I have one of my CV joint bolts (they are all the 12 piont "triple square" type) heads that is totally rounded out. What should I do to get it out, and what should I avoid doing to create more problems?



Jim

vice grips

A Vice Grip is your best bet

Good Luck!

I can't believe nobody said Vice Grips.

Vice grips..

If the bolt is on the trailing arm side and you don't care about the CV I would drill it out. Drill till the head of the bolt is gone, remove the CV, then remove whats left. Might be tough finding a drill bit strong enough, use oil too.

Gluck!

Ohh... and if you haven't removed the others yet, use a toothbrush to clean out the 12pt head of the bolts before attempting to remove them. Then clean the tip of the tool off before moving onto the next one. Idea is to get all the dirt and crap out so you don't round off another one. I try my best to push while turning as well to prevent the tool from slipping.

It also helps to tap the tool into the bolt with a hammer.

I've had a couple that wouldn't come out with vise grips, and I ground two flat spots on the round head to get a bite with vise grips.