stripped screw in brake fluid cover

tnoutlaw36 · Post by **tnoutlaw36** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:55 pm

went to change brake fluid today you guessed it stripped a screw head. anybody ever tried the tips that are desighed to remove a screw before i go out and buy them? thanks for any info

vinsanity69 · Post by **vinsanity69** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 4:13 pm

There are a couple of ways to go about this.....
You can drill the head off then grab the shank with vise grips and turn it out.
Or you can use a left handed drill bit.these are a good idea but do not always work like they should.
Craftsman has some screw extrator sets but I never used them myself.They look like they work on tv but we know how things are in the real world........

djalbin · Post by **djalbin** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:55 pm

went to change brake fluid today you guessed it stripped a screw head

The Japanese star (Philips) screw head is a different size (contour) than the standard Philips head screw. Very easy to strip unless you use the correct size screw driver.

Stig · Post by **Stig** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:12 pm

If you have dremel and are real careful, you can cut a slot in the remainder of the head with a small cutting disc...then use a slotted driver to turn it out. Put alot of down force on the screwdriver and then tap the top of it gently with a hammer as you apply anti-clockwise force

It'll move!!

tnoutlaw36 · Post by **tnoutlaw36** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:36 pm

thanks for all the info. bought a bit at sears today going to try it . when i get it out going to teplace with allen heads if i can find them

tnoutlaw36 · Post by **tnoutlaw36** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 10:33 pm

used the 7.99 bit from sears took about 5 secs worth the money they come in 3 sizes.

Post by **Hooligan** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:50 pm

just reading this thread, but on nuts and bolts that haven't been torqued to high heaven, the craftsman screw extractors usually work pretty well.

orionburn · Post by **orionburn** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:31 am

Hooligan wrote:just reading this thread, but on nuts and bolts that haven't been torqued to high heaven, the craftsman screw extractors usually work pretty well.

+1

If it's something that's rusty or been in there for a long time, chances are they won't work. I've had moderate success with the kit I have. Worth having around to say the least. Saved my ass a few times in the past. Anymore if I have a screw strip out and need to order a new one I pick up about 3 or 4 extra to have on hand. Sometimes it's better to replace a 20 cent screw every time to avoid the headaches.

sting wrote:If you have dremel and are real careful, you can cut a slot in the remainder of the head with a small cutting disc...then use a slotted driver to turn it out.

+1 on that as well. Biggest risk is cutting a little bit into the cap of the cylinder, but the Dremel trick does work good.

wslonger · Post by **wslonger** » Sun Aug 05, 2007 4:25 am

I use a 1/2" Countersink bit its the right size to take the head off and leave enough of a stud sticking up to get pliers or vice grips on most times they can be removed with your fingers after the head is off.