Hi Guys,

Any hints on getting the 4 allen bolts retaining the water bridge undone? I recollect reading horror stories about these in the past and now I’m faced with 4 that just won’t budge!

Steps so far:
All ancillary bits removed including the intake so I’ve got reasonably good access to all bolts.
Bolt heads cleaned and penetrating fluid applied liberally for past 2 days before any attempts to undo them.
First attempts today just won’t budge them. I’ve tried various allen keys (just twist), used 3/8 drive allen sockets, made up a bar with a cut allen key to get ability to apply more torque etc. etc.

How much torque can I safely apply before they snap?
Has anyone tried impact tools with any results? (I’ve air and impact gun but not the old fashioned ‘hammer impact’ tool).
Mike
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Bang on head in all directions. Heat. Repeat. They are pretty strong but you can break it.

regards,

jfk
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I was going to suggest banging on them too. The other thing I'd add is that it isn't the end of the world if they break. It's more awkward if the heads strip so avoid that if possible, but if the bolts break they usually break near the head so you'll be able to pull the bridge off and you'll have a lot of bolt to work with and you can apply the heat much closer to the stuck threads.

Since I got a small welder these things have been much easier to deal with; welding a nut on a broken bolt, even when it's broken flush with the surface, almost always makes it removable.

Ray
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Beat on them with a hammer, several times. If you have a straight piece of an allen wrench, stick it in the head and beat straight on top of it. Heat (a propane burner) usuallyhelps too.

Good luck!

Peter deJong
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I've used this on stuck waterpump bolts and it may work for you as well. I took a variable torque impact wrench (cheapy from harbor freight), set it on the lowest torque and basically let it vibrate on the stuck bolt until it loosened. Safe in that it didn't supply enough to snap and I think the continued vibration helped knock it loose. Hope this helps.

Jim Morehouse