Seized stripped screw

My car's distributor rotor (94 civic, see earlier post today ) is held in
place with a a seized up philips head screw that is starting to get
stripped. It doesn't look like a bolt, unlike the combo screw/bolts that
hold in the distributor cap. Anyone have a smart strategy for getting old
corroded screws out?

(Can't believe I'm asking this question, oh well...)

Thanks.

 

The screws are usually a small allen socket, not a philips. However, yours
may have been replaced with a non-stock unit. Are you indeed sure that it's
a philips and not an allen?

If it is a philips, then make sure that you're using an anti-camout driver
such as one of these http://tinyurl.com/aukm8 (the right size of course).

Eric

 

the allen heads haven't been used for years! break the rotor
and the get a vise grips on it to break it loose, or i've used an
impact driver also
Chip

 

============================

Did you try the pedal-to-the-metal method to see if the Owner's Manual
is right? Those screws can be a real bear. (it won't smell flooded, the
way carbureted cars do).

'Curly'

 

I did try that, and flooding did not seem to be the problem but thanks for
the suggestion.

 

It's a tough one! You may have no choice but to remove the distributor
(which is easy).

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/distrotor.html

 

Well that's one way to take control of the situation!

I just have to laugh, seems in these projects I spend 50% of my time
dealing with seized up screws and inaccessible bolts.

 

If you can get a good bite on the screw or bolt, try TIGHTENING it.
Sometimes this will break it loose, and then you may be able to back it out.
Good luck.

 

If you have to take out the distributor, you might grind a straight slot in
the screw head with a Dremel motor and a small grinding wheel. Then you
could just use a straight tip screwdriver to unscrew it.
Ron

 

It'll strip. The head's not deep enough.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/distrotor.html

 

A few ideas:

Drill the head off - use a drill bit slightly larger than the shank of
the screw. Then remove the distributor and use a pair of needle-nose
ViseGrips to get it out.

Drill a small hole as appropriate and use a standard screw extractor
(see http://www.mytoolstore.com/hanson/extractr.html for typical designs).

Use one of the other type of new-fangled screw removers that chew into
the stripped drive indent, such as:
http://tinyurl.com/9q2to
or
http://tinyurl.com/38ted

The latter worked well for me on the extra-soft brass screws my '87
Accord had holding the auto-choke housing to the carburetor.