Time to change out all of the fuel lines...

[whiskychaser]

I've depressurised the system, disconnected everything connected to the fuel tank and undone the allen-key bolt that holds the LH support strap on... THe RH one however won't come undone...

I used the correct 6mm allen key initially but the bolt head is quite badly rusted and it just spun when i tryed to turn it. I got a star socket in it and that ended up slipping too (this got the other side out though).

I resorted to getting hold of the head with molegrips and trying to turn it with those but i didn't get far at all with that (nowhere in otherwords).

I see three options now:

1. Put it all back together, book it in a shop and get the bolt drilled, bring it home and continue the fuel line job.

2. Try and drill it out myself (no idea what i'm doing).

3. Continue trying to turn it with the molegrips...

Anybody been in a similar situation? With the bolt being quite accessible i'm tempted to try and get it out myself with my standard drill... but i wouldn't want to wreck the thread on the chassis where it bolts onto.

I can't believe one bolt is stopping me doing this job, its really REALLY annoying.

Fck. You must have only worked on new cars or are too young to have worked on old ones. I'm always pleased if I can do a job without shearing a bolt or rounding the head off a nut Cant visualise what you are doing but if you drill it off have you a solution to putting it back together? Are we talking old fashioned strap and bolt or something more elegant?

[e34.535i.sport]

Fck. You must have only worked on new cars or are too young to have worked on old ones. I'm always pleased if I can do a job without shearing a bolt or rounding the head off a nut Cant visualise what you are doing but if you drill it off have you a solution to putting it back together? Are we talking old fashioned strap and bolt or something more elegant?

Ha ha ha... This is the first and only car i've worked on really but been fairly lucky in the jobs i've done! The captain and I work on each others cars he has a 1992 e36 320i and we recently done a bit of work on a 1999 VW golf (only brake work). The front end of my car is in pretty good nick but the back end is rusted up a fair bit... Fine from outside but when you get underneath its a different story.

Yes standard strap and bolt with the 'nut' welded to the car. I managed to hammer a 1/4" allen key into the bolt head today and when I turned it I just snapped the allen key... Marvelous. I'm planning on drilling it tomorrow because I've had enough of the little f*cker. Went to a shop today and priced up them drilling it... between £30 and £60 so I'm gonna have a bash myself first as I hate paying labour for something I can do (no offence to our mechanic friends). Never done it before but I have a plan...

I'm going to drill through the bolt and get rid of it, then put a new nut and bolt through it... There should be room to get a nut on top i reckon.

I cant wait to get this bolt out, I'm going to dance on it's grave I really am.

[whiskychaser]

I'm going to drill through the bolt and get rid of it, then put a new nut and bolt through it... There should be room to get a nut on top i reckon.

I cant wait to get this bolt out, I'm going to dance on it's grave I really am.

That sounds like a plan. In your line of work you should be able to work this out: Nolli iligitimi carborundum. Yeah I know its not gramatically correct

[e34.535i.sport]

That sounds like a plan. In your line of work you should be able to work this out: Nolli iligitimi carborundum. Yeah I know its not gramatically correct

Ha ha ha LOL! You always manage to make me chuckle somehow... No bolt's gonna wear me down!!!!!!! Tomorrow it's going to wish it was never forged.

[e34.535i.sport]

There is room for a nut and bolt job! If all else fails cut the strap with an angle-grinder, remove the tank, change the pipes, remove the strap and either weld it together or replace it and carry on!

Cheers Barney, I'm gonna try the drill first, i'm dubious over cutting the strap due to the possibility of sparks... Although it's that rusty I could probably cut it with a spoon...

Wish me luck!

[e34.535i.sport]

This is P*SSING ME OFF!!!! Oh it's going to get it now...

I managed to hammer a 12mm socket onto the bolt and turned it a couple of times before the socket slid/fell off... When I hammered it back on I knocked the nut off the chassis on the other side so that is turning with the bolt now... GRRRRR!

I'm going out now to snap off the head hopefully- i'm getting the cold chisel and lump hammer out again... Which always ends up in something getting destroyed.

Report back in a couple of hours.

[e34.535i.sport]

I've retired for the day... Round 2 goes to the bolt.

Status: Bolt still fooked, My Hands and Arms really fooked.

I bought some titanium drill bits this morning, got under with the drill to find the bits could not reach anywhere near the bolt, oh yeah.

Proceeded with the lump hammer amongst other things and now as mentioned earlier the bolt is spinning along with the nut at the back of it. Tried to hammer a socket onto the bolt end and hold the nut at the back with a spanner but its not getting me very far at all its way too awkward. I did manage to get more **** in my eye though so that was a bonus.

Drilling it seems out of the question now with it spinning relatively freely... Which means I'm beyond the point of safe return.

Plan: I'm wanting to get the head off the nut so I'm going to try to get a small hand saw up in there tomorrow and do that. Not going to be easy though... If that doesn't work I'll have to keep at it with the cold chisel and lump hammer.

[whiskychaser]

I've retired for the day... Round 2 goes to the bolt.

Status: Bolt still fooked, My Hands and Arms really fooked.

I bought some titanium drill bits this morning, got under with the drill to find the bits could not reach anywhere near the bolt, oh yeah.

Proceeded with the lump hammer amongst other things and now as mentioned earlier the bolt is spinning along with the nut at the back of it. Tried to hammer a socket onto the bolt end and hold the nut at the back with a spanner but its not getting me very far at all its way too awkward. I did manage to get more **** in my eye though so that was a bonus.

Drilling it seems out of the question now with it spinning relatively freely... Which means I'm beyond the point of safe return.

Plan: I'm wanting to get the head off the nut so I'm going to try to get a small hand saw up in there tomorrow and do that. Not going to be easy though... If that doesn't work I'll have to keep at it with the cold chisel and lump hammer.

Look on the bright side. Snow is only forecast for east side of the country

[Jon K]

I wish you luck - I just ran new fuel lines (slightly different than what you're doing..) and I wouldn't want to touch those stock lines if I could avoid it!

[e34.535i.sport]

Look on the bright side. Snow is only forecast for east side of the country

I think you may have jinxed us - we ended up working in a mini snow/hail storm today!!!