Bolt Will Not Come Loose.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I have a treadmill that is having a problem with the motor sparking. Couldn't find anyone to look at it so decided to take it off and take it to a electric motor shop. Problem is the 4 bolts holding it on are extremely tight. Did manage to get 3 of them off but the 4th one just won't budge. It is in a awkward place so I am restricted to what wrench I can get on it. Found one that looked like it would do the job, it is "T" shaped wrench, I couldn't get it to turn so I gave it a few whacks with a hammer. Bend the wrench but did not loosen the bold. Have sprayed it with WD-40 and tapped it on the side tryign to loosen it. The head on the bolt is starting to get rounded now from working on it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[AlexLah]

Try Coke (Cola)

[LeungKen]

Can you get at it with a socket spanner (Wrench) normally this will shift anything.

Without seeing it is very hard to advise otherwise.

[goldfish]

Is it not possible to take apart a bit more of the treadmill to improve access? I presume there's no rust involved so the problem is simply access or tools related

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I've removed the roller the treadmill runs on but the motor partially sits over the bolt so the ratchet wrench head gets in the way and if I put a extension on the ratchet it has to be put on at a angle and causes it to slip. In addition to the motor sitting partially over the bolt head the head is down below a support beam that makes it difficult to put a flat spanner on it. Basicly crappy design. I will give the coke a try. There is really no way to improve the access any more than I have without a cutting torch. There is no rust and the treadmill is in good shape, other than the motor problem. Appreciate the suggestions!

[TommyGun]

Can you get an old flat headed screwdriver in there and use the hammer to try and tap the bolt around. If i get it to move slightly you should then be able to use ur wrench

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Tommy

Thanks I will give it a try.

[Cuban]

Depending on the location within the treadmill, is it possible that sweat has dripped onto the head of the bolt and cause some corrosion. The acid in coke might not do any good to surounding metal or electronic parts. A small amount of WD40 "helped" to penetrate with a little localized heating (soldering iron maybe) on the surounding metal, or a light oil. Sometimes a sharp tap with a small tack hammer can free a corroded bolt. I have witnessed use of a car battery to free a bolt in this situation, the theory was that the corrosion in the thread would be resistive compared the the metal of the bolt and surrounding metal, and so heat up when i high current is passed through it. I believe the heating expanded the thread of the metal that was holding the bolt so allowed the bolt to be freed.

If you get to the point of rounding the head of the bolt, and space allows, tack a bar to the bolt and use some leverage to BFI it off.

[bino]

If the bolt is holding a roller or other moving part, could it possibly be reverse threaded to ensure that the bolt doesn't work loose during normal use?

Try "tightening" it. It just might work.

[chownah]

Vice grips can hold even rounded heads really tightly...use wd40, heat, and tapping first and then the vice grips (vice grips are also called locking pliers I think)....if all fails then if you can drill out the head of the bolt it can be removed but you will then have to replace the bolt which shouldn't be a problem for a low power applicaton like you have.

chownah

[tgeezer]

I have a treadmill that is having a problem with the motor sparking. Couldn't find anyone to look at it so decided to take it off and take it to a electric motor shop. Problem is the 4 bolts holding it on are extremely tight. Did manage to get 3 of them off but the 4th one just won't budge. It is in a awkward place so I am restricted to what wrench I can get on it. Found one that looked like it would do the job, it is "T" shaped wrench, I couldn't get it to turn so I gave it a few whacks with a hammer. Bend the wrench but did not loosen the bold. Have sprayed it with WD-40 and tapped it on the side tryign to loosen it. The head on the bolt is starting to get rounded now from working on it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You need a nut-splitter if it is not left-hand threaded. Look it up with a search engine to see pictures and methods.

[Pundi64]

Can you get an old flat headed screwdriver in there and use the hammer to try and tap the bolt around. If i get it to move slightly you should then be able to use ur wrench

Also spray on some WD-40 or some like product to soak into the threads before tapping with a hammer & screwdriver

[radioguy1450]

Try KY. That seems to loosen a lot of things in Thailand

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Thanks to you all for all the suggestions. It is one of four bolts holding the motor in place. They were all on extremely tight but managed to loosen 3 of them the last one is in a difficult position to get a good wrench onto it. Have one question regarding the heat. Do you heat the whole area or try to heat the bolt head, or the surrounding area? I've sprayed it with WD-40 but hasn't helped. Breaking the head off seems a little drastic as I would then have to drill out the old bolt and thread the hole. May be the last resort though.

[percy2]

Could you get an impact driver on the bolt head?

For future reference never use an open ended spanner on a tight nut/bolt, always a socket or ring spanner and make sure its the correct size. you are better shearing the head of rather than rounding it.

Anybody using vice grips on a nut or bolt in my old company would have been instantly sacked.

Using localized heat is a very good suggestion , so just try to heat the bolt head.

Cheers

Edit : lost a nut

Edited January 14, 2008 by percy2

[chiang mai]

Vice grips and WD40 - WD40 cures everything including rust, dirty cars and STD's.

[Eff1n2ret]

I've used a hot air gun (paint stripper) in such situations and it helps. Blowtorch (one of those fine ones) would be better. Just play it around the join.

[mikethevigoman]

I have a treadmill that is having a problem with the motor sparking. Couldn't find anyone to look at it so decided to take it off and take it to a electric motor shop. Problem is the 4 bolts holding it on are extremely tight. Did manage to get 3 of them off but the 4th one just won't budge. It is in a awkward place so I am restricted to what wrench I can get on it. Found one that looked like it would do the job, it is "T" shaped wrench, I couldn't get it to turn so I gave it a few whacks with a hammer. Bend the wrench but did not loosen the bold. Have sprayed it with WD-40 and tapped it on the side tryign to loosen it. The head on the bolt is starting to get rounded now from working on it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

bang it a few times with a punch and hammer, try not to round it off or you will be into a drill out episode

[stumonster]

you really want to heat the case as that is the bit you want to expand.

can you get to the top of the bolt with a hammer and a punch vertically , as that can loosen the binding or you can improvise an impact driver by having some one hammering the top of the bolt vertically while you are applying tension to undo the bolt.

as another poster suggested hitting the bolt from the side with a pin punch and a hammer in the direction to undo the bolt would be the start.

if you shear the head off the bolt you need to drill in then use an easyout to get the thread out , if that does not work you will need to drill it to just inside the width of the thread and then use a tap to clean the thread of the remaining bits of bolt - the fact that you have 3 other bolts of the same size should allow you to find the correct tap for the hole.

[uptou]

As far as getting on the bolt head goes would a universal joint type extension work? (the type that swivels in all directions like a propshaft uj).

I also used to like the knuckle spanners.

Also if you dont want to round off the bolts then the best sockets are the ones that grip the flats of the bolts rather than the corners.

[JetsetBkk]

Try Vixol bathroom cleaner - it's strongly acidic and will shift residue from water (sweat). Leave it for an hour or so and then keep re-applying more WD40.

[cali4995]

Most of it comes down to simple physics. If you're not applying the force at

a direct right angle to the head of the bolt or nut, you lose power and

efficiency. Extensions, universal sockets are all examples of this.

If it's not possible to access it from the back side, nut end at least pick

yourself up a 6 point wrench or socket. You won't have a problem with

the rounded corners then if they aren't damaged too much already.

Really take a deep breath, get a good battle plan together and then

attack it with the heavy artillery. It will yield or die.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Try KY. That seems to loosen a lot of things in Thailand

[Cuban]

Heat and Metal.

Heating metal will make it expand slightly. You wish to extract the bolt from the casing, so if possible you need to heat the casing to help release it's tight grip on the bolt. It could be argued that heating the casing will also increase the grip on the bolt by reducing the size of the hole, but...

We are in Thailand so we have to use what is around us:

Take the treadmill outside, remove the plastic housings etc and leave the thing in the sun for the afternoon. This will do a good job of heating the casing (and bolt). Spray a little (it does not benifit from being drown in the stuff) WD40 on the bolt head/casing joint.

Get your partner to ask for buddha's assistance and burn a few candles just before the sun goes down.

In the meantime get a bucket of ice, take two cubes in a clean glass and prepare yourself a nice sundowner.

Take a third ice cube, using a paper napkin, hold it only on the head of the bolt.

The cooling effect of the ice cube on the bolt should help slightly reduce the size of the bolt. One cube is enough as you are trying to create a differance in temperature between bolt and casing.

By creating a temperature gradient (between bolt and casing) you are trying to break the corrosion seal that has probably formed within the thread of the bolt. Techie links 1 2 3. Probably caused by sweat penetration over time, or even wet hands on the bolt's thread during construction. Now your thumb and forefinger are numb from the melting ice cube, take the spanner and have another go. If possible give the spanner a tap with a small hammer.

Either way you have the cold drink to celibrate or console your efforts.

Best of luck - there appears to be many people following this case.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Just to bring everyone up to date on the bolt. It is still in place tight as ever. Have tried many of the suggestions that have been made but have not gotten to Cubans suggestions yet but will get to that a little later. Oh! I also didn't try the KY jell.

With the use of a heat gun at 600degrees I heated the bolt area up as much as I thought practicle, it started to smell strange after a while and I didn't want to melt down my motor or connecting wires. Then I promptly put my spanner on it and tried to turn, but as luck would have it the head is so rounded now that the spanner just slips on the bolt head.

Living in a condo I don't have much in the way of tools which is rather frustrating so my next attempt will be heat, cold and vise grips. Have to go get a pair of vise grips. The heat I will do with my heat gun again and then I will cool the bolt head. That I will achieve by useing Dr. Scholls FREEZE for removing warts. I'm upgrading Cubans ice cube approach a little with the wart freeze on the bolt head but the ice in the drink part I'm keeping. The way this is going I will need several of those drinks..

Now I have tried putting a spanner on the bolt and giving it a whack with my hammer. The bolt did not move but the spanner bent and is now junk. I tapped the bolt head on the side with a screwdriver/hammer combination, no joy from that.

I have used WD-40 a few times and my wife just went to get toilet cleaner and I will give that a try.

Now Cuban about your suggestion, I will roll the treadmill out on the balcony tomorrow morning as the sun is coming up (we face east) and let it sit in the sun until about lunch time when the heat from the sunlight starts to disappear. Then I will try the heat and freeze as discussed. Grab ahold of it with my vise grips and turn like hel_l. Then I will sit down with a tall one and either mourn the loss of our treadmill (if that dosen't work I will be ready to push it over the edge of the balcony) 9 floors up it should be quite a sight. But in the event it comes off, I'm going to have 2 or 4 drinks to celebrate.

Greatly appreciate the inputs so far. Tomorrow I will post how the toilet duck and heat and freeze went.

[happylarry]

replace the other three bolts and tighten as much as possible, and then retry undoing the bad one.

[JimsKnight]

That's not a bad idea happy dude, but I think unless the bolt is load-bearing it's a long shot.

I like this thread as it's one of the few interesting ones on TV at the moment!

BeenThere. Keep us all updated!

[Daffy D]

Have been following this thread with interest and just about all the options have been covered.

You should always loosen all the bolts nuts or screws before removing any completely so you can retighten some again to get the stubborn one to shift. Same goes with putting things together insert all the bolts or screws before tightening any fully.

As mentioned use a ring spanner, not open ended as this is less likely to round off corners. As the corners seem to have been pretty much rounded already you can sometimes get a slightly smaller ring spanner and hammer it onto the bolt. This will give a good fit and the hammering will help break the joint. The difference between imperial and metric sizes is sometime just the right difference for this, so if your bolt is metric (most likely) look for an imperial spanner. Take one of the other bolts to your local spanner shop and see what you can find.

If all else fails take the unit to your local bike repair shop and leave it with him, don’t stay and watch. These guys can apply lateral thinking and solve problems in ways that are beyond our comprehension.

Daffy.

[goldfish]

Is this still on-going? There comes a time when one just has to throw caution to the wind and cut the bolt off with an angle grinder. There should be enough stud left to remove with your trusty vise grips, spanners are now history, and let us all know what the initial problem was

[kennkate]

If this is still with you and not at the local scap dealers.

Have you tried to use the motor to free the bolt?

after removing the 3 bolts, tap the motor with a piece of wood or hamer shaft in anticlockwise direction and back again

this may just free it sufficantly to allow you to use WD and a bad fitting spaner. Best of luck