cylinder head bolts wont come off!!!

[slomofo]

ok i have a 91lx auto ..my problems is 5 of the head bolt wont come off ive tried a impact wrench breaker bar etc...i jus keep breaking socket after socket what else could i do to get them loose? sorry for the noob question ive looked and looked and cant find anything thanks to all

[PhatAccord]

what type of sockets are you using? you should be using a deep 1/2 drive 14mm 12point impact socket (usually dark or black colored sockets) along w/ a 1/2 breaker bar to loosen up the head bolts. chrome sockets dont have enough strength and usually snap..also use some quailty sockets like craftsmen, sk, mac, and snap-on...

[slomofo]

i was using craftsman and snap on but same thing happen...well im heading to lowes to pick up another socket A BETTER one this time. lol thanks man greatly apprechiated

[XcluziveAZN]

did you try it with cheater pipe?

[phalpin]

I would use a six point impact socket. A twelve point might strip it out. it happened to me once.

[slomofo]

thaks to all should be getting one in the next couple days

[N9netwoAccord]

i was using craftsman and snap on but same thing happen...well im heading to lowes to pick up another socket A BETTER one this time. lol thanks man greatly apprechiated

so you were using snap on and you're going to lowes to get a better socket?

so my 4000 dollar tool bill with snap on means nothing when i could've went to lowes.

i dont think you were using an impact socket... chrome sockets are usually too hard and break when using them to break bolts free. impact sockets are softer, and able to take the rougher torque trying to break them free.

[Jon]

so you were using snap on and you're going to lowes to get a better socket?

so my 4000 dollar tool bill with snap on means nothing when i could've went to lowes.

Exactly. I've broken so many sockets and wrenches from Craftsman, Husky, ect., but not my MAC or Snap Ons.

And I've only had one impact socket break. This might have been because I was using it in 20° weather... all I know was it was not fun.

Good luck getting those bolts off, kinda surprised that they are being that difficult to get off.

[07BLKNINJA]

u can also try putting the deep socket on the bolt and hitting it with a hammer a few times. it can "shock" the bolt and help in removal

[James Matteu]

I had the same problem. After breaking a few sockets (Craftsman Impact Grade and Chrome), I realized that as the sockets split open, it rounded off the bolt head I was trying to remove.

Yes, a 1/2 inch drive six-point impact grade 14mm socket (NOT deep-set) with a cheater bar is needed to get out those bolts you have not rounded off. I say no deep-set sockets since I split a Craftsman Impact Grade Deep Set 14mm Socket, but never damaged the 14mm Impact Grade Standard Depth Socket. I used a 22" 1/2 inch drive cheater bar with a 4 foot long Schedule 40 Steel pipe on those sockets and was able to get the undamaged bolts out. Hammering the top of the bolt to shock the threads at the base is another good suggestion.

Impact guns may only serve to damage the bolt heads and should be used carefully.

The bolt that I rounded off had to be drilled. I took off enough to knock off the bolt head and remove the valvetrain. I never got around to removing the stud from the block since I discovered cylinder sleeve damage* on the engine I was rebuilding; I disposed of the motor and started with a new one.

* The sleeve damage was a result of a connecting rod failure, not the bolt removal process.

[kelton]

Go find a long metal tube lol. It will give you great leaverage and make it come off a lot easier. Hopefully that will work for your case lol. Ive also seen people use torque wrenches and that seems to work pretty good lol.

[wed3k]

impact is softer which is why they dont break, so it will just round the head bolt off.

use a chrome and a really good one. take the rocker assembly off and the cam, it should give you more clearance.

make sure you dont tweak the retainers on the valve, you'll easily bend the valve and stick it. it's happen in a numerous ocassions.

[Losiracer2]

try not to use a deep socket if you can. You get better leverage on the bolt head if you're closer to it w/ a long breaker bar. I know when I had to do my F22 headgasket, they made all kinds of loud creaking noise when i was breaking them free. But like everyone says, get a 12 pt socket if it calls for a 12 pt socket, it'll lock onto the head of the bolt better.

[CB7Man]

I used 1/2" Powerbuilt Impact Deep Socket 12point with a 1/2" Craftsman 2ft breaker bar.

I had to use it, all my 3/8" Drive parts kept breaking haha.
You have to use 1/2" though

[dano28]

Wow...I just can't imagine a head bolt being that tight. It's not like they can rust into place because the block is aluminum.

can anyone explain how a head bolt can be this tight ???