I have a treadmill with a worn-out allen screw. I have a set of allen keys, but the hexagon is wearing out, and the keys no longer fit. How do I get the screw out?
2007-11-16 08:45:31 · 8 answers · asked by henryh65@rogers.com 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
See if you can find a "Easy out" that is small enough to use.
Drill a hole in the screw and unscrew it with the "easy out".
Auto parts stores carry them.
2007-11-16 08:51:03 · answer #1 · answered by Fred F 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
First soak it really good with some penetrating oil to help loosen the threads. Liquid wrench or Kryoil seem to work best. Second , make sure there isn't a bunch of crud in the bottom of the hole. Clean it out really good so you can get full conact with a wrench. If the hole isn't too worn out sometimes you can use the next sized meteric wrench. (or go to standard if you started with a meteric) Tap the wrench into the bolt with a hammer so you have a good snug fit before you try cranking on it. Go slow and keep even pressure on the wrench. making sure to keep your wrench square and level to the bolt head or you will just end up with a bigger stripped hole. If you have a Dremel tool. Use a cut-off wheel to make a slot across the head and turn the bolt out with a flat bladed screwdriver. You have to make a good straight and square cut with the tool or it won't do any good, and you're still at square one. You may have to cut into the surrounding material a small ways to get a decent slot in your bolt. Allen head bolts are usually rated harder than a Grade 8, so they are nearly impossible to drill out a stripped bolt without having a tool & die shop handy, with a bridgport and carbide drills. Drilling by hand just makes a real mess, because the bolts are always harder than the surrounding material and the drill bit will wander off course and eat into the sides of your threaded hole. Good luck, I know stripped allen heads can be a real B**ch to get out.
2016-05-23 10:49:42 · answer #2 · answered by sheryl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is extremely difficult, but provided the screw is not the flush surface type and has sides or even round edges that stick out, you can try and use a plier to turn the screw.
Basically, you use the plier to grip the inside the groove and the other surface simultaneously to turn the screw.
2007-11-16 08:50:41 · answer #3 · answered by amorde 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If those solutions don't work, you can use a rotary tool with a cutting bit (round disk) to make a slit in the head of the screw, and then use a flathead screwdriver to remove it.
2007-11-16 08:56:13 · answer #4 · answered by Taryn 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use a very small drill bit to deepen the center of the screw. when you get it down just a bit, the allen wrench should fit.
i've done it with a phillips head screw. hope it works for ya.
2007-11-16 09:05:12 · answer #5 · answered by ditzi_k 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have this problem all the time. I use a straight screwdriver narrow enough to hammer into the hole. Sometimes the hammering helps to loosen it, and then turn lefty loosy
2007-11-16 08:57:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Give the 10 to FRED; they may be titled as EZE-OUT, but they are most effective.
Steven Wolf
2007-11-16 09:01:07 · answer #7 · answered by DIY Doc 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
extremely tough task. search from yahoo and bing. just that could actually help!
2014-11-25 21:40:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋