Removing Frame Guard

[Feanor]

Hi All,

On my 04 KDX-220 I got a set of Works Connection frame guards (very nicely made) and the left side went on without a hitch, but the small guard on the right side that comes stock with the bike (I think it's more of a rear brake Reservoir guard than a frame guard) is IMPOSSIBLE to remove! I hit the two mounting screws with liquid wrench and let it soak overnight, but even with that and using the optimally sized phillips screwdriver (why didn't they use hex bolts on it?!?!) and ALOT of torque, neither screw will budge!

I'm getting close to damaging the philips head on the screws and so I really don't want to apply much more torque and mangle them, but its driving me to drink figuring out how I'm going to get these screws out...

Any tips or tricks? It looks like these screws do double duty holding the rear brake master cylinder to the frame and now I'm wondering if they coated them with permanent locktite before bolting them to the frame as a safety measure...

Any help?

THanks in advance...

Feanor

 

[john_bilbrey]

The master cylinder is held on with another bolt. Those two screws are in pretty tight, best I remember. They make impact wrenches that you can put in phillips or straight-bit heads. My Dad has one that you hit with a hammer, sort of a "manual" impact wrench. Maybe get it from a parts store or something?

 

[css_elfers]

I also had the same problem. If you have a cordless drill set it so the clutch ingauges and clicks alot and it will eventually come lose.

ELF

 

[twoofeach]

Yeah, it's to protect the resevior. You can apply more torque with a drill than you can with a standard screwdriver. Again, hit it with the liquid wrench and give the Makita a whirl. I have had more success with a 1/2 inch hammer drill than a cordless type for obvious reasons.

 

[Feanor]

Hey, Thanks for all the suggestions!

I have a compressor and impact wrench (nothing fancy) but i'm also pretty new to airtools as well :) I didn't know that you could drive a phillips head screw with an impact tool (assumed it would tear the head up in the first second), but now realize that it's probably the only option now, and since I won't be reusing the screws, it should be fine if they do get mangled a bit...

Thanks again all for the suggestions! That hammer driven tool sounds like a cool device!

Feanor

 

[billc]

A cheap way:
Soak those screws with Liquid Wrench or another good penetrating oil.Hit them sharply a couple of times with a hammer.
Grab the shank of your screwdriver with a Vise Grip and turn it while you hit the end of the screwdriver handle with a hammer.Whack it!
Be sure your screwdriver fits well,whatever you do,or you may have to resort to a drill.

 

[Feanor]

Many thanks for all the great replies!

A buddy of mine at work came thru for me and brought in that tool that you whack with a hammer. A manual impact wrench :) Very stout tool! From Carftsman so after I return it to him I'll definitely be off to Sears to pick one up!

I couldn't believe how freaking easy it was to remove both screws! Just a tap-tap-tap with the hammer they were loose like they had only been finger tight or something...

I swear this is the PERFECT example of that old addage "For every job, there is the perfect tool" or even "the right tools make the job much easier" :)

After 30 minutes of trying to muscle the things out with big screwdrivers and destroying their handles by clamping them with vise grips, this handy little hammer tool made it seem almost obscenely easy...

Anyhow, my new frame guards are on and ready for action...

Thanks again everyone for all the help and advice! Dirtrider.net comes thru again! :)

Feanor

 

[dddford]

The hammer operated impact drivers have been around for a long time and work great. When I bought my son's '96 KDX 200 the screws you spoke of were already stripped. I used an easy out to remove them and replaced them with allen head screws.
Another problem screw is the one holding the rear brake lever on, ours is broken off flush and won't come out with an easy-out. Lever is held on with zip ties for now. Any ideas.

 

[mattg6o]

Impact Drivers are cool

 

[libskater]

as for the broken off bolt just carefully grind just enough metal out of the way to get a grip with vise grips on the bolt and turn it out and then file some washers down to work as a spacer for the metal you ground away when you put the lever back on with a new bolt. tahts what i would do. did that with a clutch perch on a warrior once.

 

[mattg6o]

No! Don't grind away surface area to get to the bolt. :bang: Drill it out and, if you can't re-tap it, use a heli-coil. Better than new.

 

[89kdx200rdr]

hows a heli-coil better than new?

 

[Feanor]

hows a heli-coil better than new?

I think I know what he means: I also ride road cycles (the pedalling kind :) ) Whenever I build a new bike from components, one of the standard procedures is to "Chase" the threads for the bottom bracket in the frame (the large threads that locate the pedal crank spindle/bearings)

The threads on the frame as they come from the factory are typically one pass rough cut, full of burrs and a danger for cross threading.

The threads on a KDX frame for those two problem screws might very well be just as "one-pass" rough cut (extra finishing on the frame results in time and extra cost) It would DEFINITELY explain why they are so difficult for so many to remove the first time.

With a helicoil or a quality tap job, you're basically chasing the threads and finishing them, perhaps making them less susceptible to galling when you tighten a screw in them (the reason I suspect the screws are so difficult to remove) and if I can get a screw in there and take it out whenever I want, well that's better than new for me! :)

Other screws on the frame don't seem to be as difficult only because the two frame guard screws are apparently the only phillips heads and notoriously hard to get good torque on... The other hex bolts are not as bad only because you can get much more torque on them than a phillips...

I could be far from correct on all this, but I had some time for typing as I am soaking a carb in cleaner right now and waiting for it (I'm on the garage computer :) )

Feanor