Rebuild Stripped Bolt Problem (YIKES)

[JoeMama]

OK, some of you may know that I am slowly rebuilding my tranny.

Two problems:

1) I finally unbolted the tranny from the engine (I took them both out of the car together), and realized that the #5 bolt was half missing. The other half is in the engine block. How the heck do I get that out? I suspect that the AAMCO people that did a crappy job with the rebuild last time broke it and just left it. Anyone know the part number?!

2) Second problem is that I think (ok, I know) I stripped the head of one of the TORX bolts toward the bottom of the tranny (by the pan). I had a TORX tool with a hole in the middle. It was the right size, but <shrug> who knows. Anyway, I went and bought a new set and it worked great, but the bolt I started with on the old tool, just stripped. Any ideas on how to get out? Any part number for that one?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Toasty]

for the first bolt, you'll need the appropriate size easy-out. (you drill a hole in the bolt, and use a bolt extractor to remove it (kinda like a dull drillbit looking thing)

as for the other one, craftsman makes some NIFTY stripped screw extractor bits. (hex shanked bits that have a sharp v point that digs into the screw as you push and turn it loose. (by hand is best)

[Trannyman95]

Im not sure what you are referring to as the #5 bolt on the bellhousing to hold the trans to the block, but on the top hole towards the back there is an alingment lug and there is not a bolt that goes here, its just an empty hole that you cannot put a bolt in and is only used for alignment purposes. For the Torx bolt that is stripped here is what I do and was taught a long time ago to remove stubborn stripped bolts. CAREFULLY take a chisel and smack it with a hammer a few times into the head of the bolt straight down. After you made a decent indent now you can angle the chisel in the direction to loosen the bolt, counterclockwise, and hammer on the chisel to loosen the bolt. Sometimes you have to whale on the bolt pretty good to crack it loose and also even make a few new indents with the chisel in a few locatations but it works and doesnt require drilling. Those bolts have a very short-wide-flat head so an extractor is not going to work, so its either drill it out or use the chisel method.

[JoeMama]

Well, Trannyman, I guess that's what I'll have to do, but here's a question for ya....

If I have to whale on the bolt, how can that be being CAREFUL while I use a chisel?

[Trannyman95]

Being Careful doesnt mean dont hit it hard, I just mean to initially make the indent not to destroy the bolt head and when hitting it at an angle dont blow off the side and not destroy the side cover.

[JoeMama]

OK, i got the bolt off... Did your suggestion trannyman.... I also remember my dad doing the same thing (although I'm no spring chicken, he was a master mechanic; he never worked on trannys like these). I started with the chisel, went to a screw driver, because the chisel was taking too much metal off, then finally brought out my hand held axe, put the axe blade on the groove i started with the chisel, then whacked the axe on the other end. Man that thing only took one hit, and the sucker spun like a top.

Thanks again.... BTW, now that I have the sucker open, i'll be asking a bunch of questions of you Trannyman, if that's ok.