91 XR250R head cover bolts stripped

[Br0ck]

Hello, I bought a non-running xr250 a few weeks ago as a project, I am trying to tear down the motor to inspect everything before I start ordering parts. The PO was an idiot, he stripped so many heads on the valve cover bolts. There were 4 of them that were wrecked and I successfully got 3 of them out by drilling the middle and hammering in a Torx bit in. However this one will not budge, I cannot get it to grab with a torx. Please give me some tips on how to remove it. The fact someone would put it back together with destroyed bolts is beyond me. 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[XR-ider]

If you have room just carefully cut the head off the bolt with a cut off wheel or maybe cut a slot to get a flat head screw driver on it. 

[S.O.A.N.Z]

any pics ?

[Br0ck]

PO butchered the head

[XR-ider]

Im assuming the ones with cuts are your problem bolts. You got lucky. Cut dem heads off, pull the cover, spay the bolts with pb if needed and use some nut buster or pipe wrench style pliers to turn bolts out. Be careful not to cut into the cover. It looks like one of them you might be able to go straight to nut busters on. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by XR-ider

[S.O.A.N.Z]

25 minutes ago, Br0ck said:

PO butchered the head

squirt some penetrant around the bolt heads

you should be able to grab those with some good quality vice grips

or if you have a pin punch

light hammer taps at an angle to the top of the bolt head

 

 

 

[Dirtbug26]

[Br0ck]

Definitely need a new pair of vice grips the ones I got are pretty worn and handed me downs lol.

[AMSinator]

Drill the allen bolt heads off, starting with a small bit and work your way up to slightly larger than the bolt diameter, 6mm, if i'm not mistaken.

Be sure to Snug the other bolts that you have loosened, this will help take some of the stress off of the stubborn bolts.  

[sbest]

Yup, drilling them is safer than a cut off wheel, BUT, I'd start with cutting slots in the heads (looks like some one started) and give it a good whack with an impact driver like this one:

You might just get them out. 

Penetrating oil and heat right on the head of the bolts to make them grow. Whack it and it should come loose.

Barring that, drill them dead center the same size as the shank (8mm?) until the heads come off. If you use a left hand drill they might come loose on their own. Everybody should own one of these sets:

[hondaxr650rrrr]

A nut can be welded onto the bolt head then used to remove the bolt.

[Br0ck]

Ok thanks guys, I already had plans of ordering an impact driver from rmatv, but just wanted to see if i needed a piston kit before I concluded my order.

[Daniel627]

On 5/20/2018 at 9:54 PM, XR-ider said:

Im assuming the ones with cuts are your problem bolts. You got lucky. Cut dem heads off, pull the cover, spay the bolts with pb if needed and use some nut buster or pipe wrench style pliers to turn bolts out. Be careful not to cut into the cover. It looks like one of them you might be able to go straight to nut busters on. 

XR-ider said pretty much what I was gonna say. 

The impact driver sbest showed, is something everyone should have. I've used mine so many times on so many things. They definitely will keep you from destroying fasteners. Often enough, all you need is 1 good whack to break a screw/bolt loose.

On 5/20/2018 at 10:14 PM, S.O.A.N.Z said:

 

 

 

 

PB blaster works wonders!

That punch looks like a spring loaded center punch I have. Not something to hit with a hammer. 

You wouldn't wanna try using a pointed punch to spin a bolt around by hitting it.  That's what a chisel is for! 

[S.O.A.N.Z]

15 minutes ago, Daniel627 said:

That punch looks like a spring loaded center punch I have. Not something to hit with a hammer. 

You wouldn't wanna try using a pointed punch to spin a bolt around by hitting it.  That's what a chisel is for! 

Yeah i guess i dont know shit after working on bikes for the last 36 years

[AMSinator]

That does look like a spring loaded style center punch, designed for hand use only. Hitting that style center punch will/can break the tip off.

Since you have the flat slots ground into the allen head, use the largest Hand impact flat blade that will fit the slots and your choice Harley/Ford/Chevy/rice burner tool. 

If you use the cut off tool method BE CAREFUL, that you don't get off your cut line and end up cutting the aluminum head cover as the bolt head is much larger than the bolt shank

Using the cut off disc on die grinder (using shop air) is a handful sometimes if you are not use to them.

A Dremel tool (110V) may be easier to use, but blades are thinner, don't last as long, slower and easier to break.

  

[S.O.A.N.Z]

On 5/21/2018 at 1:14 PM, S.O.A.N.Z said:

squirt some penetrant around the bolt heads

you should be able to grab those with some good quality vice grips

or if you have a pin punch

light hammer taps at an angle to the top of the bolt head

 

 

 

Fixed - fmd

[AMSinator]

Mixing 50/50 Acetone and Synthetic (Preferred) Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) works better for me, than any of the high cost aerosol spray penetrants. 

Full Synthetic works best, due to it's ability to withstand the heat and the higher temperatures created by rust, dirt, corrosion, thread friction. 

I save any ATF being drained (free or new $5-15), that looks unburnt, for this use. 

I then buy Acetone by the gallon ($10-15), ask the wife to save me all here empty cleaner spray bottles, mix up a bunch of bottles, or just what you need/want and use this mixture for easy to get at applications.

I save my aerosol spray for the hard to get at places.

I found this concoction in a Hot Rod Farm Tractor magazine which tested many Penetrants (WD40, Seal Croil, PB blaster, others) on control rusted bolts.

The test measured the amount of torque it took to get the control rusted bolts to break loose using commonly available chemicals, penetrants, and no chemical at all. 

The 50/50 created the lest amount of torque needed to break bolts loose.

I will see if I can hunt article down and try to post the info I found.

It no doubt works well for me.

[Wraith0513]

Vice grips, no problem.  Can also be used to reinstall if you are a really cheap ^#$#(*.  ? 

[FFMan]

i would carefully cut the heads off to remove the cover, then heat and stud extractors.

worst case, get a machine shop to extract them, or cut them flush and helicoil them. i suspect once the cover is off, they'll get easier, and being steel in ali, heat will work wonders.