22R Alternator Pivot Bolt STRIPPED

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting (so if I posted this in wrong place please let me know!). I have a 1984 4runner with a 22R, my alternator went out yesterday so today I tried to remove it. All was going smoothly until I got to the bottom 14mm bolt (I believe its called the pivot bolt). The nut is on the back, so I threw an open ended spanner on the back (handle of wrench was hitting the frame to lock it in place). I then got my ratcheting socket and started going at it from the front (bolt head). However, it felt too easy from the very get-go. The bolt was spinning, the back nut was in locked in place, BUT the bolt wasnt backing out. Im assuming the threads on the nut are stripped since the bolt was just spinning inside of the nut (and I can see metal shavings on the part of the bolt that is exposed beyond the nut, about 3 threads are sticking out beyond the nut) (again, nut was locked in place).

So now this project is on hold until I can get the nut off the bolt, in order to pull the bolt through and out of the alternator. I have always heard of dreaded situations like this, but this is the first time it has happened to me in such a tight location. I was thinking of cutting off the back off the nut with an angle grinder, but my angle grinder cant fit in there to get to the nut. What was supposed to be a quick project is turning into a real PITA, and I need to use my car to return home from college for spring break at the end of this week. If anyone has any advice on getting the nut off the bolt, and the bolt out, please let me know!

(I have attached a picture of the backside of the bolt, where the stripped 14mm nut is)

 

Here's something you can try, carefully. Basing this on a couple assumptions:

• The bolt threads are what is stripped the most.
• The nut still has some threads in it.
• Either way, both pieces have some thread damage.

1. Get a brass hammer, or a regular hammer and a brass punch. Even a hard plastic body-shop hammer. Hitting the end of the bolt with steel, even lightly, will mushroom it. Even a tiny bit of mushrooming can bring you to a halt. Don't use steel on the bolt end.
2. Put a wrench on the bolt head to hold it still. Best to use an assistant to hold the wrench.
3. Lightly tap the end of the bolt a couple times where the nut is. The idea here is to slowly move the bolt into the nut where those few threads can grab. We're NOT trying to drive the bolt through the nut.
4. While holding the bolt head still, use a box wrench to turn the nut counter-clockwise (unscrewing the nut) about 1/8 turn, less than that if you feel some resistance.
5. Tap the end again lightly with the hammer a couple times, turn the wrench a tiny amount, and repeat this process. Be patient and go slowly. You're trying to get these damaged threads to find each other. Using the hammer to slowly move the bolt into the nut takes the load off the already weak threads.
   
6. If you have an assistant, you can tap lightly while slowly turning the nut while they hold the bolt head still.

Hope this makes sense, and I hope it works. The key is patience.

 

Thanks for the reply! I like that strategy a lot but I can barely fit a tiny brass hammer behind the nut (only a few inches of free space behind the nut) so I don't think i will have any room to actually move the hammer back to tap the bolt, it would probably be more of a pushing motion due to no room to "swing" the hammer (I know I don't want to actually "swing" it, just tap it, I just couldn't think of a better word).

I also didn't immediately accept the fact that the nut was stripped so I kept trying for a minute (further damaging threads). I also tried applying downward and upward pressure onto the wrench I was using to lock the nut in place, in hopes I would be "pulling" the nut down (or "pushing" the nut up) to increase the chance of it catching on the spinning bolt. However, in hindsight, I may have further damaged it to the point where your method wont work.

If those dont work I might try extreme heat from a blow torch (since I dont think an angle grinder will fit in there). Im wondering if you or anyone else have some advice on the best strategy with a blow torch. I have one friend telling me to torch the nut to get it to expand off the bolt and hopefully slip off the back, and another friend telling me to torch the actual bolt, to get the bolt to expand inside the nut and maybe that will get the threads to catch. If it comes down to such extreme measures, would you or anyone else recommend either of those strategies?

 

Also, has anyone had positive experience with a nut splitter? I think there are some low profile ones that may fit around the nut in the little room avalaible (such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKpKDhfvMew)

 

I was going to suggest a nut splitter, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, another option is a cold chisel and a BIG hammer to further split the nut, just be careful not break the bracket since it could be made of cast iron which can break with heavy blow of the hammer, good luck.

The nut can be cut off with a cutting torch if you know how to use it, but you would need to be careful not to burn/melt other things around the nut, have a water hose and or a fire extinguisher handy to stop anything that may catch on fire.

 

Not familiar with the splitter, but it looks like an option. Torch may be a last-resort try, but as AuSeeker mentions, you have to constantly mitigate the possibility of a fire and damaging other things.

Another question: Do you have a Dremel? Will a Dremel with a cut-off wheel fit in somewhere? The heavy-duty cutoff wheels for those actually do a good job. You can also get a flex shaft for them - just the flex shaft if you already have the Dremel. And think about the entire bolt - is there anywhere you can cut the bolt? You would need to get a replacement, of course, but cutting off the bolt head may be easier than the nut. Maybe there's even a way to cut the shaft of the bolt somewhere, perhaps alongside the alternator bracket with a hacksaw. You can shim afterward if you end up removing some metal from the bracket. Also, the bracket itself - is it removable? It's been too long since I had my '88 ;-)

 

Can you remove the bracket w/ alt attatched?

 

Yeah, that's what I meant.

 

I will ask my friends if anyone has a dremel to see if that could fit in there. I didnt realize those cutting blades could handle thicker metal, but I dont want to buy one if theres a chance of it not fitting. Unfortunately I cant cut the head off the bolt, because it has to come out the front, there isnt enough room on the backside for the bolt to be pulled out from the back. Thanks for the tips!

 

I picked up a nut splitter from autozone today so ill give that a shot tonight. Ive been told they are about 50/50 if they work or not, Ive also been told that I can increase my chances by pausing every now and then and lightly hitting the nut-splitter with a hammer, go back to turning it, and repeat. Ill let you guys know if that works.

 

To be honest I took a brief look and it didnt look like the easiest option, but it was also night with very limited light (a desk lamp under my car as a work light) so if the nut-splitter doesnt work, ill take a better look at how the entire bracket is mounted.

 

I would try and beat a chisel between the nut and mounting surface. Something to put more pressure on the nut and then hit with an impact or air ratchet. It may give enough pressure to get the threads to catch. Or cut it off with a torch or plasma cutter.

 

Success! I was able to get the nut off with the $13 nut splitter, and the bolt slid right out. The frame of the nut splitter barely fit in the cramped spot where the bolt was, but with enough wiggling it got in there. It was a weird angle and the leverage of me turning my wrench kept pushing the nut splitter off center, so the top of it was sliding off the bolt. I had to have a friend pin the nut splitter straight as I tightened it and we were ventually able to hold it straight enough where it cut through the nut. Thanks for all of the help everyone!