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Can I just drill the steering wheel bolt through?

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Old Sep 3, 2016 | 12:45 PM
  #1  
yunus's Avatar
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W211
Can I just drill the steering wheel bolt through?

Hi everyone,
I'm from Taiwan and this is my first post here. My car is a 2005 W211 E280 Sport. Even I read many posts before I deal with the steering wheel bolt to replace a steering angle sensor, I stripped the bolt out. Do I have only two choices now? (One is welding a nut on the bolt, the other is drilling it through and make left-handed screw threads?) If I drill the the bolt through, there must be some metal debris drop into the steering column jacket. I don't know if there is any kind of mechanism in the steering column jacket or just a dead end. Another question is, will welding a nut on the bolt damage the plastic parts or electric parts around it? Sorry for my poor English. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(This bolt is the original one from car has been made in Germany, and it is so so so tight! I used a not so cheap made-in-Japan hex bit without chamfer on the tip, pencil torch, breaker bar, 2X4, all are useless. I hammered a torx bit in the hole and used a impact gun in the last try, the hole was rounded in two seconds. What a tragedy!)
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Old Sep 3, 2016 | 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by yunus
Hi everyone,
I'm from Taiwan and this is my first post here. My car is a 2005 W211 E280 Sport. Even I read many posts before I deal with the steering wheel bolt to replace a steering angle sensor, I stripped the bolt out. Do I have only two choices now? (One is welding a nut on the bolt, the other is drilling it through and make left-handed screw threads?) If I drill the the bolt through, there must be some metal debris drop into the steering column jacket. I don't know if there is any kind of mechanism in the steering column jacket or just a dead end. Another question is, will welding a nut on the bolt damage the plastic parts or electric parts around it? Sorry for my poor English. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(This bolt is the original one from car has been made in Germany, and it is so so so tight! I used a not so cheap made-in-Japan hex bit without chamfer on the tip, pencil torch, breaker bar, 2X4, all are useless. I hammered a torx bit in the hole and used a impact gun in the last try, the hole was rounded in two seconds. What a tragedy!)
what about a bolt extractor socket?

can you attach a pic?

you can use a Dremel to saw a slot into it and use a large screw driver and pipe wrench

the plastic will melt for sure and electronics in proximity will get some heat



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Old Sep 4, 2016 | 05:06 PM
  #3  
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W211
Thank you for your help.

Here is the picture



There is no enough room for a Dremel to saw a slot vertically.

I can't find the kind of screw extractor you suggested here, but there is another kind that I can get. I'm not sure it works or not.....





Originally Posted by PeterUbers
what about a bolt extractor socket?

can you attach a pic?

you can use a Dremel to saw a slot into it and use a large screw driver and pipe wrench

the plastic will melt for sure and electronics in proximity will get some heat

Reply
Old Sep 5, 2016 | 08:42 PM
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First thing I would do is drill out the center, about a 8 mm bit. Have someone hold a shop vac to get the metal. Then cut a slot in one side of the head. ( wiz wheel )( unhook battery) A couple of light blows with a hammer directly on the head of bolt while having someone hold pressure up on the steering wheel. Then use an air chisel to spin the bolt out. If it doesn't come out, keep drilling the hole larger, as big as possible without hitting the shaft. Then use air chisel again.
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Old Sep 13, 2016 | 06:36 PM
  #5  
GLENN S.'s Avatar
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Well?
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Old Sep 15, 2016 | 11:58 PM
  #6  
Holmes5518's Avatar
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How did that even happen? Do as suggested above or get an allen socket size slightly larger than the hole and hammer it in for a really tight fit.
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Old Sep 16, 2016 | 12:08 AM
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If you had a proper sized hex socket, why would you hammer a torx in there and then impact it? Use the impact on the hex next time, or get a longer bar..

As above, if you drill it out larger but not so deep into the the steering column, you will get it to release and the center piece should just turn out (there will be loctite on it so it will take pliers/tools but it will be much easier without the wheel installed).
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