While changing my oil recently, I managed to strip the the bolt head on the drain plug. The edges on the bolt were already slightly worn. That situation, combined with the bolt being over-torqued (not my doing) and using a 12-point socket was a recipe for disaster. After it was too stripped to use any sort of wrench, I used a vice grip on it, which stripped it even more.
Fortunately, I found out that Sears makes handy tools called "Bolt-Out," which are designed for removing rounded-off or rusted bolts. I picked up a set of these things, and it worked like a charm. Disaster averted, drain plug replaced, and properly torqued.
Lessons learned:
- Beware of over-torqued drain plugs
- Use 6-point sockets whenever possible
- The Sears bolt remover sockets are really handy. I believe Irwin makes a similar product.
(No, I do not work for Sears or Irwin)
John