All I wanted to do... - Toyota Yaris Forums

Altitude · 03-22-2009, 07:42 PM

...was take out my seats so I could lay down some sound deadening material. I was so looking forward to getting that done this weekend until I ran into the BOLT FROM HELL.

It's a passenger side seat bolt on the seat rail closest to the door. All of the other bolts came out just fine except for this mf'n one. I swear that feckin thing must be welded in. Ok - I've run into this before - there's lots of things I can try. Gotta rule out PB or any sort of loosening spray because I can't get to the threads... fair enough.

Lemme try a smaller sized socket. No go. Ok - I can dremel down the sides and make some nice flat surfaces to grab onto. Nope, try again. Hmm... maybe I can slot the thing and get it out with a large screwdriver bit - hell no the metal on the head is too soft and the bit just fucks up the slot. Vice grips? Ha! Try again.

Wait - they make all sorts of cool doo-dads designed to get out rounded off bolts! Off to the store I run and buy a bunch of these miracle workers...none of them work. Ok, now the head is so fucked up that it's useless.

Time to dremel off the flange so I can at least get the seat out of the fecking way and then I'll be able to drill that bitch out. So I run through about three cut-off wheels and I can't get enough of the head flange off to be able to lift the damned seat out. The working space is terrible, the fact that the bolt sits in a recess makes it nearly impossible to get a good angle on the fecking thing. I can't even get at the bolt from the backside to flaten the sides to fit a socket!!!

What kind of shit soft metal are these bolts made of anyway?!? Everything I try just shaves off more metal. Here I sit with a massively cut up bolt - two days wasted trying to get the fecking thing out and no closer to success than when I started. Ain't that a bitch. I think I need a torch to cut the fecking thing out, but that would probably just set the interior on fire.

If I haven't tried something that one of you knows works well then please let me know. I give up for today and probably for about a week until I can tackle it again. I'm fucking pissed!!!!

Thanks for letting me vent.

ChinoCharles · 03-22-2009, 07:52 PM

^^ Me too.

Lefty loosey dude!

firebob · 03-22-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

Lefty loosey dude!

+1
Cut the bolt head into as many peaces as you can and then rip and chisel what is left of the bolt head out.

ChinoCharles · 03-22-2009, 08:09 PM

Honestly, I say leverage. Put a longer lever on that wrench.

cali yaris · 03-22-2009, 08:14 PM

You said "socket" -- but aren't those starz bolts (or whatever they are called)? Are you using the appropriate socket to grab those? It's a special one.

Altitude · 03-22-2009, 08:17 PM

This didn't happen because I was turning it the wrong way.

I think some factory worker was OD'd on roids when he was torquing that fucking bolt.

I tried cold chiseling that fucker too. It won't budge. Anywho, I plan to provide pics of the carnage once I get the bastard out. Stay tuned.

Edit - Cali - yes they require torx sockets and I have the right one - like I said the other bolts came out easy.

ChinoCharles · 03-22-2009, 08:20 PM

I was only messin Altitude... I didn't think you were turning it the wrong way.

Jackhammer + Yaris + video camera = WIN!

Altitude · 03-22-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

I was only messin Altitude... I didn't think you were turning it the wrong way.

Jackhammer + Yaris + video camera = WIN!

It's cool - I'm not offended and I figured as much.

I'm gonna make that bolt my bitch - it's personal now.

ChinoCharles · 03-22-2009, 08:36 PM

Please tape this.

Altitude · 03-22-2009, 10:14 PM

I know I said I was going to wait - but I couldn't go to sleep tonight knowing that bolt was out in the garage mocking me and I swear I heard it laughing when I was writing the first post. So.....

Victory is mine! I gave up trying to take off the flange and gave one of those 'Bolt-Out' tools one more shot. So I ground down the bolt head (what was left of it) and tried one more time. Now I don't know if it was all the cursing, the heat from the grinding or just that the bolt decided it had had enough of my tough love, but this time it came out easier than all those before it. Go figure.

Sorry I didn't get to video the whole ordeal. It was quite the light show with sparks flying and shit getting in my eyes (yes I was wearing safety glasses but they made my vision like looking through a fishbowl so I had to take them off.) Anyhow - I snapped some pics to document the epic struggle.

...

This is a picture of the type of bolt used to hold down the seats in a Yaris.

This is a picture of the Torx Socket used to remove them.

This is a picture of the tools I used to extract the BOLT FROM HELL. Most of them didn't help, but I was desperate.

This is a picture of the mess it made. I was was real careful not to mess up the seat rail at first. Then I just said fuck it, a little paint and it'll be good as new. Besides I even contemplated hacking off the foot of the rail and buying a new one... That little tool you see to the right of it is the one that did the trick. It's tapered inside and has some 'cutting teeth' to grip the head.

It's not easy working with a Dremel in such close quarters as shown here.

These are some things that got broken in the process. Just some plastic bits from the end cap of the seat rail and a piece of broken cut-off wheel from the Dremel - there's a few more pieces of those somewhere inside the Yaris - but at least they didn't end up in my eye.

Here's a pic of the offending bolt after I had my way with it. Take that bitch!

Oh, if anyone is interested in having their seats removed, I'd be glad to help.

Shroomster · 03-23-2009, 12:25 AM

...no pics showing up.....

Snyprwlf47 · 03-23-2009, 02:25 AM

Please fix pics...The suspense is killing me. It reminds me of the oil filter I had that I bent a pry bar in an attempt to remove.

eTiMaGo · 03-23-2009, 02:33 AM

tried to fix the pictures but the original attachments are no longer there?

Phaeton · 03-23-2009, 09:21 AM

Maybe somebody put a couple drops of locktite on the the bolt after they cross-threaded it at the manufacturing plant.

Shroomster · 03-23-2009, 11:28 AM

pics are good now....

didja ever think to try some pb blaster or other lubricant at all during this ordeal....?

firemachine69 · 03-23-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altitude

This didn't happen because I was turning it the wrong way.

I think some factory worker was OD'd on roids when he was torquing that fucking bolt.

I tried cold chiseling that fucker too. It won't budge. Anywho, I plan to provide pics of the carnage once I get the bastard out. Stay tuned.

Edit - Cali - yes they require torx sockets and I have the right one - like I said the other bolts came out easy.

Impact hammer on the head (or what remains). Drill through the rest without contacting the threads.

Altitude · 03-23-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shroomster

pics are good now....

didja ever think to try some pb blaster or other lubricant at all during this ordeal....?

I mentioned that in the original post.

The thing just wouldn't budge and I ended up stripping the head so I could no longer grip it - hence the fiasco. If this had been a standard bolt with a flush surface and easy access it wouldn't have been nearly as difficult as it was. Once I got it out it didn't seem as though it was cross threaded or anything like that. I think I just was unfortunate to have a bad bolt. Maybe some impurities in the metal during casting because it stripped pretty easily and the others seemed to take the torque much better and showed no signs of weakness.

enobmort42 · 03-23-2009, 11:52 AM

wow.. Sounds like something I'd run into, and I don't have half the tools you do!

03-22-2009, 07:42 PM	#1
Altitude Drives: '08 LB MT Bayou Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,671	All I wanted to do... ...was take out my seats so I could lay down some sound deadening material. I was so looking forward to getting that done this weekend until I ran into the BOLT FROM HELL. It's a passenger side seat bolt on the seat rail closest to the door. All of the other bolts came out just fine except for this mf'n one. I swear that feckin thing must be welded in. Ok - I've run into this before - there's lots of things I can try. Gotta rule out PB or any sort of loosening spray because I can't get to the threads... fair enough. Lemme try a smaller sized socket. No go. Ok - I can dremel down the sides and make some nice flat surfaces to grab onto. Nope, try again. Hmm... maybe I can slot the thing and get it out with a large screwdriver bit - hell no the metal on the head is too soft and the bit just fucks up the slot. Vice grips? Ha! Try again. Wait - they make all sorts of cool doo-dads designed to get out rounded off bolts! Off to the store I run and buy a bunch of these miracle workers...none of them work. Ok, now the head is so fucked up that it's useless. Time to dremel off the flange so I can at least get the seat out of the fecking way and then I'll be able to drill that bitch out. So I run through about three cut-off wheels and I can't get enough of the head flange off to be able to lift the damned seat out. The working space is terrible, the fact that the bolt sits in a recess makes it nearly impossible to get a good angle on the fecking thing. I can't even get at the bolt from the backside to flaten the sides to fit a socket!!! What kind of shit soft metal are these bolts made of anyway?!? Everything I try just shaves off more metal. Here I sit with a massively cut up bolt - two days wasted trying to get the fecking thing out and no closer to success than when I started. Ain't that a bitch. I think I need a torch to cut the fecking thing out, but that would probably just set the interior on fire. If I haven't tried something that one of you knows works well then please let me know. I give up for today and probably for about a week until I can tackle it again. I'm fucking pissed!!!! Thanks for letting me vent.

03-22-2009, 08:14 PM	#5
cali yaris ULTIMATE View User's Garage Drives: 07 Yaris Turbo Join Date: May 2007 Location: Canoga Park, CA Posts: 14,859	You said "socket" -- but aren't those starz bolts (or whatever they are called)? Are you using the appropriate socket to grab those? It's a special one. __________________ Micro Image forums, online store and shop are now closed. It was a great eight year run, but it was time to focus on other things. I'm still selling parts on eBay under micro*image seller ID and customers can still make requests for anything specific.

03-22-2009, 10:14 PM	#10
Altitude Drives: '08 LB MT Bayou Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,671	I know I said I was going to wait - but I couldn't go to sleep tonight knowing that bolt was out in the garage mocking me and I swear I heard it laughing when I was writing the first post. So..... Victory is mine! I gave up trying to take off the flange and gave one of those 'Bolt-Out' tools one more shot. So I ground down the bolt head (what was left of it) and tried one more time. Now I don't know if it was all the cursing, the heat from the grinding or just that the bolt decided it had had enough of my tough love, but this time it came out easier than all those before it. Go figure. Sorry I didn't get to video the whole ordeal. It was quite the light show with sparks flying and shit getting in my eyes (yes I was wearing safety glasses but they made my vision like looking through a fishbowl so I had to take them off.) Anyhow - I snapped some pics to document the epic struggle. ... This is a picture of the type of bolt used to hold down the seats in a Yaris. This is a picture of the Torx Socket used to remove them. This is a picture of the tools I used to extract the BOLT FROM HELL. Most of them didn't help, but I was desperate. This is a picture of the mess it made. I was was real careful not to mess up the seat rail at first. Then I just said fuck it, a little paint and it'll be good as new. Besides I even contemplated hacking off the foot of the rail and buying a new one... That little tool you see to the right of it is the one that did the trick. It's tapered inside and has some 'cutting teeth' to grip the head. It's not easy working with a Dremel in such close quarters as shown here. These are some things that got broken in the process. Just some plastic bits from the end cap of the seat rail and a piece of broken cut-off wheel from the Dremel - there's a few more pieces of those somewhere inside the Yaris - but at least they didn't end up in my eye. Here's a pic of the offending bolt after I had my way with it. Take that bitch! Oh, if anyone is interested in having their seats removed, I'd be glad to help. Last edited by Altitude; 03-23-2009 at 10:32 AM. Reason: Fixed pics

03-23-2009, 12:25 AM	#11
Shroomster '07 to '12:2 wipers to 1? View User's Garage Drives: '12 5-door LE & '14 5-door LE Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,999	...no pics showing up..... __________________ MicroImageonline forums - Shroomster Xda Forums - Shroomster Androidforums - Shroomster I'm noticing a pattern......

03-23-2009, 02:25 AM	#12
Snyprwlf47 The Martian Drives: 07 Yaris 3dr Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Cannelton, WV Posts: 208	Please fix pics...The suspense is killing me. It reminds me of the oil filter I had that I bent a pry bar in an attempt to remove. __________________ "The lead car is absolutely unique, except for the one behind it which is identical." – F1 commentator Murray Walker.

03-22-2009, 07:52 PM	#2
ChinoCharles Banned Drives: LB Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: OH Posts: 7,787	^^ Me too. Lefty loosey dude!

03-22-2009, 08:09 PM	#4
ChinoCharles Banned Drives: LB Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: OH Posts: 7,787	Honestly, I say leverage. Put a longer lever on that wrench.

03-22-2009, 08:17 PM	#6
Altitude Drives: '08 LB MT Bayou Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,671	This didn't happen because I was turning it the wrong way. I think some factory worker was OD'd on roids when he was torquing that fucking bolt. I tried cold chiseling that fucker too. It won't budge. Anywho, I plan to provide pics of the carnage once I get the bastard out. Stay tuned. Edit - Cali - yes they require torx sockets and I have the right one - like I said the other bolts came out easy.

03-22-2009, 08:20 PM	#7
ChinoCharles Banned Drives: LB Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: OH Posts: 7,787	I was only messin Altitude... I didn't think you were turning it the wrong way. Jackhammer + Yaris + video camera = WIN!

03-22-2009, 08:36 PM	#9
ChinoCharles Banned Drives: LB Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: OH Posts: 7,787	Please tape this.

03-23-2009, 02:33 AM	#13
eTiMaGo vroom vroom View User's Garage Drives: lil red 5-door Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 7,744	tried to fix the pictures but the original attachments are no longer there? __________________ The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish. - Robert Jackson Bye bye 1NZ...

03-23-2009, 09:21 AM	#14
Phaeton View User's Garage Drives: Blazing Blue Liftback Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Port Angeles, Wa Posts: 385	Maybe somebody put a couple drops of locktite on the the bolt after they cross-threaded it at the manufacturing plant.

03-23-2009, 11:28 AM	#15
Shroomster '07 to '12:2 wipers to 1? View User's Garage Drives: '12 5-door LE & '14 5-door LE Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,999	pics are good now.... didja ever think to try some pb blaster or other lubricant at all during this ordeal....? __________________ MicroImageonline forums - Shroomster Xda Forums - Shroomster Androidforums - Shroomster I'm noticing a pattern......

03-23-2009, 11:52 AM	#18
enobmort42 First time DIYer Drives: '07 LB Polar White Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 434	wow.. Sounds like something I'd run into, and I don't have half the tools you do! __________________ LED tails - debadged - 17" wheels - LED door handles - Painted Headlights - 30/35% tint - Blue LED Interior - DIY Cruise Control - Python 460HP Alarm - DIY Power Locks - K&N CAI - Lowering Springs

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