paulb

Has anyone had the experience when removing your SC430 with chrome factory rims
Having the hex bolts that hold on the center caps snap or shear off leaving a broken bolt in place?
What has anyone done to get these removed?? Can they be drilled out and re threaded??
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have been told this is common but just happens on 2 of my rims


Thanks. paul

mrblister

The threads may have been galled to much torque and no lubricant so when you try and back them out they snap. I use crc when I put them in wipe them off crc stays inside on threads where you need it and a drop of blue loc tite they wont loosen and you will be able to back them out .You dont need to take the twisted caps or pie plates off to pull a tire off the car. You need them off if your removing tire from rim to install new tire. You can buy extraction tools that allow you to drill into broken head and then thread in a reverse thread tool and twist out the broken screw .

jimaleg

I went to get a tire changed and the screws that hold the wheel cover in place were rusted.....they sprayed with lub but they still wouldn't give. Mechanic said I could apply pressure but they would not be liable. So I applied pressure and stripped one of the Hex screws. I didn't break it. They couldn't balance the tire; fortunately it was on the rear axle. Is there any simple way to get the hex bolt unscrewed now that it's stripped? The sad thing is 3 of the Hex screws wouldn't give when pressure was applied. Apparently rusted or really stuck. I don't want to buy a new rim but don't want to machine it either....

DshngDaryl

So Paul,

Did the head come off completely? If the head came off, but the bolt is still stuck, you might be lucky enough to be able to take it out with a pair of vicegrips once you get the rest of the bolts out and the "Pie Plate" off.

DshngDaryl

This may sounds silly, but there are Metric and ASE hex tools. You may try one of each to find out which one is the best fit. Possibly you could go up one size and see if you can force it into the stripped head. Normally if it is metric and you are using metric, going up a size won't work. But if it is Metric and you have a slightly larger ASE tool, you might get lucky and it will "break loose" enough for you to get it out.

Harold57

jimaleg, what do you mean by that you stripped the screw? You mentioned that you didn't break it. Did the threads strip out or did you just round out the driving head so a tool doesn't grip it any longer?

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

At Home Depot, there is a special set of bits called, "Speed Out: Damaged Screw Extractor." I have had to use it a few times for a couple of stripped bolts and screw in my years. Might be a good fix for you problem.

Jabberwock

Rusted bolts and screws prove the maxim that haste makes waste. Suggest folks always address the rust adhesion problem first before applying pressure. Spray rusted nuts, bolts, screws with a good quality penetrating oil like liquid wrench or B'laster and let soak for a few hours or even better overnight and then only after the penetrating oil soak, proceed with applying pressure and further extraction attempts.

Coleroad

To add to jabberwock, I like using dry ice. When you apply dry ice it actually causes the metal to vibrate. This helps work the penetrating oil in much further. On top of that the shrinking of the bolt. This combination I have found over the years to work wonders. On places where I can apply heat to the surrounding area, I will before doing the prior.
By the way most Walmarts carry dry ice.

Now to the current situation. Use the proper sized cold chisel. Drive into the bolt head . Then turn the chisel with a wrench or socket and ratchet. While you apply as much pressure as possible.

DshngDaryl

Great point. jimaleg, can you take a picture of the problem so we can get a better idea of the situation?

jimaleg

I rounded out the driving head I believe. No head came off. I was in the shop and the tire guy spayed it with lube and hit it a couple times but I could tell he didn't want to spend time working it off....so he handed me the wrench. I'll try all the helpful suggestions I received her....if worse comes to worse...I'll drive an unbalanced rear wheel.

jimaleg

I'll try to get a picture of it but it's such a small hole I'm not sure it will show the problem. Also I don't know if I stripped out the threads....how would I know that?

DshngDaryl

I would buy a set of these and try to see if one fits really tight http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piece-sae-metric-hex-key-set-94725.html

I believe, that the wrench you used was close in size but not exact, which is why you messed up the head of the bolt.

If you find one that fits exactly, then put in the wrench using the short side. Get a pair of pliers and put it over the bend. You want to grab the part of the wrench that is coming out of the bolt. Turn the part coming out of the bolt with the pliers. This is more likely to focus your strength on the bolt instead of the wrench, which is what you want.

DshngDaryl

A guy on youtube used JB Weld. He put some on the end of the allen wrench that fit the best. He let it sit for 24 hours. He was successful in getting the screw out because the JB Weld filled in the stripped part and made the wrench snug.

You can see how he did it, but I don't recommend it. It is long and boring....

Twyz333

Curious? Is there a huge difference between OEM screws and non-OEM screws for the center caps on OEM wheels for SC430 (2004)?