Screw extractor

[Mr Macaw]

These sound useful, ever used anything like this?

[philo]

They are of limited usefulness.

If the screw is locked to the point of having it's head break off, one of those extractors will not work.

[Mr Macaw]

Often the screw head breaks off because it's rusty. Or more often, the head has not snapped off, but you've damaged the phillips shape etc.

[philo]

If it's rusty, no harm in trying penetrating oil.

If the screw is not seized up but the slot is simply stripped, the extractor may very well work.

[Shade Tree Guy]

Have a set from Snap-On, but have rarely use them. Usually, after drilling thru a busted bolt or whatever, the harden steel extractor breaks off making the problem way worse (time for a carbide bit) The problem comes because the hole ya drilled went off center and into the structure, preventing the proper use of the tool. Extracting busted bolts is an "art" I'd suggest buying a set of "reverse" Cobalt drills. These usually work if you drill straight down thur the "problem" (unless it's hopeless rusted in place)

[DerbyDad03]

Honda uses short #3 Phillips screws to hold their rotors on during assembly at the factory. By the time you need to change the rotors, the screws are often seized in the hub. YouTube has all sorts of videos showing the "best" technique for getting them out. Of course, the "best" technique differs from video to video.

I've never tried a screw extractor but I've have drilled the heads off of one set of rotor screws (8 screws total).

In all other cases (10 rotors in total) I've been able to get them out by using the the following method:

1 - Spray the screws with PB Blaster and let it work for a few hours 2 - Put a vice grip on the shaft of a #3 Phillips screwdriver 3 - With the screwdriver held firmly in the screw, rap the end of the handle with a hammer while using the vice grips to apply turning torque on the screw.

After a few raps, they tend to (hopefully) break free.

Honda rotors (and many aftermarket rotors for Honda) also have threaded holes in their rotors so you can screw a bolt in against the hub and pop the rotor off.

[philo]

If the parts can take it, often heating with a propane torch will loosen things up.

OD expands a fraction more than ID

[Mr Macaw]

I did that on car wheelnuts once. I think it worked, I can't remember, I tried so many things. The final solution, as they kept tightening during driving, was to get a very long breaker bar and jump up and down on the end of it.

[Ed Pawlowski]

They work much of the time, but not perfect. Usually bet to try other means first. Penetrating oil, heat

[Mr Macaw]

In every occurrence I've had, I've broken the slot/pz shape on the top of it, so I need to grab it with something other than a screwdriver. But oil and heat aswell is a good idea.

Is penetrating oil flammable?

[Mr Macaw]

A bench drill may be helpful I guess. Or several people holding the drill straight.

[philo]

On 03/31/2016 12:14 PM, Mr Macaw wrote: X

I've used the heating technique successfully many times for slightly rusted nuts and bolts.

There was one time I had to remove a tire soon after I had a flat fixed. They *way* over-tightened it so I put a long pipe on the end of my "four-way" and ended up bending it all to hell.

I took the car back and told them thy put the wheel on too tightly, then showed them my twisted "four-way" and said: "and I am NOT a weakling."

I later got a much better quality "four-way" my original was kind of a cheap piece of crap.

[Mr Macaw]

I remember melting a bolt using a blowtorch once. I guess you can weld = with torches. It was only a handheld propane/butane one.

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[Stormin Mormon]

Now days I insist they put the lugs on loosely, and I'll torque them myself. Some garages balk at that idea, "your wheel will fall off".

I've had some success by using my left foot to push down on the four way, right (or both) hand to pull up on the right side.

Also had some success with my HF brand 25 inch breaker bar, and black impact sockets.

[Vic Smith]

Very limited use. If the screw/bolt is seized, which is normally the reason you've twisted it off, the extractor commonly breaks unless you've drilled a large enough hole to practically collapse the screw/bolt anyway. Better to have a good diamond point and round nose chisel, quality drill bits, and taps to correct damaged threads. I'm really leery about cracking an EZ out in a stud, because you just made more work for yourself. Done it more than once. YMMV.

[DerbyDad03]

I have always hated four-ways. Long ago, I made sure I had the proper "single bar" tire iron for all of my cars.

Now I have the proper sized 1/2" sockets, a 25" breaker bar to loosen them and a torque wrench to put them back on properly.

Even the rusted lugs on my trailer came right off after 2+ years of being ignored. Breaker bars area so cool!

[Mr Macaw]

Every time I've seen a mechanic put them on, he uses a tool powered by a compressor, with a torque limiter which slips when they're tight enough.

[Mr Macaw]

To put them back on, I just put them on with half the maximum force I can apply. That way I know I can apply twice the force to remove them later.

[Ralph Mowery]

Discount Tire where I got my last 2 sets of tires for the vehicles impressed me. They have a large window where you can see the work being done. They use impact wrenches to tighten the lug nuts, but for a final tighten they use a torque wrench.

[DerbyDad03]

You do realize that every vehicle has specific torque values that they want you to use, don't you?

My vehicles range from 80 ft-lbs to 94 ft-lbs.