[Rossla]

Once again I must call on the members knowledge.
I wanted to remove my srads exhaust system to spray the headers. Should be easy right,, but out of the 8 screws that hold the headers onto the bike, 2 came off and 6 rounded. I cant for the life of me get them off.. any tips greatly appreciated. would heating the bolts with a blowtorch work??

 

[MikeGyver]

Are they allen head? You could try JB Weld in the allen hole and leave a wrench in it while it sets and see if that will give it more bit. It has worked for me a few times.

Heating the area around the bolt might work. The block will expand faster than the steel bolt.

 

[fieldarcher]

A bit crude but has worked, can you hammer a torks bit into the bolt if it is a hex bolt. Heat is good if you are carefull

 

[Rossla]

Yea they're allen heads alright,, I've never heard of JB weld before,, So i'd hold the allen key in the bolt and pour that stuff around it and leave set overnight?? I'll try that so before I pull out a blowtorch. thanks

 

[RaZed1]

If they're rounded out, get the next larger size (sae or metric) that you can just manage to cram into it. Then mix up some jb-weld, glop it on the end of the allen key, then hammer it in and let sit overnight. Ensure there is clearance to rotate it all the way around. If not, do it with a 3/8" drive allen, or as mentioned sometimes finding the right size torx bit works too.

Another trick if you have an impact screwdriver is to use a dremel to grind a slot in the top of the bolt, then use the extra wide flat bit and a mini-sledge to try and crack them loose.

All else fails use needle nose vise grips and use a good torch to heat the area surrounding the bolt, not the bolt itself. Regular propane won't cut it, MAPP is better if you don't have an oxygen torch. Obviously wear gloves and work quickly.

 

[Rossla]

If the JB weld dosn't work i'll try cut the top to fit a screwdriver, thanks for the ideas lads

 

[Cookie2000ad]

A bit crude but has worked, can you hammer a torks bit into the bolt if it is a hex bolt. Heat is good if you are carefull

If the allen heads are still there (haven't twisted off completely) this is the method i always use, and so far it's always worked.

Squirt RP90 or similar into the threads and give it time to work it's way in then find a torx slightly too large to fit into what's left of the allen hole, this is a torx head btw:



Hammer that fooker in there, all the way in, then get something on it with a reasonable length. Start the bolt with a jerking action (hit it with a hammer / palm of your hand if you're a tough bastard) rather than just constant pressure. It should brake any sticking of the threads and start you off. After you're done the torx is usually stuck in there pretty tight. Stick the bolt in a vice and tap the torx from the left, then the right and repeat until it comes out. Move onto the next bolt.

Good luck!