Hello,

I have a 2012 Mini Cooper S and I’m trying to replace the intake Vanos solenoid however the torx bolt holding it in place is seized. I’ve been trying for hours to get it out. Please Help!

 

Isn't that supposed to be a regular hex bolt, I think 10 Millimeter or 8, torqued to almost nothing?

There is a torx bolt below which is a check valve.

 

I’ve seen both after looking on the web, I don’t really know why mini decided to do that. Unfortunately mine was one of them that came with the crappy torx head.

 

I had the torx one as well. Had to actually tap the torx bit into the bolt with several whacks and then the bolt finally came out. Prior to that the torx bit kept popping out like it was stripped.

On installation I replaced that bolt with a conventional hex headed bolt.

 

LOL

https://www.blipshift.com/products/stripped

 

*Update*

I got really mad at it and got my buddy to come over with his bolt extractor haha!

 

Either that or go one size up, hammer it in and give it a try. The bolt extractors work well too. I usually drill a small hole first to make is a snug fit.

 

I know this is an old thread but I just had to pull the intake VANOS solenoid on my Mini and I too had the Torx screw holding it in place, and hoped this would help others in the future. I wanted to point out that it is a T-27 Torx head, which is probably why most advice has been to tap the bit into place. Most people have a T-25 or a T-30 lying around, but the Torx 27 isn’t as common. I had just happened to pick up a set of 12 socket bits by Channellock that included the odd size. (About $30 at my local hardware store.)

 

Not in my car. It is 100% certainly a T30. The T27 is quite loose, the T30 is a snug fit. Also, my intake solenoid is failed and has a pre-stripped Torx bolt. Trying to work out how to get a tool in there to remove it.

 

I put the correct size in and the bolt was so tight (from corrosion probably, the car had a lot of ugly bolts underneath) that it stripped out anyway. Probably going to break off the tip of my bolt extractor. I gave up for now but if the guy comes back, I'll probably destroy the solenoid to get better access and have to use a vise grip or drill it out.

 

sorry to steal the thread but i have a question about this topic. my intake vanos solenoid screw was not holding the threads inside the head, so i've gone a size bigger. now the solenoid itself doesn't feel snug, it moves a bit if i give it a shake. other than that no codes or no oil leak. will it be a problem?

 

I just did exactly this. I had everything apart to try various extraction methods on the bolt but couldn't.

I took my hammer and bashed the solenoid housing straight down and then pulled the internals out of the engine. from there I could wiggle the housing up and down to fatigue the screw bracket.

once it was broken off, a few light taps with a flat head tangentially on the edge and it turned easily. from there it was easy to loosen with a torx by hand.

I replaced the solenoid with a new one and the bolt with an external hex like this:

M6 x 12mm Flanged Hex Head Bolts Flange Hexagon Screws, 304 Stainless Steel 18-8, Plain Finish, Pack of 25 https://a.co/d/bjvLHYo

 

Having just had this problem, smaller needle- nosed vise grips broke mine loose.
It had just enough lip on the head to get a good bite with the grips.
And then just enough room to turn the 15 degrees or so it took to break the screw loose enough to unthread
the rest of the way with the t30

Dang, that fastener was soft...

t

 

I'm on the struggle bus here trying to remove the front (exhaust) Solenoid... the T-30 didn't fit so (foolishly) I tried the T-27 which did seem to fit but almost immediately stripped-out. @Toby B mentioned needle-nosed Vise Grips but I'm not seeing how to get those into place. it's a 2013 Countryman JCW if that matters. :(

 

Is there enough room for a bolt extractor?

 

Looks like an Allen bolt, not a torx…. That might be why the head stripped out.

I found this video with some tool guidance and options:

 

Wouldn't stripping a T30 bolt by incorrectly using a T27 bit result in a hex-looking pattern?

Gently hammering a T30 bit into the stripped bolt head could potentially be just enough to release the stuck bolt. The correct torque for the bolt is only 7-ft/lbs.

Once you remove the stripped bolt, replace it with a 10-mm hex bolt.

 

problem solved. thanks, @njaremka and @Maybe, maybe not.

 

Nice work! Congrats.