stripped star bolt

[knotdrummer88 10+ year member]

Today I got some work done on the jeep, and when I tried to take the seatbelt bolt out, it was a *****. It turned really tough, but I figured it was because the bolt hadnt been turned since it was put in the jeep in 1998. I was turning it, then my ratchet jerks forward and then it just spins in the bolt. I look at it and I stripped out all the teeth in the bolt. what the fvck. anyone else do this?

oh and also when taking out my driver seat, one of the bolts broke at the floor...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif

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[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

soak them bishes with WD-40 for a day or 2. If they go through the floor hit them from the underside also.

Hopefully you can get vice grips around the stripped bolt to get it out. Otherwise cut off the head and try an EZ-out...

 

[knotdrummer88 10+ year member]

soak them bishes with WD-40 for a day or 2. If they go through the floor hit them from the underside also.
Hopefully you can get vice grips around the stripped bolt to get it out. Otherwise cut off the head and try an EZ-out...

well I was originally gonna ground there, however I found another grounding point. So ill probally just put some wd 40, or that other stuff I can't remember what its called that loosens bolts, and just put the vice grips on and tighten it back down

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

If you want to get the stripped bolt out, and you have access to a welder, weld a regular bolt to the stripped out bolt. The heat from the welding also seems to help loosen it. The one that is broken off may be able to be removed by getting at it from underneath, most seat belt bolts go all the way through and stick out like 1/2" to 1". When replacing them they are special bolts, most are actually oblong and not round, so they don't back out.

Also it's called internal torx.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Takes quite a bit to strip one of them... I had a couple close calls with my interior today as well since the **** seat bolts had lock tight

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

I had to use the impact driver on all my kid's seatbelt bolts.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

I broke one of the bolts that holds the driver's seat in my ZJ. There is a nut welded to the bottom of the vehicle that the bolt goes through. To fix this, I completely drilled out the broken bolt, borrowed a nice tap set, and tapped the hole. I was careful to drill out the size of the bolt so I could still use a stock bolt to hold the seat. As far as that stripped Torx bolt for the seatbelt, you may end up having to cut off the head and drill it out. That's going to be a PITA. I've stripped out small Torx screws and bolts before, but never something large like that. You could also try grabbing the head with vice grips. I doubt that'd work, but it's worth a shot.

 

[SPLaudio 5,000+ posts]

drill and tap it!

the problem is the bolt goes thru the body and gets rusty and swells on the other side. use grease when putting back in...

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

If you want to get the stripped bolt out, and you have access to a welder, weld a regular bolt to the stripped out bolt. The heat from the welding also seems to help loosen it. The one that is broken off may be able to be removed by getting at it from underneath, most seat belt bolts go all the way through and stick out like 1/2" to 1". When replacing them they are special bolts, most are actually oblong and not round, so they don't back out.
Also it's called internal torx.

I think they're grade 5 or 8 too. Must've been using an undersized socket if it stripped out. Vice grips ain't gonna hack it. Welding a nut to the bolt head is about the only option.

I had to use the impact driver on all my kid's seatbelt bolts.

Bingo.

 

[CJL 10+ year member]

If you want to get the stripped bolt out, and you have access to a welder, weld a regular bolt to the stripped out bolt. The heat from the welding also seems to help loosen it. The one that is broken off may be able to be removed by getting at it from underneath, most seat belt bolts go all the way through and stick out like 1/2" to 1". When replacing them they are special bolts, most are actually oblong and not round, so they don't back out.
Also it's called internal torx.

This

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

And not sure about Chrysler's but GMC vehicles use thread-lock that is beast mode when you take it out the first time.

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

A little heat will soften any thread lock. Be careful, don't want to see a "I burnt my jeep to the ground" thread. Once you get the bolt to start turning, loosen it a little, then tighten it back up, then loosen, tighten, loosen, tighten until it starts to turn freely. Use plenty of wd-40 or pb blaster(better) or some other lubricant.