Stuck clutch...

[Daver]

Hi all - sorry if this is a frequent question but I’ve been searching and trying different approaches and I’m all out of options. I have what appears to be a stuck clutch in my sons trailmaster mid Xrs. The belt is stuck in the pulley and I assume I need to take it all apart and clean it well.

So my son tried to remove the bolt and strips it. Now I’ve got a stripped bolt and I’ve soaked it in penetrating oil and all that. Then I tried using one of those Irwin stripped bolt extractors and it wont budge. I have some real nice locking pliers and that won’t budge either. I put many different screw drivers into the slot to stop it from rotating but they just slip off. I then ground a big screw driver I have sharp and tried to chisel into it and then hammer it to turn it - no good.

Attached is a picture and I’d appreciate any suggestions for removing this stuck bolt!

 

[KartFab]

weld a bolt head to it and impact it off with an air gun.

 

[Daver]

Ok but how do i stop the engine from turning while I break the bolt lose? That’s the part I’m struggling with the most...

 

[mckutzy]

Pull off the pull starter, stick a long screwdriver in the starter cup... Could also see if a piece of rod of sorts can also fit... Hold onto that when someone cranks the bolt end...

Another thing is... Might need some heat on that bolt to help free it up... Heat the bolt not the shaft that is...

 

[Randy H]

Real curved jaw Vice Grips and a hammer. Strap wrench on the clutch.

You could grind the bolt head off too. That will leave you with a little bit of bolt to grab with Vice Grips, and allow you to heat the shaft up easily.

Welding a nut on is a good plan. If you do that I'd let it cool down before cranking on it. The heat may very well loosen up rust, but most of the heat will be in the bolt causing it to expand slightly more than the shaft.

Shearing the bolt off has been known to cause excessive profanity.

 

[Daver]

So I tried the heat but no luck. I was thinking though doesn’t heating the bolt expand it in the shaft and just make it tighter? Or am i missing something?

 

[Randy H]

^

The heat may very well loosen up rust, but most of the heat will be in the bolt causing it to expand slightly more than the shaft.

Yep.

 

[itsid]

Ok but how do i stop the engine from turning while I break the bolt lose? That’s the part I’m struggling with the most...

that's where the impact gun comes in..
no need to lock the engine!
(the impact is sudden enough to use the engine's inertia against the bolt )

but in case you still struggle..
feed a few feet of cotton rope into the cylinder via the spark plug hole...
(tie a good knot first, you want to be able to pull it out afterwards )

that should prevent the piston from passing TDC and you can turn against the piston/conrod and eventually the crankshaft itself.

'sid

 

[anickode]

When you say the belt is stuck in the pulley, what exactly do you mean by that?

 

[landuse]

that's where the impact gun comes in..
no need to lock the engine!
(the impact is sudden enough to use the engine's inertia against the bolt )

but in case you still struggle..
feed a few feet of cotton rope into the cylinder via the spark plug hole...
(tie a good knot first, you want to be able to pull it out afterwards )

that should prevent the piston from passing TDC and you can turn against the piston/conrod and eventually the crankshaft itself.

'sid

This!

 

[Daver]

Is it possible the threaded bolt is reverse thread and I should be turning to the right instead? It’s probably a Chinese knock off of a comet TC....

 

[itsid]

That'd be indeed the oddest thing I'd seen in a while LOL...

No no, the thread will be ordinary rh thread. (lefty loosey, righty tighty)

drill it out?

'sid

 

[KartFab]

if you live in the dallas fort worth area just take it to my garage and ill have it off in 2 minutes. Seriously, all you have to do is just weld a nut onto the end of the bolt like a 5/16 or 3/8" nut and impact it off. Easy peasy.

 

[Daver]

Really appreciate the offer but I’m in Pennsylvania. Although I do spend a lot of time in Coppel most weeks!

Maybe it’s time to learn how to weld? What type of welding would you suggest for small jobs like this that I’ll need occasionally? Dare I try and get a welding setup from Barbour freight?

 

[Nosandwich]

A welding shop.

 

[BeaterofAincrad]

My dad got a Jobsmart fan cooled welder(I believe flux core) on Black Friday for like $80, it seems to get the job done, not pretty, but done.

Another suggestion, it’s probably not the best way but could you grind the sides off so it looks like an oil cap and then use a crescent wrench to turn it? I’ve never tried it so I can’t say whether it’ll work or not.

EDIT:

What about welding a bolt on who’s ID will fit over that one? It’ll give you more area to weld and it’d be less likely to strip again.

 

[anickode]

If you just grind the head off the bolt, you should be able to remove the torque converter, then still have some exposed shank/threads to work with, since there is some shank inside that thick washer, and the engine shaft frequently isn't as long as the bore of the torque converter. You'd be able to get some (not a lot) of heat on the end of the shaft then, and you'll have a direct shot at getting some penetrating oil in there too.

An external stud extractor would be one option.

If the part sticking out is threaded all the way up to the end, you could spin a couple nuts on and tighten them together (jam nut, buddy nut, whatever you want to call it) and turn on that. Use red loctite on the nuts for added strength.

Welding would still be an option too.

 

[Daver]

Just an update for future info seekers...

I tried everything but welding (don’t have welder) including drilling out with some heavy duty left handed bits. Bit broke and got stuck and thought I was done for. Then I read anickodes post and used a hacksaw to get the top of the bolt off. Once I remove that, the washer, and then the entire tc assembled I could easily get the remaining bolt off. Seemed it was seized at the bolt head and not in the threads.

Appreciate the help!

 

[BeaterofAincrad]

Nice!