Removal of a smallish screw with a rusty head

[Ross365]

I want to examine the ABS sensors on my Celica, which is 21 years old. They are held in place by a 10mm hex head screw, but rust has taken its toll and a 10mm socket feels loose on the heads, so much so that I’ve not tried to get the screw out fearing that’s what’s left of the corners will fail. Access is restricted so I think a socket on a shaft is the only option.

I’ve ordered a couple of 6 point 9mm sockets, thinking that I can use the minidrill / attachments to open one up to a size that should fit more closely, especially when "tapped" on with a small hammer? In advance, I'm applying releasing fluid. The use of heat is out - too close to the sensor.

Any alternative ideas welcomed.

 

[steveo3002]

are you sure the sensor will drop out if you can remove the screw....anything older ive worked on theyre rusted in and need to be smashed out

as for the screws , id expect em to snap and need drilling out

 

[Danez]

have you tried a similarly sized imperial socket?

 

[Guzrik]

What you are doing, if that fails grind the head away, sensor off and weld a nut on, break it of and drill out all leftovers. Then replace the hub

 

[Ross365]

Hee hee; this Scandancavian guy is doing this job on a Corolla, which is identical in this respect, and he takes about 10 seconds to get the whole job done!

Doesn't even use any WD40.

I will give the imperials a try - thanks.

 

[Agroshield]

have you tried a similarly sized imperial socket?

3/8" is 9.53mm, so that is closest and would be a better place to start than a butchered 9mm socket.

Give it a slight tighten first to break it (hopefully loose) before reversing to loosen.

 

[bricol]

A 10mm 6 point socket will shear the rusted in threaded section before the corners of the hex head give way in my experience. Then you just drill, clean the threads up and use a new screw, well coated in anti-sieze.

If you sensor is in a stainless can, its going to be a tw*T to shift out unless you are lucky and someone coated it with anti-seize paste in the past - you are going to have to tap it around, lever it out . . . Not had to move plastic ones in the same scenario - but I would imagine the same rust inside the hole will grip the body just as well, except the plastic body will not be robust enough to batter the sensor out.

I'd made sure you can get replacements before trying it . . . or if they are working, leave well alone.

 

[Wildefalcon]

Soak in plusgas, the non aerosol version, for a long time beforehand. Repeated applications. Every little helps.

 

[Beanwood]

Is this the sort of situation where an induction heater would work? I’ve often seen them advertised but have heard they don’t work well, and are expensive?

 

[MetalMonkey]

You can hammer on a 3/8" impact socket, and then try and rock the bolt to free it off but 9/10 it will just snap off. Then you will have to carefully drill and clean up the threads with a tap.
If you have an impact I'd try that first and see if you can shock it free.

Expect to be drilling it out is I suppose what I'm saying - anything else is a bonus.

 

[Ross365]

I have found a Craftsman 3/8" 6 point and that fits fairly well. I'll need to get a long extension on it so that I can get my weight behind it to stop it riding off.

The reason for getting in to this job is that I have one wheel which is occasionally giving ABS vibes through the pedal at very low speed (no warning lights) and that could be "dirt" on the ring/sensor or a broken ring.

Where I can, I do my own maintenance, but I have a mate who runs a garage and so always try and figure out the point at which I hand it to him before I make it worse. So, I've cleaned off the muck and rust, started putting release agent on and will then see how far down the line I feel I can go. If I don't feel good about it, it will go on his pre-MoT job list for the next MoT. It will then have been soaked in release fluid for a good while, if I re-visit occasionally .

Re the use of the impact driver, I'm on the fence on that one - could see it being successful on 2 wheel and ripping the head off on two wheels.

What about that Youtube though; I wonder if it really had gone so very easily for him??? Mine is a slightly older car, and maybe we use salt on winter roads when the Scandanavians use driving skill?

 

[bricol]

I wouldn't be worrying about the occasional slow speed issue - done it on both of my Lancias over the last 30 years, and I know other owners have had the same.

Slowing down to park, with some lock on, sometimes on gravel or gritty surfaces - seems the old Bosch ECU occasionally gets a bit upset about the conflicting signals about wheel speed, vehicle overall speed and turn and yaw sensors.

Time to worry is when the warning light comes on due to wheel sensor failure, and the system really doesn't want you to press the pedal down, and faults out to resist you, almost needing two feet on the pedal, in the outside lane of the M1 in heavy traffic . . . all due to CV boot securing tie-wrap wearing a hole in the end of a front wheel sensor and letting water in.

 

[Wildefalcon]

Is this an excuse to buy a "shake and break"?

 

[ajlelectronics]

Doesn't even use any WD40.

Well it isn't wet! Hopefully you are using penetrant and not Water Dispersant 40(th attempt)?

 

[Ross365]

I wouldn't be worrying about the occasional slow speed issue - done it on both of my Lancias over the last 30 years, and I know other owners have had the same.

Yes, I suspect you are right. This is the first time I've ever seen this effect and the first person I discussed it with was 100% sure it was was a broken ABS ring, but I think it is more likely to be "crud". What I've just found out in the last hour is that the ABS sensor head is all-plastic; the 10mm screw "tightens" down on a plastic flange and I very much suspect that the body that inserts in to the hub is also plastic. This would go along way to explaining the Youtube vid!

 

[carbonarc]

 

[Pete.]

TBH if a M6 bolt has rusted so much that the head has eroded down to 3/8" size it's almost certain to shear off.

 

[bricol]

View attachment 410711

I think the £3.59 cost indicates just how good that will be . . .

 

[Ross365]

View attachment 410711

I have something similar - it has never ever worked once!

 

[JohnH]

Koken surface drive. Pretty well all I use these days.

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