HELP: can't remove dam plastic bumper torx bolt!

[guibo09]

my car has plastic bumpers, and i dont think they've ever been unbolted. i got the first torx bolt off pretty easily with just a ratchet and some hand banging. came out completely rusted along the shank, however the threads look decent.

second bolt (driver's side) just isn't giving

i've tried different ratchets, IR impact @120psi (forwards and backwards), tube over the ratchet, etc etc. until i sheared the torx bit while using the breaker bar. it was a safety torx (ie hole in the middle) so somewhat weaker than a simple torx. it's a 3/8" torx bit, but im using 1/2" tools with a reducer.

anyway, i obviously can't get a torch in there because it will melt the bumper. i also cant access the thread end to soak it in PB blaster cuz it's not accessible.

any ingenious ideas to help me out? cuz it's driving me :crazy:

[guibo09]

nevermind, searched. didnt realise this was such a common problem. i will attempt to remove the 4 shock bolts from behind. i imagine these are accessible somehow, never noticed them up to now.

[guibo09]

okay, i dunno if im just blind, but i in no way see any bolts that i can remove from behind to get the bumper off? am i missing something?

my headlights, grill, etc are all off. i cant imagine what im missing. it looks to me like the bumper shock bolts to the frame rail and there is no access to the bolts since the rail is closed on all sides.

help!

[dlmrun2002]

good lube and soaking if you can get in there would help also. Do it for a few days.
dlm

[guibo09]

good lube and soaking if you can get in there would help also. Do it for a few days.
dlm

problem is that the bolt is totally unaccessible. all i have is a hole in the plastic bumper and the head of the bolt recessed inside.

i think i have to take the plastic core off to have any chance to attack the bolt from a different angle.

[330SMG]

They are not torx bolts(six star), but allen (6 sided on the inside) bolts. get the proper allen socket in a 1/2 in drive if you happer it wit the socket in place it should loosen up.

[guibo09]

They are not torx bolts(six star), but allen (6 sided on the inside) bolts. get the proper allen socket in a 1/2 in drive if you happer it wit the socket in place it should loosen up.

it's actually a torx-55. the earlier years used allen bolts.

hopefully i dont break anything getting the cover off. and hopefully once that is off, ill have access to the thread side of the bumper bolt and be able to apply some heat and penetrant

[norwood e30]

Yeah the sae problem is going on rite now with me. My allen key snaped off last week

[guibo09]

yeah heat and penetrant didnt work at all. bolt is still jammed in there good.

[Mr Two]

Mine was corroded to hell, and it's a 90 with little to no rust or corrosion elsewhere. Some liquid wrench soaking for a day and it did come off.

[evil_twin]

Front or rear?

The only thing I can tell you, is try to find those 4 bolts and pull out the bumper mounts.

[guibo09]

Front or rear?

The only thing I can tell you, is try to find those 4 bolts and pull out the bumper mounts.

can't get to them. i have to take the bumper core off, and those bolts arent coming off either.

i dont know how much more PB blaster i can put.

[kamotors]

hmmm, I guess you could remove the impact strip, then remove the plastic rivets that hold the cover to the core, remove the cover and then you may have access to the bumper shock bolts.

[guibo09]

hmmm, I guess you could remove the impact strip, then remove the plastic rivets that hold the cover to the core, remove the cover and then you may have access to the bumper shock bolts.

ive gotten that far. ive removed the bumper cover. the bumper core however is still on, and it's bolted on with smaller torx bolts that are also pretty much seized. i already broke both my torx bits trying to get em off.

maybe i have access to the bolts even with the bumper core on? i highly doubt it though.

[jwhuffandpuff]

In case anyone ever uses this thread for the purpose of removing the bumper and cannot get the large t55 bolts to loosen:

it is easiest to remove the 4 13mm nuts that hold the bumper shocks to the body. You can access these nuts from underneath the car. The bumper and shock easily slide off the rear of the car.

At that point you could more easily soak the large t55 bolts and try your luck with that.