I hesitate to recommend those extractors. I’ve got a full set of them (about 10 or so) and all of them except one are broken. Why’re they’re still taking up space in a toolbox I have no idea except that I have Pack Rat Syndrome.
They all broke off in what they were supposed to remove and that often led to a much bigger battle. They’re a bit too brittle for my tastes. (And no, I didn’t ham-hand any of them into breaking…)
They do make some that may work better. They’re four-sided flutes made of a softer steel.
As for Db4690s suggestion, I’m not disagreeing at all with it. I’m just throwing out other options which can vary based on the tool box, bank account, convenience, or expertise.
Like so many problems that are thrown out here looking for help this one can seperate the talented shade tree mechanics from the wannabes.
I wonder if the OP will ever attempt to remove a torx fastener without first cleaning out the rust and crud? Overlooking that step seems to have become a costly and time consuming mistake.
One more suggestion though. A small chisel can cut a ledge on the outer edge of the fastener and a long, small diameter punch may successfully break it free… The strong press on and the weak fall by the wayside.
I have a set of bolt extractors that are 3/8 drive. I’ll try to add a photo of the Craftsman set which is $20.00. You hammer the socket thing on to the head of the bolt or screw and then turn it, either with a ratchet or an open end wrench. I used them to unscrew stripped round head screws on the crankcase of an old Honda motorcycle, and that was really helpful. Whether there’s enough of a head on this bolt, I don’t know. It has to stick up some for these to work.
That’s a good idea @wentwest. I forgot about those gadgets. I recall I’ve seen them before in hardware stores, now that you mention it. They have sort of a one-way-turn design so they tighten more against the head of the bolt the harder you turn them in the CCW direction. I forgot how they do that though.
I haven’t broken any of those extractors yet . . . and I’ve used them many times
For me the key has been to follow the instructions. You’re supposed to predrill the bolt you want to extract. Each extractor says which drill bit to use. It’s worked very well for me so far
Personally I prefer to clean the throttle body on the car. Have someone or something hold the throttle fully open, then wet a paper towel with some throttle body cleaner and wipe the bore and the throttle plate on both sides to get a majority of the gunk off. The finish with a spray of cleaner.
As for the bolt. Make sure you have a replacement bolt ready before you remove the buggered up one.
