Dave Z
TVWBB Member
Big Weber fan and owner. I have two WSM, Weber Firepit, portable Weber and and a Genesis II S-410.
I was doing work on the Genesis II S-410. I needed to replace a burnt out crossover tube but the screws in it had rusted off. Not a big issue as I could pull the crossover right off. But I could not attach the new crossover due to this (you screw the crossover into the top of the bracket). So Weber sent me new brackets.
The issue is I can not get the new brackets in as I cannot get the old ones off. The screws are corroded / rounded before I even touched them. Really disappointing. I applied PB Blaster over several days and then tried Easy Out Sockets, Vice Grips, Easy Out Bits and even cut a slot in the bolt head with a Dremel. I got a flathead in and got good purchase but the bold head snapped half way off. Really frustrated at the poor quality bolts.
The crossover works and the grill works - so it's not an emergency. But I do want to sort it. Nuclear option is to get a new bottom box once things fail but that will be a few years and is overkill (but an option).
I have a friend who is a jeweler. He has some high end kit and will come over and we will try to get the bolts out either with a high end left handed bit. Or worst case, drill them out. We will also put some heat on the bolts and/or bolt well.
THANK YOU!
PS - I attach some pictures. It shows the new (cheap) replacement bolts. It also shows the current situation. I have tried a ton of things to get these off and feel drilling or drill extractor is my only remaining option. You can see the crossover bolts are totally gone (highlighted at the top of the bracket). That's not an issue. Its the bottom bracket bolt that I need to get out.
I was doing work on the Genesis II S-410. I needed to replace a burnt out crossover tube but the screws in it had rusted off. Not a big issue as I could pull the crossover right off. But I could not attach the new crossover due to this (you screw the crossover into the top of the bracket). So Weber sent me new brackets.
The issue is I can not get the new brackets in as I cannot get the old ones off. The screws are corroded / rounded before I even touched them. Really disappointing. I applied PB Blaster over several days and then tried Easy Out Sockets, Vice Grips, Easy Out Bits and even cut a slot in the bolt head with a Dremel. I got a flathead in and got good purchase but the bold head snapped half way off. Really frustrated at the poor quality bolts.
The crossover works and the grill works - so it's not an emergency. But I do want to sort it. Nuclear option is to get a new bottom box once things fail but that will be a few years and is overkill (but an option).
I have a friend who is a jeweler. He has some high end kit and will come over and we will try to get the bolts out either with a high end left handed bit. Or worst case, drill them out. We will also put some heat on the bolts and/or bolt well.
- At this point, I prefer to get them out with the left handed bit to preserve the existing threads - agree?
- I could also try to take some material off the sides and try to get the extractor socket on the bolt?
- Or I could square the edges and try a wrench - but the tops are really corroded.
- If that fails, I will need to drill them out. Any advice? Never done this. My friend can do it but any tips would be welcome
- Does anyone know the size of the screws (width and depth) for the brackets (66514) and crossover (66168) so I can try to source replacement ones that are a bit better quality? I would try to get stainless steel. Any suggestions on where to source these in the UK? I can also source in the USA and my son can bring them to me.
THANK YOU!
PS - I attach some pictures. It shows the new (cheap) replacement bolts. It also shows the current situation. I have tried a ton of things to get these off and feel drilling or drill extractor is my only remaining option. You can see the crossover bolts are totally gone (highlighted at the top of the bracket). That's not an issue. Its the bottom bracket bolt that I need to get out.
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