Stripped torx screw face

jonmannn · 06-15-2012, 03:40 PM

So I was trying to install a newly located mirror set on my '01 Sahara. I heard that the torx screws by the windshield were difficult to remove and easy to strip, so I followed the advice of a friend and banged the torx head into the screw with a hammer a few times first to loosen it up. I was able to successfully remove three screws but on one of the screws it would not budge to the point where the pressure I was applying stripped the face of the screw.
Heres a picture of the damage:

This is where the screw is located pointing from the inside of the Jeep:

Any advice on the removal of this screw would be much appreciated!

festerw · 06-15-2012, 06:57 PM

Being that mangled you have 2 options, drill it out or weld a nut on it.

Next time get an impact driver and it'll make things easier.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ec...&storeId=10051

jeepinsoldier10 · 06-15-2012, 07:10 PM

You can try using An easy out but that might mangle it more. Next in addition to the impact wrench you can try hearing the bolt up with a torch

**laybackman** · 06-15-2012, 07:38 PM

If you drill off the head of the torx screw how will you get the rest of the bolt out? I am going through this right now with a door hinge torx screws. I drilled off the heads now the hinge is off but I have no screw body to grab onto. AND I can't get at the plates in the door to remove the remaing screw! I then tried to drill into the screw body to remove them with an easy out. BUT how do you drill throught the exact center of the bolt? Answer? You don't normally. I hit the mark on 4 of the 6 screws.

What I suggest and strongly advise you to do is grind the paint off the torx screw, weld a nut on it and then remove it with a wrench.....like I should have done

Orrrrr, you could use a dremel tool to cut a slot in the head of the torx screw and attempt to remove it with a impact screw driver.

**tinktinkTJ** · 06-15-2012, 07:44 PM

I would stay away from welding a nut on, but that might just be me. Drill and tap it. Use high quality drill bits such as m42, it will go through it like a hot knife though butter. You can use HHS bits, but make sure u keep the bit from heating up too much. Use plenty of oil while drilling.

**tinktinkTJ** · 06-15-2012, 10:24 PM

[QUOTE=laybackman;13728089]BUT how do you drill throught the exact center of the bolt?

Laybackman, you don't want to drill off the head of the bolt first, for future reference drill a pilot hole all the way through first. Read below for more details.

jonmannn, if you haven't already solved the problem here's some useful information. To find the dead center of the torx (or pretty darn close to it) take a 5/16 or 3/8 drill bit and clear out what's left of the "torx part" of the torx bolt so you will have a smooth surface to start with; drill down until you start to drill into the bolt but don’t drill the head of the bolt off. Then take a 9/64 or 5/32 drill bit and drill all the way through the bolt. That hole will be your pilot hole. After you drill your pilot hole then either take either a 15/64 or a 1/4 drill bit drill all the way through. If you’re off center a little don’t worry it’s not the end of the world. Don’t use a drill bit any larger then 1/4 that will be your final hole size if the bolt head hasn't already come off you can take it off either with a slightly larger drill bit (5/16). This is when you start to tap the hole. If you did it right what’s left of the old bolt will fall out as your tapping it. As I said in my previous post use a lot of oil, I use engine oil because that’s what I had near me at the time. If you can, use quality drill bits. If you don’t have any, I would invest in some. If you don’t have the money at least invest in a quality 9/64 or 5/32 it will save you a lot of time. Good luck and remember take your time.

jonmannn · 06-16-2012, 10:47 AM

Thanks for the responses everyone! I will try and drill it out sometime this week.

**outdoorguy86** · 06-18-2012, 03:37 PM

its hard to tell from the picture, but i assume you are taking that bracket off? If you were to drill the head of the screw off, then when you take the bracket off there would be the body of the screw sticking up which you could then grab with some vice grips. Maybe??

jeepinsoldier10 · 06-18-2012, 04:01 PM

Those screws are counter sunk so I believe that if he drilled the head off then he won't have any screw body to grab

**laybackman** · 06-18-2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepinsoldier10

Those screws are counter sunk so I believe that if he drilled the head off then he won't have any screw body to grab

That is what happened to me and I knew about the 'weld on a nut' option and didn't go that route. The torx portion stripped out naturally. So I slotted it and attempted to use a flat tip scredriver tip in my impact screwdriver... that didn't work either. So I drilled out the centers of these torx screws from hell and attempted using an easy out. Didn't work for four of them. Next trick was my left handed drill bits. That got me nowhere. along the way the drill bit 'drifts' off center and that is where I ended up with some of these screws. So I endee up drilling off the heads and then I spent a whole day getting the remainder of the bolts out of the plates inside the doors. Messed up one of the threaded holes some. Might have to go with the next size flat head screw.

So my fix will always be, weld on a nut from this point forward if it strips out. I am also replacing every Torx screw that comes off of my YJ. I'm leaning torward using an allen wrench style of flat headed screw.

athos76 · 06-19-2012, 11:39 AM

Apply some heat and pb blaster and use a High quality left hand bit. Slow speed, high pressure.

**Ironworker709** · 06-19-2012, 06:27 PM

Welding on it will blister the paint all around it and possibly more into the body.....just a food for thought...mild steel has a melting point of around 2400 degrees...i don't think he wants to create a need for another paint job or pricy paint repair in that area...

Apply'n enough heat to make a difference in that little bolt will do the same and probably more damage to the surrounding paint.........

Drill it out a little and use a matching easy out..with the bolt and all the paint around it and ON it..spraying it with anything would be pretty much useless since it'll never make it to the bolt threads.............

If the easy out method doesn't work..i'd probably do like laybackman said and drill the head off to get the bracket off..then maybe you can use a good seeping oil like PB blaster or better yet..if you can find it..Kroil on the bolt and then drill and use an easy out..I've persoanly seen Kroil work wonders i'd never beleive if i didn't see it first hand,The Millwrights use it religously on jobs i work....but it can be hard to find....but then again..like i said..no lubricant will do you any good at all if it has no passage way to seep into the bolt threads.....

jonmannn · 07-10-2012, 12:35 PM

Hey everyone, just to finally follow up, I was able to get the screw out last week;
I ended up drilling the screw and increasing the size of the drill bit until I could get a strong enough easy out in to unscrew it.
Only thing I had to be really careful of was the threads inside. I did my best to clean the metal shards out but they aren't perfect. For the mirrors I was planning to install I ended up using a bit of a longer screw to make sure it stayed. I appreciate all the help you all gave.

Griffn · 07-11-2012, 02:59 AM

Torx , i do not like those dam things!

A trick i learned a long time ago is to use some abrasive cleaning powder compound (Ajax,Bon Ami) add a little water and make a paste out of it.

Add to torx female side. If you have a poor fit with bit and it will fill voids and give a good bite to worn torx fittings.

I know this wasn't the case with you.

Glad you got it out with no damage