REMOVERS

Removers are tools used to remove damaged fasteners. They are not normally needed during routine service unless the fastener is corroded, broken or damaged.

Rusted and corroded fasteners should be sprayed with penetrating oil, a low viscosity oil designed to flow between the threads of a fastener or other small separations between parts.

Common penetrating oil products include WD-40  ,   Kroil,

and CRC 5-56.

CAUTION:  Do not use penetrating oil as lubricating oil. It is volatile and will evaporate after usage, leaving little lubricant protection behind.

Over time, rust and corrosion can cause the threads of the fastener to be attached to the nut or casting making it difficult to remove.  Several special tools can be used to remove damaged fasteners, depending on the type of damage. 

Damaged Heads  If the bolt head or a nut becomes damaged or rounded, two special tools can be used.

Stud remover  Grips the part above the surface and uses a cam or wedge to grip the stud as it is rotated by a ratchet or breaker bar.

A stud remover uses an offset serrated wheel to grasp the stud so it will be rotated when a ratchet or breaker bar is used to rotate the assembly.

Nut splitter  A nut splitter works by splitting the nut from the bolt. Insert the cutter against a flat of the nut and tighten the threaded bolt. The nut will split away, and can be removed.

A nut splitter is used to split a nut that cannot be removed. After the nut has been split, a chisel is used to remove the nut.

CAUTION:  Do not rotate the entire nut splitter or damage to the cutting  wedge will occur. 

Broken Bolts, Studs, or Screws  Can occur even with, or below the surface, making stud removal tools impossible to use. Bolt extractors are commonly called “easy outs.” Constructed of hardened steel with flutes or edges ground in the opposite direction of most threads.

A hole is drilled in a broken bolt. The extractor is inserted and rotated counter-clockwise with a wrench.

As the extractor rotates, the grooves grip tighter into the wall of the hole drilled in the broken bolt.

As a result, extractors are capable of removing most broken bolts.

Set of bolt extractors, commonly called easy outs.

NOTE:  Always select the largest extractor that can be used to help avoid the possibility of breaking the extractor while trying to remove the bolt.

I Broke Off an Easy Out—Now What?

An extractor (easy out) is hardened steel and removing this and the broken bolt is now a job for a professional machine shop. The part, which could be as large as an engine block, needs to be removed from the vehicle and taken to a machine shop that is equipped to handle this type of job. One method involves using an electrical discharge machine (EDM). An EDM uses a high amperage electrical current to produce thousands of arcs between the electrode and the broken tool. The part is submerged in a nonconducting liquid and each tiny spark vaporizes a small piece of the broken tool.

The Wax Trick

Many times rusted fasteners can be removed by using heat to expand the metal and break the rust bond between the fastener and the nut or casting. Many technicians heat the fastener using a torch and then apply paraffin wax or a candle to the heated fastener. See Figure 9–40. The wax will melt and as the part cools, will draw the liquid wax down between the threads. After allowing the part to cool, attempt to remove the fastener. It will often be removed without any trouble.

Removing plugs or bolts is easier if the plug is first heated to cherry red color, using a torch, and then applying wax. During cooling, the wax flows in between the threads, making it easier to remove.