Fubar'd Screw - Advice Please

[Drew Carey]

Hiya All

When giving my bike the clean down from the winter crud I got to needing to take the chain cover off.

Removed the rear most screw first which also holds my tax disk. No probs there and the screw still has a decent amount of copper slip on it.

However, next comes the front most screw. Start turning and it turns straight away, so I think "Happy days no seizing". However, I continue to turn and it is not unscrewing at all but simply staying in place and turning freely. So I think "Oh rubbish the head is fubar'd", but, touch the back of the screw and the whole screw is turning with no problems.

On that basis therefore how can I get the screw out? I imagine that somehow the actual fixing point is knackered, but even with putting preasure on the back of the screw I can't get it to catch on the thread so it comes out. Just wanted peoples thoughts on how to get it out easily?

Cheers guys. Just slowly starting to find all the issues from a really bad winters riding.

To get the cover off, drill the head of the screw , a 7mm drill to finish after centre spotting with a sharp punch then with a wee pilot hole to start off. Just drill till the head falls off no more.With the cover off pull and twist the stub out with mole grips or pliers.
If the casing threads are stripped you can repair then with a 6 mm helicoil kit.
The kit has a drill, tap and wire profiled insert to repair the old threads, helicoils are great and stronger than the old threads.
Pod

best of luck drilling.... I trued to remove mine a re weeks ago and couldnt for the life of me budge the screw. Dad will know what to do... Hi killed a centre puntch trying something and in the end we had to grind it off!!!

A right annoying little get that screw was.

[Drew Carey]

Cheers for the advice guys, looks like it could be more of a pain than I thought.

so the screw is just spinning. If it's the ones on the swing arm can't you just drill and tap it to the next size as it's only holding the chain guard or even put a nut on the other side?

Why dont you just put your hand on the back of the screw that is inside the chainguard and apply some force to it whilst unscrewing , It might wind itself out . I have had this with bolts before where the thread was a bit knackered . Remove the rear wheel and put your hand in and feel to see if the bolt has any thread protruding out , push something against it like a small bit of wood and unscrew the bolt , it might start coming out enough for you to get a set of Mole Grips on the head and wind that bugger out .

[Drew Carey]

Yup the screw is just spinning, but when I had a quick try I did attempt to push on the back to try and apply some force but as there is so little access couldn't get push much. Think I may need to take the wheel out as you say Badger. If that doesn't work, then like you have said will just drill it and replace with a nice shiny bolt and nut.

you could try getting a thin straight edge screwdriver and pushing it under the head of the screw and twisting slightly as if you were going to force out the screw, then attempt to unscrew the blighter. its imperative to keep upward pressure on the screw whilst at the same time unscrewing.
hope thats not to confusing.