Stripped wheel bearing bolt - do I have to drill now?

Hi guys,

Went to replace a front wheel bearing on a '98 GP this morning, and was stopped cold - one of the three bolts in the back that holds the wheel bearing in place went soft on me, the socket slipped off, and it's too rounded to get out. I even tried a 6 point socket, no good, it just strips off.

Is drilling the old bolt out the only way now? There doesn't seem to be enough clearance to chisel the bolt head off without damaging things. Assuming drilling is the only way, would you drill from behind where the bolt head is, or drill in from the outside, where the threaded end of the bolt sticks out?

Or any other suggestions?

Thanks,

-Dave

They make a special socket for removing stripped bolt heads (craftsman and other companies make them) that has fluted points inside that grip the stripped head that may be a better alternative to drilling. Using a good penetrant like PB-Blaster or Break Away may help also.

I wonder if something LIKE THIS (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00947078000&vertical=TOOL&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes) would work.

take a 12 point socket a size smaller than the one that rounded off the bolt and pound it on with a hammer give it a little heat and try that

take a 12 point socket a size smaller than the one that rounded off the bolt and pound it on with a hammer give it a little heat and try that

That's a good idea, I didn't think of that until I put the car back together :banghead:

The bolt is 13mm, and 1/2" is slightly smaller. I'm gonna try some of this stuff and hopefully I get somewhere. Thanks for the tips guys.

That socket in the link you provided is useless Guitarfish. A friend of mine bought one, and it broke in to pieces the first time he tried to use it. He was using a short handled Craftsman 3/8" ratchet at the time, and I bet he was applying less than 60ft/lbs of torque on it.

That socket in the link you provided is useless Guitarfish. A friend of mine bought one, and it broke in to pieces the first time he tried to use it.

I figured it was too good to be true. I think I'm going to try the 12 point socket, slightly smaller. Stay tuned.

Here is a link to the Craftsman tool I was talking about.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Mechanics+Tools&pid=00952061000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Taps+%26+Dies&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Excellent!!

YOU GUYS ROCK !!

The bolt is out. The wheel bearing is out, new one in, case closed. I used a 1/2" 12-pt socket, smacked it on real good, and off she came. Whew, huge sigh of relief!! Thanks so much for all the help & suggestions. I was actually going to buy the Craftsman damaged bolt removers tonight, but got side tracked and couldn't stop - turns out I didn't need them after all. But it's good to know such a thing exists.

Thanks all. I'll be back in a week for the control arm bushing, LOL!