2001 LS

I'm trying to do a timing belt, water pump, valve cover gasket, but...

all the pieces that make the torx "star" are gone, I have a drill, new cobalt bits, and two different types of ez out...

Any of you have suggestions?

 

I have this set


and this one...

 

do I need to remove the three torx bolts to remove the silver housing, or can I remove it using the outer, regular style bolts?

 

why are you removing all that just to do a timing belt?

 

the intake cam seal is also leaking, unfortunately.

I also need to get the cam gears off, so I can remove the backing plate, it's preventing me from removing the water pump

 

I've had luck tapping with hammer as I'm twisting the screwdriver, but if yours is completely stripped then use those extractors....carefully.

 

^****, I wish I thought of that...

Yeah, I've never used the extractor bits before, I'm a little tentative, which is why I stopped, took a break, and started this thread

 

I stripped mine, then got a new torx bit of the right size, hammered it into the screw, put a 3/8 ratchet on it, and started hammering on the ratchet (pushing the bit into the stripped screw) while slowly increasing the amount of torque on the ratchet to unscrew it. Works perfect, I've never failed to remove as tripped torx with this method. You gotta smash the crap out of the ratchet with a hammer though.

 

^so not a T25? I have a hardened t25 bit, but it's loose now...

I also have hardened, straight through screwdrivers, I could try that too?

 

I believe it's T27. Not sure though, I stripped mine with a T25.

 

heating it up a bit might help too. but be careful since the vanes inside are plastic

 

<p>With torx bits a **** ton of pressure on the screwdriver is like the #1 thing.&nbsp;</p>

 

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!

SUCCESS!!!!

I thought, well, I'll try the hammer trick... I tapped a t30 into the bolt, then, using a ratchet, i tapped the head with a 2 pound sledge. AND POOF! came right out!

the intake cam seal was REALLY stuck on, using two different seal pullers i have, i ended up pulling the metal spring halfway out of the rubber seal, and then I finally could pull the seal out.

replaced water pump, that fat bitch of an o ring on the lower coolant passage, o ring on the top water passage tube thing, timing backing plate, and cam gears are back on, i put a TINY spot of anti seize on the three new torx bolts on the intake cam, so hopefully they'll be easier next time.

I used 19 ft/lb on the water pump and flange bolts, and 40 ft/lb on the both 17mm and 14mm cam bolts.

It's dark here now, so I cleaned up, and will do the timing belt and valve cover tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone! Really helped me in a jam!

 

Welcome. Glad that worked.

 

Vvt is closer to 60 ft/lbs. if a bolt is bigger, it'll rarely be the same torque spec.

Also with spinny things, loctite isn't a bad idea. Anti seize is. I'd personally use (with new screws) blue loctite.