I hate allen keys D:

Mycroft H

Decided to overhaul the brakes on my MK2 golf during the weekend and I came across the hateful buggers - allen keys.

Had a quick look on Saturday evening and covered the bolts with wd40 in a hope to penetrate the bolt and loosen them.

Tried to remove them today and they wouldnt budge at all - rounded the actual tool rather then the loosening the bolt. Really annoying. Skint knuckles later and i removed them by using a combination of a vice grips and hammer and wrecking two of the bolts in the process. If they were a standard bolt head i would have had them removed in no time with a socket or a spanner.

Question is - Why are they used in the first place? Especially when a socket can provide so muce more torque then a small allen key tool :rolleyes:

beam99

I reckon the main reason is that they want to to bring it to the garage for them to do the job, not everyone will have a set of allen keys, trox keys, male/female. Where most people will have a set of spanners or scokets.

DublinDilbert

Its hard to apply the torque in the correct plain using a standard allen key. It will just want to slip out. If you have some allen sockets you'll find it much easier as you can use a 3/8 or 1/2 inch drive with them. Its still a two handed job to ensure the torque is applied in the correct plain.

Owen

+1 on using a socket set with allen sockets.

peasant

The reason why Allen bolts are used in the first place is that the allow for a clearly defined round head, which can be advantageous in some applications where a clearly defined force between bolt head and bore hole is required and even distribution is wanted.

That ...or your Golf was built by Ikea

Gary ITR

My MK2 Golf has splined heads in the calipers not allen. If theres dirt in them they can look like allen bolts so be careful

Mycroft H

Onkle wrote: »

My MK2 Golf has splined heads in the calipers not allen. If theres dirt in them they can look like allen bolts so be careful

Deffo hexagonal allen key. 8mm


Different calliper me thinks

Gary ITR

landyman wrote: »

Deffo hexagonal allen key. 8mm


Different calliper me thinks

I've an early 8v, mine were deffo the splined fellas. Good old VW and their changing bits

Mycroft H

Onkle wrote: »

I've an early 8v, mine were deffo the splined fellas. Good old VW and their changing bits

Late '85 1.6 litre petrol......


I do have allen sockets and some torx but only in small sizes - not 8mm

Slidey

If the allen key slips get a torx bit that is slightly too big and bate the bastard into them.

The hammering action will also shock the bolt and take some of the bad manners out of it!

Matt Simis

I bought a set of Teng allen sockets for this reason. Getting the VANOs unit out of an e39 is simply impossible otherwise, small allen headed bolt but requires near breaker bar torque to get out. Destroyed 2 allen bits before getting a proper and very strong allen socket, took it out fairly promptly then.

DublinDilbert

Matt Simis wrote: »

I bought a set of Teng allen sockets for this reason. Getting the VANOs unit out of an e39 is simply impossible otherwise, small allen headed bolt but requires near breaker bar torque to get out. Destroyed 2 allen bits before getting a proper and very strong allen socket, took it out fairly promptly then.

They sound like the proper job alright, were they expensive?

I got a cheaper set of both Allen + Torques with 3/8 and 1/2 drive adapter in McQuillans and they have been quite good for the DIYer.

I do agree with the OP in saying that some times a standard bolt is better. A case in point is the Auxiliary belt tensioner on the E36 Vs E46. On the E36 it was a nice 17mm bolt, which a socket wouldn't easily slip off. So with one hand you can pull back the tensioner using a ratchet and with the other hand slip on/off the belt. The E46 has exactly the same tensioner except it has a much smaller Torques head in the center, its now a two handed job to pull it back and no spare hand to put the belt on/off...

CJhaughey

If you need a little extra torque a dab of valve grinding paste on the bit can make a difference.

gofaster_s13

If your allen key/bit/socket rounded before the bolt did your key/bit/socket is made of cheese or tinfoil or some other similar material,its time to stump up for a decent set.

Mycroft H

gofaster_s13 wrote: »

If your allen key/bit/socket rounded before the bolt did your key/bit/socket is made of cheese or tinfoil or some other similar material,its time to stump up for a decent set.

Dunno who made it - but it was the only 8mm in the shed....

I do have a set of PB tools allen keys which are really decent but I'm missing the 8mm :pac:

CJhaughey wrote: »

If you need a little extra torque a dab of valve grinding paste on the bit can make a difference.

Great tip. never thought of that