Stripped demon bolt, need idea
 

Dunno what to do.

Firstly the passenger side snapped on the first twist. Took like 3 seconds. I was like heh this is easy.

Went to driver side. Wow. **** you nissan. **** you hard. It boggles the mind why someone would do this to a bolt. There are so many things wrong with this.

First, the location. Did they want people to remove the entire steering column to replace the cats? WTF were they thinking.

I got the bolt to turn around several times. I almost wish I didn't. I wish it would have snapped. Would have been easier. But a bolt can only take so much. It eventually rubbed down and now I can't turn it. I must have gotten it around 3 times. Once you turn it, you ain't done.

Now I don't know what to do. I'm incredibly anti-shop. I don't want other people working on my car, especially where I live, because they don't give two ***** about your car. They just want in and out.

Can anyone give any ideas as to how to get it out... I've thought about turning it the other way and trying to snap it tightening it, but I've already got it 3 to the left so I don't know.

Why why why why Nissan. There are just so many things wrong about this I don't even know how they missed all of them. Did they think one set of cats for the entire life of the car would work... jesus.

Might be worth to torch it out. That's how mine came out. Heated them up and it just unbolted freely.

That's the thing, I don't know how you can get anything down there. I could dremel it out but how do you get a dremel in there....

Is there enough room from the bottom?

You can buy bolt extractor sockets. That should work. Were you using a 6point socket? For bolts like that you should use a 6 point impact socket.


http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...textractor.jpg

I'm laughing at your pain right now Gauge, it's like watching people get hurt. ROFL

Man, I'm sorry that happened to you:ugh2:. If you have a small air drill it will fit in there, then just drill it our, hit it with a torch and use a bolt extractor in the hole you drilled. The heat should let it brake free..

Man that's a pain:(..

Bought a bolt extractor socket set. Completely worthless. Those things are honestly worse than regular sockets, even on rounded bolts. Complete gimmick and waste of money IMO.

I suspected such at the store so I bought a dremel and steel cutting attachments. Going to try to jack it up and get under the car to cut the heads off. Wish me luck.

Also yes, I use a 6 point 1/2 drive impact socket. There is just only so much a bolt can take.

Had a similar issue on a Z i worked on...we ended up cutting the cats and flanges off. Junk yard took the chopped cats for $130

I take back everything I said about these bolt extractors. Went down to garage ready to cut the night away. Decided to try again.

This time I went real slow and rocker it hard back and forth to dig the teeth in and used a hammer as well to get it as far down as it could go.

Little by little it creaked and turned until, SNAP! the glorious sound. So so glorious.

Both bolts are out, time to jack it up and get the easier ones off and install my test pipes.

I feel like I am in a very small crowd of people that has successfully done this. 4 hours into this install so far and I've just taken off 2 bolts lol.

CG's! I would grab a cold one and celebrate.

I was goin say what are you talking about? Those bolt extractors have came into handy so many times I can't even count. Glad it worked out for you :tup:

Bolt extractors saved my *** too. Took it to an exhaust shop and said they couldn't get it off with the first few tries so they didn't want to do it and strip the bolt. A couple days later, me and some friends went to tackle it and sure enough.....1 rounded off bolt.....damn shop. Bolt extractor popped that sucker free in about 10 mins!

Love your signature :icon17: Congrats on slaying the demon bolt :tup:

IMO it's a rite of passage.

Got them installed. All in all it took 8 hours, and 4 trips to various stores and about 200 bucks in new tools. I didn't need 200 bucks in tools, but when I went to the store the last time I wanted to be damn sure those bolts were coming off, so I bought tools for various methods. I don't mind really as now I have the tools for later use.

I will NEVER do that again. I wanted to do it just because I like working on my own car, but no way am I doing that again without a lift. And I'm never tackling anyone else's demon bolts.

I will post a video tomorrow but I am just beat right now. Way to tired to deal with that mess.

In case someone searches on google, here are some tips.

As most people have said use a 6 point impact socket. Apparently (as others have noted) on the newer models they have two bolts facing towards the engine (they are easy to see). The other bolts (not the demon bolts) are not hard to take off, but they can be a challenge to get to. You will need a U joint adapter for various spots. I used half inch drive for the entire operation. 3/8's would have been easier, but I didn't want to risk ruining my tools. The driver side second bolt might seem impossible to get with half inch drive, but you can do it if you snug it in there and have some luck.

Putting it back together, you absolutely can have two bolts facing towards the exhaust. I only put the demon bolt back facing to the top.

I found the O2 sensors on the cats to be easier to take off with the cats on the ground. Form a triangle with the 22mm wrench and the cats and the ground, then just sit on it, or use your knee and it will break free pretty easily.

Once you have the thing apart, putting it back together is a breeze in comparison.

Best tip I can give is to not do it. Take it to nissan and make them do it. The money you pay them is worth the time and frustration.

Also, have bolt extraction kit. Last thing you want to do is take a part your car and be like, well ****, now I have to get these. I live i a big city, so I was lucky enough sears had everything I needed. But if you don't, def def order the bolt extraction kit in advance.

Depending on the cats you get, for shops that are not performance shops, it will most likely not be able to be done by them. It is illegal for them to remove emissions equipment. Midas refused me as soon as they saw "Off-Road use only" on the Stillen HFC's. Reason the demon bolts are there is to stop us from removing the cats. Performance shops don't have to abide by these as technically they work they are doing is suppose to be for non-street use.

JEEZUS Gauge

This is why I went to Jorge's muffler shop and he ghetto rigged it
He used an acetelyne torch on the bolts, popped a hole in the cap of a sprite bottle, filled it, the squirted water on the hot bolts
They got so loose you could remove them by hand!

And it cost me $80~100, I forgot

Hey, I had Gauge help me........Johnny Gauge lol.

Lol, I know, 2 different people? Or different aliases


(Sorry Gauge, inside-ish joke... Back in Dallas Chris went to our friend, (Johnny Gauge's) house to install his HFCs

lol np ;) I'm just psyched I got test pipes. nom nom nom whp

Funny part is both PW Nismo drivers too lol.

if the bolt is spinning, around and stripped, get a cutting tool. dremel and cutting extension. i had the bolt unscrewed just enough so i could cut the top of the bolt off

http://images.bidorbuy.co.za/user_im...16_dremel3.jpg

With all the frustration, cash you spent, multiple trips to the store, tools you ended having but really did not need, precious time you could have spent with the family or GF or wife, etc, I agree with your hindsight comment that it have been better to have the pros do it. I get the pride and satisfaction for a DIY job but these jobs are a PITA. I did a lot of DIY's and there are moments when I said to myself shoulda coulda woulda.

Congrats on the install and enjoy her.

Well now I have those tools forever, so it's no biggie. I would have paid a shop pretty close to what I spent in tools to do the install. So I got free set of tools out of it. But it wouldn't shock me if a shop would call back and increase the price after finding these bolts.

Congrats on defeating the Demon Bolt :tup:

Just remember to soak in that bolt before attempting to take it off.

Congrats on your achievement! :tiphat:
I have tried on three separate days so far. The passenger side bolt moved a little but after that It's just ******* stuck!!!! I have sprayed way too much PB on that sucker.
I have been doing this alone,I may need to find someone to help me hold the extension bars to avoid damage to other parts.
Quick question 1: would it be easier to start with a bolt extractor?
Quick question 2: how many bolts are there to remove? two each side facing up I'm guessing so far. what about the third bolt facing down/exhaust?

edit: one shop told me $250 to install my new Berk rTPs. I will try to sell them instead if the demon bolt wins as I don't think this mod is worth $600

Tip: To avoid damage to engine parts while you are cranking I used a small piece of 2x4 to rest my tools on while torquing :) You may spend 5 bucks at a lowes or home depot to buy these. Plus they can be handy later to drive your car up unto :)

1. No definitely not. My driver side bolt snapped right off with just the impact socket. Start with 6 point impact sockets. Impact sockets are higher grade steel and won't warp as you put pressure on them.

To use extracter sockets you need to hammer it down on the bolt, then sort of rock it to make sure the teeth dig in good. You have to have as much pressure as possible while rocking. After a good amount of rocking and teeth digging you turn it ever so slightly, as many time as it will turn. Then rinse and repeat. Eventually the mother will snap.

Extractors sockets are not cheap. The impact socket kind that you want anyways. Regular ones are cheap as hell, but trust me, get impact.

2. There are 3 bolts to remove. From my research it appears the 2011 and 2012 models have 2 bolts facing towards the engine bay and one to the exhaust, but on 2010 and 2009 they have only one facing engine bay and two facing exhaust. It will be easy to tell. The demon bolts are on the outside corner of the triangle(the side closest to the fender). The second bolt facing engine bay (if you have one facing that direction) is more towards the engine itself. These bolts are harder to get to, but come off WAY more easily. It took barely any pressure at all to get mine off.

Once you reinstall I highly recommend leaving only the demon bolt hole facing the engine bay. Put the other two facing the exhaust. It is much easier to get these off from under the car and you will be happy you did it if you ever need to take them off again.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Also repped you for using the search feature.

Mine was a 4 hour in and out job but they were a PITA! Luckily I have a craft shop I can go to that has all the tools I could ever need as well as a lift so that made life a little easier. I dont know how people take these out without a life personally. Congrats and hope the sound was worth it. In my case it was well worth the trouble. They have a special socket as well for the O2 sensors... don't want to damage those at all.

Thanks for the quick reply and the rep Gauge, sent one your way too for all the useful info! :tup:

Best photo I could take with my phone. Gotta clean up that mess
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6255/20130421201404.jpg
Wanted to share my demon bolt with you guys. Will attempt this and an oil change this weekend. Wish me luck!

I've taken 2 sets of cats out on 2 different cars and all I did was put penetrating oil on let it soak,do it again the 2nd day and take it apart on the 3rd day all came right out.:tup:

Demon bolts kicked my butt once again

Yup. I'm bringing this back from the dead. I'm on my last bolt and it's completely seized. It's demon bolt #2 on passenger side. The drivers side wasn't actually bad. I'm 50% out and its totally seized.

Things needed to do this project:
alcohol
zanex
bolt extractors
no family or children within a 5 mile radius to hear you cuss

Why Nissan? Why? 16 years of building cars and I've never seen such silliness

Spray lube on her and let her sit. Then come back and heat her up maybe? If worst to worst, you might want to try and drop the transmission (sucks but not too bad) to get easier access to her. If your going to drop the transmission, make sure she is as high up as possible.

Here is a pic to show how much room you can have.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps358bf50c.jpg

YzGYz

Try applying Kroil or PB Blaster to the bolt. Kroil has worked for me on the demon bolts and other bastard bolts on the Z and other cars.

You have to make sure it is applied to an area where it can easily seep into the gap between the bolt threads and the flange threads (think about how gravity acts on a fluid). I only feel like I have to say that because I have seen friends just haphazardly squirt it near the bolt and then complain when it didn't free up.

good luck!

1. Spray it with BP Blaster. Let it soak. Then see if you can run it back in a little. If you can run it in. Put some anti-seize on the threads. I've had luck at times doing this.
2. The other thing is taking a torch and heating up the flange cherry red.
3. If you got room. Hack saw the bolt between the flanges.

Stripped demon bolt, need idea
 

So, knowing that exhaust bolts are a pain, prior to even starting I soaked everything in PB and let it sit over night. Then sprayed it again in the morning. That evening got the drivers side knocked out in about 45 minutes. I thought "sweet, the passenger side will be a breeze in the morning" - what a dumb thing to think. I got the regular two bolts out immediately. Demon bolt turned two rotations with all my might and seized. So I the. Went from the front. I removed the intake box and used a 3 foot extension, slid it down and started pounding on it with my 1/2" impact - no avail. Eventually this all led to a rounded head. YES I was using 6 points. The bolt extractors did nothing for me. So I took a sawzall, and cut the cat out, by slicing up near the neck, just to get the piece of crap out of the way. I wish I'd done this originally.
I removed the other stud from the header flange and then used my 3' pry bar to bend the exhaust pipe flange back until the demon bolt was exposed.
Out came the grinder. Sliced through the bolt. *plop* done.
I quit. I'll put the res test pipe on this morning.

6 years later and I'm in the exact same situation as you, Gauge. My passenger side bolt came off easily, the driver's side bolt got rounded... Thought I was doomed as most shops refuse to touch this kind of stuff, but I stumbled upon this thread. Going to pick up some bolt extractors and give it another go today, wish me luck. Currently driving around with only one pipe installed haha