Impossible stripped-screw removal
Li, Jason
Please help. I have stripped out the heads of two screws that secure the cooling head to the crankcase of my O.S. RZ 99V engine. This is not good because the mounting screws are very deep in the head and I can’t reach them with a Dremel tool. Someone recommended that I cut off the tips of the screw heads with a saw and pull the engine head off. That might work, but I would need a very, very thin saw to get it done. Can you guys offer any other solution? [email]
JASON LI
The advice you were given seems sound, but you’ll have to cut off the screw heads flush with the surface of the heatsink-head base. There’s no way to avoid tearing up the head in the process, and on some engines, chances are that the head still won’t come off after you’ve sawn through the screw heads because they are slightly countersunk into the base of the heat sink. The best solution is to drill the screws out. To do this, select a drill bit that is just slightly larger than the screw head but not so large that it won’t fit through the screw access holes in the heat sink. Using a drill press, pass the drill bit down the access hole until it contacts the screw head, then gently apply pressure to drill away the head. When the bit reaches the screw shaft, any remaining traces of the head will pop off. After you have removed the heat-sink head, the studs that remain in the block can be slotted and removed with a screwdriver or simply twisted out with pliers.
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