eek! stripped bolts suggestions?

wulferus

Active member
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Location
Trinity County, CA
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon
Sugar Honey Iced Tea! I dun mucked up!

I was in the process of replacing my drivers side CV axle in my 2004 passat wagon. I used www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bTGA4z876A as my reference. I believe that my first mistake was getting my 10mm triple square from advanced auto. The first bolt, I got out, then after that they all started stripping. My bit is soft metal and is chewed up already, no matter how hard I tried to press in to keep it seated. These suckers are IN THERE! No way they were only tightened to 60 ft/lbs

So here I am with stripped heads. I tried vice grips... nothing.... tried hammering on a 15mm socket but it is JUST too loose, starts to spin, and 14mm is too tight... I dont have enough room to hit it hard enough, and same with trying to hammer in a 12mm triple square. its way too big. Friend suggested hammering in a star bit? but same thing, not much hammer swinging room... maybe tack on a nut to the top of a bolt? all I have is a cheap harbor freight mig welder.

any suggestions very much appreciated!

cheers!
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Drill the heads off and use vice grips if there is enough bolt left to grab after the axle flange is removed. If not, you will have to use an easy out.

I guess you learned about the downside of using cheap garbage tools. In the long run, buying quality Triple Square bits would have been cheaper. My $80 Mac Triple Square set will never round out a bolt and will last me until I can't turn a wrench anymore.

Welding on a nut might work if you have good access.
 
Last edited:

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
There is this:
http://local.sears.com/Craftsman-Bo...061000P?st=1310&sid=IDx20141117x00001xlpla#!/

They work pretty well when they are new. You don't have to beat on them a whole lot to get them to latch on. Of course, at $9 for the set, they may just look nice.

Is the triple square hole in the bolts wasted, too or just the tool?
I am thinking that if you hit the bolt head with a torch or a little welder action, the heat might loosen them enough to break them.
 

Dimitri16V

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Location
DE
TDI
01 Golf, 04 Golf
Use the shortest extension when trying to loosen those bolts
I personally like the triple bit bits that fit in a 13mm socket
 

Herm TDI

Vendor
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
Location
Richmond, Maine...The far side of Witsend
TDI
2002 Golf GLS Malone Stage 3, P+520 nozzles, 11MM Inj pump, Sachs VR6 clutch, Stelth Race Pipe, Immo Deleat, EGR Deleat
When removing the CV bolts I would recommend using a maul (heavy hammer) to "seat" the XZN bit firmly into the head of the bolt. Hitting the XZN bit to "shock" the bolts threads also helps in the removal.
NOTE: The L/H CV axle bolts have to be very tight. These bolts are know to loosen after just a short period of driving. It is urged that you check these bolts (torque) after about 100 miles of driving.
 

Chris Thomas

Active member
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI sold to VW bought a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado diesel to replace it.(wanted AWD and work at a GM dealership)
Bolt replacement

Being an ASE Certified auto. tech. working in the rust belt I have a lot of experience in this.:( I use a long extension(I believe 24 inches) that is 3/8" male and 1/2" female and seat the bit/hex with a BFH then use air impact. If that doesn't work (or inherited somebody's else problem). Then my favorite air hammer comes out with a spade non-turning bit. I have never met a CV bolt that didn't come out this way(granted the bolts were junk afterwards). Anyway use air hammer to spin the bolt one quarter turn just to break it free. Use the bit at a 90 to 120 degrees from the bolt shaft. The bolt should spin more freely out. P.S. careful of the boot. HTH's
 

wulferus

Active member
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Location
Trinity County, CA
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon
Thanks to everybody for all the advice... ended up grinding the heads off. The axle pulled right out, and without the pressure, i could turn out the bolts really easily with my vice grips.

I can't believe how tight those suckers were!
 

runonbeer

Maintenance EnthusiastVendor
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Location
Austin, TX/Chapel Hill, NC
TDI
'00 Golf 02M, '10 Golf 02E, '02 UTE 02M
My $80 Mac Triple Square set will never round out a bolt and will last me until I can't turn a wrench anymore.
On average I warranty a broken Snap-On M8 every 3 months and a broken M10 every 6 months. They basically explode. Scares me everytime it happens because the gun redlines and sometimes it tosses the universal off the anvil.

I have 2 backups of each. I have a lot of back ups for other things too actually.
 

S2000_guy

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Location
ohio
TDI
2014 Sportwagen TDI
On average I warranty a broken Snap-On M8 every 3 months and a broken M10 every 6 months. They basically explode. Scares me everytime it happens because the gun redlines and sometimes it tosses the universal off the anvil.

I have 2 backups of each. I have a lot of back ups for other things too actually.
A good reason to wear safety glasses...
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Glad I found this old a$$ thread. Looks like I'll probably be grinding my bolts off, too. Out of the 6, 2 have stripped heads, and the last person to torque them up, torqued the $#it out of it.

Thankfully, I have 2 partially rebuilt CV axles ready to go in.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Bolt extractor sockets man. They are so much better than drilling them out.
Buy quality tools here and go buy 2 sets of these bolts.
 

jokila

Vendor
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS, Manual
I would highly recommend buying a triple square tool that attaches to a ratchet like a socket tool. It will stay attached to the extension and won't move around so much as a tool that requires another socket to operate.

I find the best place to loosen the bolts is at the 12 oclock position looking at the trans. Using a screw driver in the rotor disc to keep it from turning, i hit the extension with a hammer to seat it, especially because there will be dirt and grime in the bolt head. Then loosen away.

EDIT: I know that is late for you, but for others that may follow this in the future.
 
Last edited:

KLXD

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
On any type of socket head bolt one should get in there and clean out the oily dirt gum that collects before attempting to remove them. Then be sure to use the other hand to support the head of the wrench so the tool stays centered on the bolt.

Come equipped with lotsa colorful names to call the clown that overtorqued them.
 

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
As mentioned...

I, too,have had success removing those when the outer portion of the spline was stripped by cleaning the recess out and now being able to grab what is left in there of the untouched deeper part of the splines. Tapping the bit home with a hammer helps to seat it...and keep the bit on-axis with the bolt!
It may well be that the person that last torqued those bolts did not fully seat the bit and did not support the wrench. I think that you might break the bolt before stripping the head out if the bit was seated properly.

Its definitely not fun to have to deal with this on the driver's side joint.
 

ClimbRunOm

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Location
SE Pennsylvania
TDI
2002 Jetta ALH
So, I saw you already figured it out, but I thought I might share my 2¢ for your next stuck bolt. I found this Neiko kit on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SX10AG/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_vPDHEbN20DGA9

It was absolutely invaluable during my engine swap, however, I'm /fairly/ gentle with my tools - so I don't know how the bits would handle an impact driver. I particularly liked these bits because of the long and short bit, seemed redundant at first, but some of the bolts with small side clearances or small overhead clearances made one or the other a life saver... The bits also fit in a 10mm box/rachet wrench, so if you're really tight on clearance, you can almost always make it work.

The second is this doodad out of my dad's toolbox...

I always called it a manual impact tube; it takes a 1/2" drive (impact) socket or a flathead screw bit, and when you wail on it with a hammer, it twists about 5°~10° with a LOT of torque. He said he got this one from a Sears catalog in the 70s, but I'm sure you can find one elsewhere... I've only ever used it with a flathead bit after grinding a flathead slit into any stripped bolt and then liberally spraying any exposed threads with kroil...

I have a collection of new spare bolts that either came from the PO of the engine I bought, or from me adding extra bolts to orders through IDparts. This collection has gotten me out of a couple pickles.

Lastly, because he who has the most tools when he dies, wins... Get yourself an in-lb torque wrench. I got one years ago when I started restoring bicycles, and since most of the torques on these VWs are fairly low, I've found it much more accurate than my pop's gigantic torque wrench.

Hope someone finds that useful!

Sent from my LGUS997 using Tapatalk
 
Top