I know this is technically a problems & fixes, but WTF am I gonna do now? the socket rounded off this nut on the front cat, and then I destroyed it further with vice grips, etc. Help!!!

 

Try slamming a smaller socket on it or got to sears and pick up a set of extractor sockets. I would avoid using 12pt sockets for the rest of them.

 

how the hell did you do that? atleast it isn't the rear....

don't stress it... it could be worse..

 

spray some wd40 from above the nut
then vise grips and try to tighten the nut slightly- maybe a tap or 3 with the hammer to the tool, that will usually break the rust bond - then you can spin it off and replace

 

X2 on the extractor sockets!!

 

yeh I'll be hittin up sears after church tomorrow, xtractor socket FTW. lame. Richie, you're right no more 12 pointers on that soft ass metal. it's like metal butter, but I guess hard metal would become brittle with all that temperature change.

 

I do Not mean to rub salt into any wounds...

I offer the following to all readers as a friendly reminder.

Never use a 12-point socket. Always use 6-point sockets. The 12-point sockets should had never been invented. The 12 point does not offer enough gripping surface on the bolt/nut. Whereas, the 6 point is great. I have NEVER stripped the head of a bolt or nut with a 6 point. However, I have snapped entire bolts with the 6 point.... but that is a testimony to the awesome grip of the 6 point. Never use a 12 point. I don't even own any of those worthless things. All of my sockets are 6 points.

 

Or Deep Creep

One of the most useful substances in the world!

 

AMEN. thats great advice

SRT-11 soak that puppy in some wd40 and give it another shot. it should come loose

 

Go to Sears or find a Snap on truck and buy a socket for stripped bolts/nuts. Find one the same size as the nut or one slightly smaller if you really rounded the nut and hammer it on. Then put your ratchet on it and take it off by hand. It should come off just fine then.

 

I will point out that 12 point sockets are designed for use with 12 point bolt heads...
as found on most airplanes--- that way they make sure to use the special hi grade bolts- they all have 12 point heads.

So they are not worthless- you have the wrong tool for the job!!

 

12 points' automotive use should be limited to tight spaces where you have very little room to move the wrench or 12 point bolts. Otherwise 6 point should be exclusively used.

I was a transmission R&R guy from the age of 17 to 21 and speed was extremely important. Stripping a bolt (especially Ford torque convertor bolts) would sometimes double the time requried to R&R. In my experience, WD-40 and other liquids don't help until the bolt starts turning. Then they will help lube it for the rest of the way. I've never seen it penetrate into threads but it helps the wrench/vice grips to slip on the nut even more.

Your problem isn't that big. You have plenty of room to get a small cutoff wheel in there on the nut if you have to.

 

Try heating it up with a torch.... alot. Then get out those trusty vice grips. Heat makes the nut expand.

 

got it, the sears kit worked like a champ. I'll just put 3 nuts back on and get the 4th tomorrow at the honda dealer.

 

Make sure to use antisieze on the threads when you reinstall and you won't have this problem again.

On a side note, I guess us Cali people are somewhat lucky. I was wondering how you got so much rust on your exhaust but I guess that's normal in other places.

 

yyikes.... good luck on that...

 

so they're in, but i'm not sure if I have an exhaust leak somewhere or not, what does an exhaust leak sound like? also I stripped out the threads for one of the bolts that holds the rubber mount for the j-pipe hanger, it's on with one bolt right now, how the heck am I going to remedy that?

 

Well, you are missing a nut on the exhaust, so that is probably your leak. An exhaust leak sounds like a very wet fart!

 

I used a nut temporarily, I'll swing by the honda dealer tomorrow and snag a new nut

 

get this bolt from the dealer aswell...

 

right, but I didn't strip the bolt, I stripped the threads on the frame that the bolt bolts into. not sure how I'm going to fix that, should I drill through that member of the frame and run a long bolt all the way through it and put a nut on the other end?

 

No couldn't you just go to ur local hardware store and find a bolt slightly larger and drill that in there?

Why did you remove that bracket anyway? Sooo not part of my instructions.. Dw40 would have made the rubber hanger a quick uninstall

 

They are also used on 97-99 Ford F-150, F-150 light dutys on the front drive axles! I know, I had to change mine. The 12pt worked great!

 

They were on pretty much every Ford truck including Explorers and Rangers. There was even a special Snap-on 12pt impact tool just for these. I broke many chrome 12pt sockets until I finally bought this tool back when I did transmissions.

 

it would have taken like another half hour otherwise cuz I couldn't move my catback out of the way enough to get the j pipe off the hanger.

 

it would have taken like another half hour otherwise cuz I couldn't move my catback out of the way enough to get the j pipe off the hanger.