PaPa-NeGeorgeo

My Feedback: (3)

Ok i think one of my biggest pet peeve has to be rounding of screws and getting them stuck in there case. Its prevented me from doing so many things like cleaning my engines and tightening my muffler etc.. Usually ill use a vice grip and turn them out but sometimes they get stuck where the grip cant get to. Anyways im just in need of a good technique of getting out rounded screws. Is there some kind of tool or certain way to do this.

Thanks alot.

shenion

If you can get a dremel cutoff wheel in the area, cut a slot in it and use a flat screwdriver.

There are also "Screw extractors". They resemble a modified reverse drill bit. You use a drill in reverse and it cuts intot he head and extracts the screw. The screw will not be reusable with this.

If you have a good hardware store in your area, get new screws. Try to get stainless steel or hardened screws. The regular soft steel screws at most hardware stores are too weak to hold mufflers on.

I always replace them with hex cap-head screws. These won't strip out. But it is hard to find the metric sizes.

Muffler screws are long and hard to find at a hardware store. I ordered a few extra sets as replacement parts. Not cheap, but I will replace screws as the heads get worn.

I wish OS and others would use cap screws on the mufflers. They do on their larger engines. They use cap screws on the case where you would not likely ever remove them. The only screws you need to use are Phillips head and wear out.

Also, there is a difference between US and Aisian Phillips screws. The Aisian ones used on most engines are not as deep. File the tip on your screwdriver a bit flat (only a small amount is needed.) You will be suprised how much better it will work.

KJohn

'shenion' has the right idea by using hex cap-head screws (bolts) where possible and completely eliminate the use of Philips or straight slot headed screws. One benefit is that the head area is usually large enough to grab with pliers if the hex cut surfaces are damaged.

iwannafly

My Feedback: (1)

Best way to remove broken screws? Get a set of left hand drill bits.

PaPa-NeGeorgeo

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks alot for the replies,
One big problem i have is on my radio theres a screw that it completly round for some reason and the once phillips head bolt is now a circle. Will the methods of using a left handed drill bit or a screw extrator work for this? Im not concerned about destrying the screws i just want them off. Also are screw extractor's expensive i dont really want to spend that much getting off a couple screws. And are left handed drill bits hard to find ive never heard of them before?

Thanks again.

KJohn

Depending on the location of the screwhead you might try placing some protective tape on the transmitter in the area around the screwhead (to prevent scratching the exterior of the transmitter) then attempt to grind, file or cut a straight slot in the head of the screw. Then use a straight blade screwdriver to remove the screw.

You can also try to wear away the metal around the screw shaft so that you can 'snap' the wide area of the head off with a pen knife. Then remove the item being attached with the screw and use pliers to remove the rest of the screw (that contains the threads) by clamping to the threads directly.

You might also attempt to remove the metal on two opposite sides of the screwhead such that you are left with a narrow metal area that can be grabbed with a tool that is capable of clamping the remaining metal. Unscrew the screw with the clamped tool (pliers).

If you can reach the screw threads from the inside of the equipment you can sometimes clamp the screw from the underside enough to twist it loose. You can then work on total extraction from the top of the screw.

Combat Addict

If you need to find screws go to RTL fastners, they advertise on these forums.
[link=http://rtlfasteners.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc]http://rtlfasteners.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc[/link]

Gollywock

Several years ago I discovered that if you dip the tip of your phillips head screwdriver into valve grinding compound, it will very often "grip" a messed up phillips screw. Jim

PaPa-NeGeorgeo

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks for the replies
Where do you get this valve grinding compound whats it made out of?

Gollywock

You should be able to buy it in any auto parts store. Its normally used for lapping valves. Jim

Holeshot

Hello

Here's what I have found for removing stuck or rounded/rounding phillips head screws, from being a motorcycle mechanic for over 25 years.

1) First, determine the status of the screw (what is the EXACT problem).

a. Just stuck, gonna strip the head if I'm not careful:

You need an IMPACT DRIVER and a excellant fitting bit, SnapOn makes the best ones. The object that has the stuck fastener needs to be arranged in such a way that it won't move when force is applied to the fastener. Take the impact driver and insert the bit into the fastener (you can put a little grinding compound on the bit if you have any) and hold it as tightly into the fastener as possible while putting a CC twist to the impact driver. Take your (heavy) hammer and apply a SHARP shock to the end of the impact driver. It sometimes takes newbies some practice to get the technique correct so I would advise practicing this on your old lawnmower or bicycle or that old Honda in the shed. One smack is usually all it takes. Use care when smacking plastic!!! (not advisable)

b. It's STUCK and:

CROSSTHREADED & hopelessly stuck: A screw extractor may work but also could get broken off or at least you're gonna waste a lot of time trying to do something that is failure prone. Get out the drill and a very small drill bit, drill the fastener EXACTLY in the middle, drill it ass deep as you dare (don't break it off in there). When a phillips gets rounded off it leaves a nice round center for us to get the drill started. After drilling the first hole, put in a slightly larger bit and go at it again. Continue with ever larger bits until you have reached the diameter of the fastener. The fastener will be little more than shavings when you are done. You should chase the threads with a tap after this process.

STUCK and ROUNDED: Get out the drill and ever inceasing bits as in "CROSSTHREADED" above. This time, you only have to drill until the head of the fastener falls off. That will leave the shaft behind and it should turn effortlessly, as the head is now gone and there is nothing tightened.

I've left out rust and corrosion problems as they should not be found in this situation.