I have been trying to remove my plenum from my runners but a bolt has been standing in my way. On the drivers side I have three torx screws holding in the runners to the plenunm. The forth screw is an odd looking hex bolt and has a bar coming out of its center that some cables that go to the throttle body attach to. For the life of me I cannot get it off. Does anyone know how to remove this thing? Is it just seized? I can't get a socket on it so I've had to make due with wrenches and pliers and whatever else I could get on it. It was stripped pretty bad so I had to grind some of it down to give me an edge to grip. It's still not moving. How can I get the damn thing out.

 

if it is stripped, what i would do is get a set of vise grips and clamp them as tight as you possibly can on the head of the bolt. and pull steadily on the pliers. but make sure you have them extremely tight. i have removed locking lug nuts before with a pair of vise grips. my hand was sore for 2 days f4rom squeezing so hard.....but think of the alternatives i had.

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87 z28 bowtie aluminum 420small block dry sump crower lt. wt. knife edged crank oliver lt wt rods brodix track 1's super ram intake slp 1 3/4 headers accel dfi art carr 700 r4 3.42 gears ssm sub frame/ladder bars.....other parts on the way ,soon to be finished!! couple more weeks!!!

http://people.ne.mediaone.net/gdm

 

A deep socket works fine on mine. You could find one the right size and if the bolt is rounded try hammering it on.

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1990 IROC 350
Mods: Too busy trying to make it run right to mod it.
Airfoil, Dynomax cat-back, MSD coil, 180 t-stat, Bald Eagle tires,
Hypertech fan switch, Accel 23# injectors, Holley AFPR, ported plenum,
Ported Daytona Yellow stock base, Moroso valve covers, other stuff,
Ruger P95DC, hot wife, new oil filter, thick rubber floormats, no cats.
18.0 @ 85MPH since I'm one big-a$$ MF
"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

 

10mm six-point deep socket works for me...

If it's seized, penetrating oil can help a lot. The final answer when you reassemble is anti seize compound, of course.

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Later,
Vader
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"Get UP - Drop the bombshell!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Thanks for the info guys, I guess the little bastard is just seized in there. I tried using some liquid wrench which supposedly tries to unseize bolts. Room is too tight for vice grips... i guess i have to go buy a deep 10mm socket.

 

It sounds like it's time to apply a little heat. A propane torch can work wonders on stubborn bolts. 1st just try applying the heat to the plenum, not the bolt. My project has been sitting for 9 years and my garage floods occasionaly so I've been dealing with a lot of rusted and corroded fasteners. Heat has not failed to free up even the most stubborn of them... without breaking them.

Good luck

 

Go ahead and buy a whole set of deep sockets in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" drive. Also, a good set of extensions in all three sizes, universal joints, and different length and tooth count ratchets. A 3/8" torque wrench wouldn't hurt either so you avoid over-tightening those bolts back into the aluminum. I know it's expensive, but look at it as an investment you can use for the rest of your life (if you buy something with a lifetime warranty such as Craftsman tools). Right now, I have far more $$$ in my tools than in most other things I own. If you plan on doing many projects with your car and any others you buy in the future you will only have problems like this without them. Inadequate equipment can turn many 1 hour jobs into an all-day nightmare, and possibly damage your car as well. At the very least, it's just damn aggravating not having the right tool for the job. Like my sig. says, it's better to have and not need than to need and not have . Just my $0.02.

 

Another thing, you will save a great deal of money in the long run by buying tools in large sets rather than individually when you need them. Hope this helps.

 

Yeah I definitely hear you about buying the tools, nothing like the right tool for the job. Ironically I have a sh*t load of tools, all kinds of ratchets and sockets, except for deep metric sockets. Go figure our intakes use metric bolts (freakin GM).

 

And then some stuff is standard, or at least standard seems to fit it better. Always keeps you guessing and ending up with a pile of sockets in the garage floor by the time a job is finished . Good luck with that bolt.

 

Yeah, whats the deal with using both metric and SAE in the engine compartment. What the hell was GM thinking? And add Torx to the variety. The guessing game you play with every bolt really slows projects down, and like JETHROIROC said, you end up with a ton of tools all over the place.

 

If you can get to the bolt, the best way to loosen it from the manifold is to hit it with a hammer. The shock will loosen it, but careful not to really wail on the part, since it is aluminum. The best method is to use a peice of brass bar stock or something similar(its soft metal), and place it on the bolt. Then carefully, strike the bolt a few times, then try to unscrew. Keep that up, until it starts moving, and the bolt should practically fall out. Try to hit the bolt down near where the hex is(not on top of the stud part) I hesitate to say use a torch, only becuase fuel is involved, and aluminum is easy to melt, or distort. That seems to work for me.

 

Starting out with a deep well 10mm socket would have been the thing to do. Were you able to get one on there after you had already stripped and ground on it? BTW, they sell vice grips in a number of shapes and sizes.

This bolt does not have a flat or even round head on it, it has an inch long or so point sticking out from it, so hitting it with a hammer and a piece of bar stock would be difficult. Besides, I wouldn't want to get a hammer anywhere near my $400 runners I said apply "a little heat" and "propane torch," ...not an oxy-acetylene cutting rig. The aluminum there is 1/4" thick at the thinnest, and this is on the very top of the engine; so melting it, distorting it, or starting a fire should not be an issue with a propane torch (at least not a standard one). A little heat can loosen bolts long after pounding on them with a hammer has failed to.

As Vader said, you can save yourself some future grief by always using anti-sieze compound when installing bolts into aluminum. It's not a bad idea for most bolts, unless they call for teflon thread sealant (as for bolts going into water passages) or something.

 

The bolt was already stripped before I laid a hand on it. But thankfully the problem has been solved. A little more liquid wrench, grinding, and a 12-point deep socket got the bolt right off. Thanks for the input.