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Engine Mechanical TopicsDiscussion for motor builds, cams, head work, stripped bolts and other engine related issues. The good and the bad. If it goes round and around or up and down, post it here.
Hey guys, very first post here. Recently purchased a 88 Fxrs that had been sitting for a while and I've been doing some wrenching fixing things here and there.
I noticed some oil leaking from the rear rocker so decided to change the gaskets. Cover and middle rocker came off fairly easy after I lowered the motor by removing the front motor mount but then I hit a major bump in the road. One of the allen head bolts that attaches the rocker to the head was broken. The head of the bolt had sheared off but enough of the bolt was left sticking out that I was able to use a vice grip to remove it fairly easily.
Thinking my worries were over I go on to remove the other allen bolt and the thing won't budge at all.
I decide to use a box wrench over the allen wrench to get more leverage but end up just stripping the bolt head. So I try using a vice grip which is somewhat diffult due to the very confined space and still no dice, the damn thing won't budge. Whoever replaced the previous gasket went crazy torqueing the bolt and probably went crazy with some threadlocker as well. Now I'm thinking to pull the motor to drill the damn bolt out which I really don't want to do. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this damn bolt out without pulling the motor?
Sorry for the long read but any advice is greatly appreciated
Here is picture of the bolt
Last edited by 4130bryan; Apr 2, 2017 at 12:02 AM.
Reason: attach image
Yea, that left rear Socket cap bolt is a tough one. The only way to get to off securely is with a cut down allen wrench because of the distance to the frame.. To get a little extra leverage I use a deep 3/16" 1/4 drive socket on an extension to extend the length of the allen wrench.
Now, You could pull the motor but that would be a lot of work. Do you have the ability to weld a 7/16" nut to it? Once you get it broke free to can then cut the nut back off to remove the bolt the rest of the way. Or you can use a cutting wheel to cut the head off of the bolt and the raise the rocker plate to be able to get a pair of vise grips on the rest of the bolt to remove it... Hope this helps, Good luck....
I picked this tip up from someone here and has worked several times for me re: heating bolts in enclosed areas.
If you have a soldering gun heat the bolt for about 30 sec and let it soak for a minute after. May not help you much here since it's already stripped.
I don't have welding equipment and I'd be hesitant to weld something on to my rocker where I plan on placing a gasket. I already dropped my motor but its still a pretty tight fit. I asked my dad (he used to be a mechanic) and he also suggested heating the bolt with a torch. There is quite a bit of leaked oil on the head so not to sure about taking an open flame to it but the soldering gun is worth giving it a shot. Thanks for the tips!
A soldering gun or pen as suggested beforei is the tool used to melt solder in order to join electrical wires or items together.
It is NOT a welder but it does apply concentrated heat with NO flame in a very small area.
It is useful when you need to add heat to a bolt in a tight area.
So I tried using the soldering gun but mine is an old piece of junk that only really works with solder. I ended up just unbolting everything and shifting the motor just enough to give me the space and angle I needed to really crank down and break it loose with a vice grip
If you run into this again, a simple trick is to take a file and make flats about 180 degrees apart on the head of the bolt. This will allow for a great grip using flat jaw vise grips .
As a machinist in a tool room , in an industrial setting , removing stripped bolts is a daily job , thanks to operators who don't care and ham handed millwrights.
Scott
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