shortyboy

argg,cant believe it.i stripped the cheesehead bolt.i followed clarks-garage directions to a T!!although i didnt use a cheesehead hex,i used an 8mm hex socket.ive got an extra bolt from the waterpump kit,and the hex fits so snug in the spare bolt.i have no clue why it slipped,i also waked up the bolt before doing anything.so what do i do now?do i need to got out and find that damn cheesehead hex?drill it out?please help.thanx

joseph mitro

first of all, what car is this for?

second, you'll have to drill it out, like i did with 8 of my 20 bolts.

Granite 944

BTDT. Not a real big deal, if your careful. You will need to drill off the head of that bolt. Do not drill any deeper than the head of the bolt. IIRC, a 5/16" drill worked for me in a 90 degree drill adapter. Drill straight and true! Your goal is to just get the head of bolt off, so you can remove the camgear, then, you should be able to just turn the remaining bolt out with your fingers.

Note: I'm saying this just because I'm not sure what all your saying in your post........

There is a BIG difference between the "cheesehead" bolts (12 point serrated) and an hex socket head bolt (6 point). NEVER USE ONE IN PLACE OF THE OTHER! Unless of course.... well, there are exceptions, but, ONLY after the PROPER tool DIDN'T WORK. Another reason why the old saying......."the right tool, for the right job", can hurt ya, if not followed.

When your done drilling, it should look like this......the bolt...that is.

Dal Heger

Drill it. That triple square is easy to strip, it's nice and shallow, you have to be really careful, but then again, I just use an impact wrench, no problems. Now, torquing it back up, you have to be careful, it's tough to make sure that you hold the triple square flat while torquing.

Good luck, oh yea, get a GOOD drill bit, if you buy a cheap one it'll dull within a minute. That bolt is HARD!

Dal.

joseph mitro

hey dal, remember when we had to drill those damn bolts out? that seems like a long time ago.

Legoland951

Very common problem. In fact, they are loctited in there and more than 50 percent of the time, they strip unless they have been removed and replaced before. A very strong impact gun with snap on socket will be your best chance of taking it out without stripping. They are easy to drill out but buy your replacement bolt first.

Granite 944

"locktited" ?

Oh god, why would ya want to do that? And, if you do, ONLY with the green, medium strength threadlocker........at MOST, I would think. Definately, not the "red", high strength locktite.

Torque wrenches, ARE your friend! Buy, beg, or STEAL one, if ya have to. But USE ONE. At least, thats IMHO........

There is enough torque requirement on these "cheeshead" bolts, to make that un-necessary, isn't it?
I know one can use the "other" hex head bolt, at a lower torque on it, but, I've not done that, so no experience there, as, I've never used other than the 12 pt. bolt, for this application.

I wonder in how many applications, locktite is used, when it really shouldn't be, because of lack of prep/overall time alotted/not having a torque wrench/or just plain ignorance? Maybe I'm the ignorant one. Is that in the FSM?, and I never saw it?

But then again, the FSM says to put your spark plugs in, "clean and dry".......and I sure as heck don't follow that! I always clean, and put a dab of anti-seize on those threads, AND use my torque wrench (21 ft. lbs).

Legoland951

They are loctited from the factory as far as I know. Loctite is a brand, not locktite.

Granite 944

OOOppps.....drop the "k" in there. I've always sucked at spelling. I've got several different types of it in my garage. Thanks!

Dal Heger

Yea, that seems like a lifetime ago. We should get together over a few beers sometime.

That also solidified my statement about good drill bits! I think we went through, what 3 bits before getting it off?

Fun times!

Dal.

Granite 944

Next time, drill at a "slow" rpm.......that way, you'll only need one drill bit.

Dal Heger

I don't think that they are loctited from the factory. The factory manuals don't state that they should be loctited. Why oh why would anyone loctite on that bolt or on the crank bolt (I still have a crank that I can't get the pulley bolt off of).

Another thing that's interesting is that Porsche used the triple square bolts because they are a higher torque bolt than the allen. I never actually knew that until someone informed me of that fact. Makes sense now. Porsche didn't just put those bolts in there to make our lives miserable!

Yes, the brand of socket makes all the difference between a stripped out allen head bolt and one that actually comes out.

Good luck!
Dal.

Dal Heger

We were. The drill bits were that bad.


I'm happy that I inherited my father's drill bits. He was a machinist/toolmaker, he had the most awesome set of tools! I never had a problem drilling anything out with that set of bits. There is a difference in quality!!!

Dal.

Legoland951

Cobalt drill bits are expensive but work very well. Dull bits can be taken care of by a "drill doctor" bit sharpener.

shortyboy

really appreciate the help guys!btw,have you guys done this with the camshaft cover of the car or off?(drilling the head off)it seems theres not enough room for the drill.theres the 90 degree adapter,but i cannot find it anywhere.i cant even find the triple square tool,everyone tells me its a torx bit.thanx again.