&#@$%!!&$ oil filter bolt rounding

so, I decided to put new plugs and oil in my ride, and I went to take the filter off, and the bolt starts rounding.... ugh.
I get the plugs in with antiseize, drain the oil, but I cant get the filter off.
tomorrow, I am going to vise-grip it and see if I can free it up that way. after that, I am going to get a propane torch and heat it up. if that doesnt work, I have no clue.

any thoughts?

and before anyone says it... I have tried cussing at it but it didnt do any good
the bolt doesnt understand english apparently.

 

vise-grips wont get it. When it is stuck it is stuck. I had my friend at the local bike shop get mine off. No matter how hard I tried it would not move.

 

what did he do to get it off?

 

Im not sure what he did. I will give him a call tommorrow and find out what he did. I suspect he used special sockets that are made to take off rounded and seized bolts. If you do not get it off be then I will post what he told me tommorrow evening.

 

I don't know if it will work for you or not but I cut a notch in it so I could get my impact screwdriver in it and give it a few whacks. That still did not entirely do the trick. So what I did after that was take and use a cutting wheel on my dremel tool and make it so I could fit a socket on there again. It was not a good fit but it was tight. I had to pound the socket on there so I KNEW it was not going to round out again when I was cranking on it. After everything was done I got it off. Or you can get a special socket set that has the same principles as an easy out set. The set I just got is a craftsman. They are designed to get bolts out that have rounded head on them like you have.

 

Worst case... You can chop the bolt head to bits with a dremel. The composite cutoff wheels work best.

This is not without risk, as you can damage the oil filter housing, but doable. Pulling the #2 and #3 exhaust headers gives you a bit more elbow room. What really has to come off is the flat washer-like part of the bolt head... Then, the housing just slips off, and the rest of the bolt will come right out with channel locks or vise grips.

 

thanks guys. I am going to heat it and see if I can get a socket solidly on there... see if that will work... if not, I guess I will have to hack at it and try to find a replacement...

 

If you end up needing needing housing and bolt let me know. I can get a new bolt and I have a used housing.

 

Try a 6 point impact socket first, before you put vice grips on it. Standard thinwall sockets will sometimes not grip the bolt vary well. I have a cheap set that I use for bolts like that, pick one that fits tight, sometimes a few taps with a hammer will set it on. Then a long breaker bar and give it a quick pull, it will either break or come off. Any way you will need a new bolt. A little heat never hurts either.

 

i will have to get a set of impact sockets... worth a shot

 

usually if you can tap on the bolt a few times it will also help,before you try to turn it.

 

yep, they can be fun. You might want to look up chacal on the external oil filter set up too. That's my next step.

 

My oil filter bolt rounded off and as I was debating how to remove it, my wife says "didn't you buy a set of those special sockets to remove rounded off bolts?" 5 seconds later, the bolt is out. I got a new one from Georgefix on E-bay. This was before I knew about Chacal. Craftsman makes these sockets, as well as some other companies. Mine are Craftsman, and I have used them successfully many times since.

 

A pipe wrench should take it off. If it doesn't? Get a longer pipe wrench or extend the wrench with a length of pipe. The advantage the pipe wrench has over the competition is that the pipe wrench grips what's left of the bolt head tighter as you put more force on the handle.

 

Replace it with an aftermarket bold, EMGO make one with a 17mm head

 

It WILL come off with a Small Pipe Wrench.
There's enough "Shoulder" to get a grip on.

BUT, ... (and that's a Big but), ...

You have to take the Front Exhaust Pipes off to get the room you need to use the pipe Wrench, ...

Which sets-up the possibility of buying a ticket to the Never-Ending-Nightmare-Of-Worsening-Situation-By-The-Minute.

Seized Exhaust Manifold Studs
Pipes stuck in the Collector

It has the possibility of getting UGLIER than you imagine.

Use 1/2 Inch Drive Tooling.
Dress the Flats on the Bolt to allow you to attach a 6-Point Socket
6-POINT >> O-N-L-Y !!!!
Use the Tightest Fitting Socket available.
You're better-off tapping-on a tight-fitting FRACTIONAL Socket than using a
METRIC Socket that loose on the Flats.
SOCKET (on tight)
Short Extension and a Breaker bar ...
Give it Hell.

 

My PO welded a socket on, so now it's 3/8 drive.