4mods.com about caliper removal, then deal with the bolt when outside the car

[CO AVANT]

hmm... 13mm? i took out 2x 21mm bolts to remove my caliper. refer to www.a4mods.com about caliper removal, then deal with the bolt when outside the car

I was just using the 13mm bolt-out differences as an example... not referring to any particular bolt on the A4...

[dougyfresh]

Craftsman Bolt-outs. Work every time

If you use a bolt-out for anything, you have to use those Craftsman ones.

I had some Black & Decker ones I bought at the 'Depot and broke all of them trying to remove the sheared studs on my exhaust manifold turbo flange. If I had the Craftsman ones I probably wouldn't have broken anything.

Definitely have to hammer them in once the pilot hole is drilled.


However, this won't work on you lower caliper bracket bolt unless the hub is out of the car. Not enough room to get a drill and a hammer in there.

[Laconvail]

21mm bolts hold the front caliper brackets. Removing the 13mm bolts is cake and you will have the caliper off and it will be much easier to get that bolt out.

[absolutegtr]

If you use a bolt-out for anything, you have to use those Craftsman ones.

I had some Black & Decker ones I bought at the 'Depot and broke all of them trying to remove the sheared studs on my exhaust manifold turbo flange. If I had the Craftsman ones I probably wouldn't have broken anything.

Definitely have to hammer them in once the pilot hole is drilled.


However, this won't work on you lower caliper bracket bolt unless the hub is out of the car. Not enough room to get a drill and a hammer in there.

And when the Craftsman breaks....time to call Snap-On

[CO AVANT]

And when the Craftsman breaks....time to call Snap-On

Why? Craftsman will just replace it anyway. Lifetime warranty. Even though snap-on tools are solid, they are WAY overpriced. Just my socket torx bit set cost me $250 [O_O]

[lookaught]

Why? Craftsman will just replace it anyway. Lifetime warranty. Even though snap-on tools are solid, they are WAY overpriced. Just my socket torx bit set cost me $250 [O_O]

Thats very true, Snap On is absurdly overpriced and unless you know a tool distributor its hard to get replacements. Craftsman are great b/c they are inexpensive and you can return/exhange them anywhere with no questions asked.

I still think drilling with a 90 degree drill is the easiest option. Of course, you need such a drill to do it, which is probably the biggest problem.

[dougyfresh]

I still think drilling with a 90 degree drill is the easiest option. Of course, you need such a drill to do it, which is probably the biggest problem.

There is no room to get in there. Have you seen the size of 90deg drills? They are made for wall and floor applications in drilling holes in studs for wires and plumbing.

[mdk]

Whats this I hear about not having to mess with the 8mm bolts??? theres another way to take them off???

Sorry to bring this thread back from the grave, but just in case someone else ever stumbles upon it: I was able to replace my rotors WITHOUT removing the caliper brackets.

Both my top and bottom 8mm allen bolts are stripped, and after messing around with things for a while I just gave the rotor a good yank and off it came. Getting the new rotor on was a bit harder; had to pound on it a bit (with my hand), but it's on now. You might get some minor gouges in the rotor if you do it this way, but it's probably better than not replacing the rotor at all.

Hope this helps someone.

[MMMB00ST_A4]

Why are people removing the hex head caliper/carrier bolts, instead of the 13mm carrier bolts? That makes no sense. So much more work for no reason. Also, regarding removing and replacing rotors; Did you not depress the piston before placing the caliper back over the new rotor? You should not be "banging", or "gouging" anything if you are doing your brake replacement correctly. That will not only damage your new pads and rotors, but could also damage the seals of your pistons. The abrupt pressure from the hammer strike/forcing of the caliper back onto the rotor, puts an enormous amount of abrupt pressure on the seals and could cause them to fail prematurely.

[mdk]

Why are people removing the hex head caliper/carrier bolts, instead of the 13mm carrier bolts? That makes no sense. So much more work for no reason. Also, regarding removing and replacing rotors; Did you not depress the piston before placing the caliper back over the new rotor? You should not be "banging", or "gouging" anything if you are doing your brake replacement correctly. That will not only damage your new pads and rotors, but could also damage the seals of your pistons. The abrupt pressure from the hammer strike/forcing of the caliper back onto the rotor, puts an enormous amount of abrupt pressure on the seals and could cause them to fail prematurely.

Hmm, well I did remove the 13mm bolts and I depressed the caliper piston; neither of those were issues. The problem I was having (and it seems that a few others had) was that the rear rotor seems "trapped" by the caliper bracket, and I was under the impression that the bracket had to come off. I think a few of the DIYs say to remove it.

Anyway, since I was able to slip the rotors on/off without removing the bracket (although the rotor scaped against the bracket), I'm all set.

[SJorge3442]

I just pulled the knuckle off the car and grinded the bolt head off. Boom. Caliper bracket came right off.

[Code 3]

Bringing this thread back I need help. Can I reach in and cut the heads off the bolts that are stripped and get the caliper bracket off? Will I be able to spin the rest of the bolt out after that?

[MurkyRivers_A4]

[rrgrassi]

My '82 MB uses allen set screws also. I did have them strip out as well. I bought a 10 piece extractor set from snap-on, as craftsman did not have this. The snap on part number is REX10B. they work very well.

[refueler]

I have a set of craftsmen stripped bolt head sockets and I broke the 10 mm one out of the set while trying to remove a stripped bolt. I was surprised when I tried to get it replaced at Sears they said there was not a life time replacement on the stripped bolt head sockets. They didn't explain why and I was not in the mood to hear the explanation anyway. So not all craftsmen hand tools have a lifetime replacement. Maybe because it was because it was part of a 9 socket set and they are not sold individually. These sockets have bailed me out several times they are worth every penny.

[alimo20]

i had both the craftsman and the Irwin bolt-outs. the craftsman did not work, like.. at all. kept falling off. the irwin worked like a charm on the first use. i used it to remove this exact bolt from the rear caliper carrier.

per oldguy - CLICKITY CLICK (tm)

one of those from that 5 pack should be able to remove the rear caliper carrier bolt.