stuck screws

[TyFerris]

im defiantly replacing the, with allen or hex...

[chuck hahn]

You can take a hacksaw blade and cut slots in the heads as well..will take some time but it can be done. Someone you know must have a dremel you can borrow for an hr or so.

[Normk]

Heating is a problem with the rubber manifolds as they will be destroyed unless you are fortunate. There's really no subsitute for rapid heating to red hot when trying to loosen a steel fastner in aluminum.

Tapping to close the head is an old trick because it works well to both provide some new grip and to loosen the screw threads. You may wish to also dip the phillips screwdriver bit into valve lapping compound to increase the grip. An impact driver (sometimes called a hammer screwdriver) is a huge advantage in these circumstances.

Before you cut slots and chiseling, you could try firmly hitting the screw head flat with a hammer, dont go mad, you are trying to close up the stripped cross. when the cross is closed up you can take the impact driver bit and hammer it back into the head thereby making the screw fit the bit then without wiggling it all about refit the impact driver twist it and whack it with the hammer a good stiff wallop.
Always worked for me.
If the head is too far gone then chiseling it is the way to go just make sure you use the correct size chisel and it's sharp.

[daturat100r]

Heating is a problem with the rubber manifolds as they will be destroyed unless you are fortunate. There's really no subsitute for rapid heating to red hot when trying to loosen a steel fastner in aluminum.

large soldering iron can be a good way to dump in a lot of heat to a selected spot quickly

[bwringer]

... have tempted to take it to the suzuki shop and let them deal with it

That way lies only madness and ruin...

Besides, a cheapo Dremel-like tool costs maybe, what, $25? Taking the bike to a shop would cost you a couple hundred minimum, and they'll screw it up even worse.

[yank]

You can square the head with a dremel or side grinder and use wrench of sorts.

[chuck hahn]

Norm...wet rag on the rubber part keeps them safe. The best solution of course is the dremel slot in my opinion.

[TyFerris]

You can square the head with a dremel or side grinder and use wrench of sorts.

thought about squaring the heads but the screws are kind of counter sunk so u cant really get a wrench on them even if i did... i found a dremmel and once i get back from deer hunting ill give that a try...

[bwringer]

thought about squaring the heads but the screws are kind of counter sunk so u cant really get a wrench on them even if i did... i found a dremmel and once i get back from deer hunting ill give that a try...

Bet of luck! Kill lots of those pesky forest rats, then return victorious to defeat those case screws.

At the risk of stating the not-so-obvious (I didn't see this fully explained above), the reason for cutting a slot with the Dremel is so that you can use a straight screwdriver bit in your impact driver to remove the screw.

If that fails, it's simplest and least damaging to use a 5/16" or so drill bit (a bit larger than the 6mm threads) to drill until the head comes off the screw (this can all be accomplished without nicking the case if you're careful). Once you remove the case cover, there will be plenty of the screw sticking out to remove easily with vice-grip pliers.

[Suzuki_Don]

im looking for advise for getting out Phillips head screws from the bottom end of the motor i tired one of those impact screwdriver things and the p.o. rounded/stripped them just enough that it wont bite at all... someone told me to try to chisel them around till they are loose... and im not having any luck there... any ideas?

I too was curious what all the talk was about rubber parts getting burnt seeing as Ty was working on screws on the bottom end of the motor.

[Normk]

I have a high output 400 watt solder gun but hadn't considered using for screw heating. Good thought! Will try it on small screws although it would be too small for 5 or 6 mm ones, IMO.

Having worked in the automotive, truck, marine and motorcycle repair trades for 50+ years there has been the opportunity to remove hundreds of broken ones so my perspective may be somewhat different from others....

The trick when releasing a seized steel fastener from aluminum is to heat very quickly to red heat which expands the fastener and heats the steel into the plastic heat range. Since the aluminum transfers heat rapidly and the heating is done quickly, the fastener attempts to expand within the hole but is prevented from doing so by the surrounding material. The result is that the pressure developed causes the fastener material to flow axially elongating the fastener. When the fastener cools, the cross sectional diameter of the fastener is smaller because of the transfer of material so the fastener is loosened in the threads.

Cutting slots, or finding other means to turn the fastener are alternatives which can be workable depending on the degree of seizure.

In my experience, that of teaching automotive and heavy equipment mechanics in the college system, the ideal time to experiment is not in the removal of some critical component. It is usually best to buy some sacrificial component on which to experiment. Although high, the cost of competent professional services is usually modest when compared to the cost of dealing with the consequences of a botched removal.

Good luck with the task and take care regarding how much torque you apply as snapping off a seized one will add to the problems.

large soldering iron can be a good way to dump in a lot of heat to a selected spot quickly

[cj7jeep81]

I'm just starting to tear apart my new (to me) bike, and the previous owner had stripped/nearly stripped most of the screws. On the ones I couldn't get with a phillip's head, I tried using a square drive, and it actually bit in and took it out. Might be worth a shot.

[chuck hahn]

Someone before Im had posted about wrapping the rubber areas with a wet rag was talking about the carb holders I guessed.

[bwringer]

Someone before Im had posted about wrapping the rubber areas with a wet rag was talking about the carb holders I guessed.

The carb holder screws always get stuck as well, and the same tricks work for removing them too, so it's still good info!

[bwringer]

I have a high output 400 watt solder gun but hadn't considered using for screw heating. Good thought! Will try it on small screws although it would be too small for 5 or 6 mm ones, IMO.

Having worked in the automotive, truck, marine and motorcycle repair trades for 50+ years there has been the opportunity to remove hundreds of broken ones so my perspective may be somewhat different from others....

The trick when releasing a seized steel fastener from aluminum is to heat very quickly to red heat which expands the fastener and heats the steel into the plastic heat range. Since the aluminum transfers heat rapidly and the heating is done quickly, the fastener attempts to expand within the hole but is prevented from doing so by the surrounding material. The result is that the pressure developed causes the fastener material to flow axially elongating the fastener. When the fastener cools, the cross sectional diameter of the fastener is smaller because of the transfer of material so the fastener is loosened in the threads.

Cutting slots, or finding other means to turn the fastener are alternatives which can be workable depending on the degree of seizure.

In my experience, that of teaching automotive and heavy equipment mechanics in the college system, the ideal time to experiment is not in the removal of some critical component. It is usually best to buy some sacrificial component on which to experiment. Although high, the cost of competent professional services is usually modest when compared to the cost of dealing with the consequences of a botched removal.

Good luck with the task and take care regarding how much torque you apply as snapping off a seized one will add to the problems.

Excellent points, and a fantastic summary of stuck bolt technique!


In this particular application (seized case screws in old Suzukis), I've always found it sufficient to either apply more torque and shock (cut a slot, use an impact driver) or simply drill the head off and remove the part. Once the part is removed and tension is released, the stub always comes out easily. If I'm disassembling an engine and the screws don't come out with the impact in one or two tries, I normally just move directly to drilling the heads off in order to save time.

Intense heat can cause unwanted cosmetic damage to the clear-coated covers, and it takes a bit of experience with a torch to understand the fine line between heating the steel screw and melting the aluminum.

Of course, elsewhere on the bike and in other applications, a different mix of techniques may be best. One must always adapt...