Snapped a T40 star bit

Hi All,

I’ve got a problem, I snapped a t40 star bit attempting to remove the a idle pulley for removal fml!!! Any ideas on how to get it Broke torx bit and bolt out? Should be this hard that it snapped a kobalt bit?? Any help would be appreciated!

If there’s any bolt head showing you can try these things. They have teeth inside that fit over the head and dig into it when you unscrew it.

Could it be that you used a tamper proof T40 in a non tamper proof bolt?

https://www.tamperproof.com/products/torx_security/

I’ve chipped off splines on Torx bits many times but the only one I ever broke off totally was a tamper proof picked up by mistake.

It was tamper proof I bent blades on the craftsman star bits… why is this bolt so hard to take off?

Any ideas on how to get it off?

Were they the new Chinese made Craftsman? Not worth buying in my opinion. Can you break off the pulley or arm the bolt goes through and use an American made Vise Grip? The new Vise Grips are also made in China and much softer metal. A pipe wrench might also work.

You can also take it to a shop and have them use a blue wrench.

When I broke off a T40 I removed the broken piece with a magnet. When I worked at the Dodge dealer I kept a spare T40 and T45 bits in my tool box, the Snap-On tool dealer only comes by once a week to replace broken tools.

The old USA manufactured Craftsman tools will break working on these engines.

I wonder if there is any reason to disassemble a 2.7 L Dodge engine before scraping the vehicle.

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The OP did not say it has the 2.7, there were a lot of 3.5s made.

There is another thread from 3 weeks ago that show a struggle with removing a timing chain tensioner access plug. Removing the first two parts shouldn’t take this long.

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If the broken bolt is accessible a small chisel and ball pein hammer can often take care of such a problem. Patience and determination will be tested though.

I thought that Kobalt tools are made by the same USA manufacture that makes Craftsman tools, no?

Craftsman and Kobalt tools are all made in China now.

Some of my American made Craftsman tools Have a V on them others have a W. I know the V is for Vulcan Tool Company, not sure about the W. Washington Forge maybe?

I did not know the Kobalt’s were ever made here, by the time we got a Lowes they were already very inconspicuously marked China.

They shop that did my engine did a hack job! It seems this bolt is seized or something!”

Yeah I still haven’t gotten it off I snapped the extractor bit… I’m stumped on this!!! I have no clue how to get it out

I couldn’t tell if you snapped the bolt or the bit but are you sure this is not a left hand threaded bolt? My Buick was for the tensioner pulley and don’t remember if it was in the factory manual or not. At any rate if left hand it’s clockwise to loosen. Just the opposite of a standard bolt.

What was involved with the “did” on your engine?

Instead of using a quality torx socket you used an extractor bit? In your original post you had a broken tool, not a damaged bolt.