Any tips or tricks for removing a stripped bolt? Preferably with out damaging the plastic around it? The big problem with this bolt is that it is within a deep well, so access is a little difficult.
This is an easy one.
Get an eeze-out
Its a screw with a left hand twist. you drill a hole in the center of the bolt, insert the eeze out and turn. the screw grabs the bolt and out she comes!
Thanks for the heads up on Eeze out.
Bonus too if the bolt can be salvaged and reused. The bolt is actually “built in” the plastic.
would have to see it
I just found another way in within removing the screw. With that said, I am curious if I wasn’t able to find another way in, how would I unscrew this? Photo below. It’s inside a deep well. Don’t know if that is visible in the photo.
so when you say stripped, do you mean the bolt was spinning?
When I say stripped, my ratchet couldn’t even grab hold of it. It was able to grab hold of an identical bolt. But it wasn’t able to grab hold of this specific bolt at all.
The car was worked on last year, and the mechanic that worked in it probably stripped it.
Maybe I am using the wrong terminology?
The bolt isn't stripped. It looks perfectly intact. Make sure you're using the correct size socket, and try tapping the socket down onto the bolt with a hammer first before turning it. Make sure you're using a 1/4" drive socket (they're smaller) and an extension. If that still doesn't work then try a different brand of socket with thinner sides. This bolt looks normal to me though. It shouldn't be any trouble. I don't know what you mean by "built-in"?
Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried several different sockets, I can try another set. I’ll have to try the ¼ drive. I concur it doesn’t look stripped. It just feels stripped though, because I did a similar screw with ease.
By built in, I mean that when you remove the panel, the screw doesn’t come out all the way, it is attached to the panel that prevents it from being completely removed.
the term for that is a "captive" screw or bolt
Thank you!