Best Way to take out a stripped philips screw?

Question

i am trying to take out this sunroof in my car to replace it and i cant just rip off the screw because it is attached to the motor and i am not going to replace the whole sunroof so anyone got any ideas on how to take out a extremly tightened screw that is kinda stripped

Answer 1

If you know the diameter of the screw shaft, drill it out with a slightly smaller drill bit. It is soft metal or it would not have stripped. Or first I would use a small hammer and a screwdriver to jar the threads loose. A shot of lubricant would help in any case (on the screw, not in you).

Answer 2

There are several good ways.

One of my favorites has always been a phillips screwdriver that's about 2' long, (but still a #2,) with a dab of valve lapping paste on the tip; you can put more muscle behind it and the grit of the valve lapping paste grips the screw and screw driver.

A more expensive, but fun, way is to buy a cheap phillips with a hex on it's shank near the handle. You break the handle off, insert the shank into an air chisel, put a wrench on the hex and then gently pull the trigger air chisel as you press the combination of tools into the screw and turn everything with the wrench. Of you can buy a screw buster tool, which is essentially the same thing and will take a phillips head apex like you'd use in a cordless screw gun and will also accept a wrench.

Another suggestion is a screw extractor set; which gets a little more complicated with smaller screws. You drill down into the shank of the screw, insert the extractor and press into the screw as you turn the extractor to the left. Be careful to choose the correct size extractor, because if you think a stripped screw is a pain, you should try drilling one out with a broken extractor stuck in it.

Should any of these methods cause you to break off the head of the screw, never fear, once the head is broken off, if you've already got the other screws out, (or broken off all the heads,... some things were just not made to be assembled with loctite,) you can continue disassembly. And if you need to reuse the part the screw shank is stuck in, Craftsman (Sears,) sells a tiny set of channel locks that should work just fine on the shank of the screw.

Good Luck

Answer 3

i work in a body shop and i do this all the time! get either an air hammer (chisel insert) or if you don't have one, a hammer and finely pointed flathead screwdriver will do. next, either file a vertical goove into the head of the screw with a hacksaw blade or metal file or beat the screwdriver down onto the head of the screw to create a notch. next, insert said screwdriver into notch/groove at 45-60 degree angle and tap the handle end of the screwdriver with hammer as to drive the screw around and around in a COUNTER-CLOCKWISE direction. remember: "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey". or if you got more money than time, you can buy a tool called the "easy-out". you drill a hole into the screw head and use a reverse tap to spin the screw out, but you can't use this on screws that are small. good luck!

Answer 4

With screws I generally cut a straight notch into it with a dremel and a cutting wheel, and take it out with a flathead screwdriver..

They do make some small easy outs.. But they usually dont work very well on screws if you can find one that small.. Those you have to drill into the screw and tirn in the easy out until it bottoms out and it will twist the screw out with a smal wrench.. Easy Outs work better on larger diameter bolts than they do screws...

Answer 5

hand held impact driver. looks like a steel screwdriver with changeable bits. when you hit the end with a hammer, a spring and ramp inside it turns it a little bit with each blow. one of these has saved me from lots of the same situation you face right now and it only cost me about $35 cdn including 4 bits. if you don't want to buy the right tool, soak it in wd40 for a while, then try to hammer another similar sized driver into it (torx, etc.). i don't recommend trying to drill it out unless you have done it before and you have very steady hands or you may find it a little wet in your car when the drill slips.

Answer 6

use a slightly larger torx bit or alan bit, tap it into the stripped screw head to form the torx or alan shape, and unscrew. Some times you can do the same thing with a standard screw driver if you don't have the others

Answer 7

You want to go to Sears and get craftsman item #00952154000
Craftsman 3 pc. Screw-Out™
Will fix you right up

Answer 8

extremely tough matter. search from google. it can assist!