lilo shark

ok so i put in my a/c tensioner yesterday and my altenator bolt is stripped and i have no idea's for getting it off. to make matters worse it's the one on the bottom of the altenator. any suggestions, would be greatly appreciated.

supercow

vise grips and a new bolt... Maybe for that location needle nose vise grips. Well worth the investment.

radu_rd2

you can also find some special sockets at most hardware stores, they will 'bite' into the bolt as you turn them

frozen

Heat that b****! Just try and shield the alternator from the heat. My mechanic friend told me, while helping me with some other stuck bolts, to try heat cycling. Heat the b**** as hot as you can get it with a torch (propane = good, mapp gas = better, acetylene = best), and then hit it with water till it's cold... Repeat. Do it three times, and then when the b**** is still hot the third time crank the vise grips as hard as you can on that b**** and torque it out (The heat cycling usually breaks it free). If you can get a grinder in there to flatten out the bolt head on a couple sides to make it easier to grip, or even maybe a dremel, do it.

The best (and usually easiest) if it's accessible, is to weld a nut onto it and use that. Unfortunately most of us don't have a mig welder just lying around. Thats my next big purchase.

fury

I've used the following approach once. You can use a special drill bit that will remove damaged/stuck bolts/screws by drilling into it. Of course, this will only work if you can actually fit the drill:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/To...or%2B%25231.jsp