I am trying to remove the bolts on top of my Edson wheel steering pedestal so that I can get to the brake mechanism. I have managed to get one of the four bolts out, but the others won't budge. Any ideas?
- Status
Call Edson?
It is hard to help because there are so many different configurations. On mine you would remove the compass with three screws on the binnacle flange. Then there are four bolts at the bottom of the four or five inch extension. Are these the bolts you are describing? They have a round slotted head and are about three inches long. They go into a threaded hole in the top of the main pedestal post(I think). If so you would want to drip some "WD-40" down each bolt and let it set. If this doesn't work then you would have to drill off the heads. With the extension out of the way you might be able to put visegrips on the remaining bolt. Or cut the bolts off and drill out what is left. No fun, good luck.
It is hard to help because there are so many different configurations. On mine you would remove the compass with three screws on the binnacle flange. Then there are four bolts at the bottom of the four or five inch extension. Are these the bolts you are describing? They have a round slotted head and are about three inches long. They go into a threaded hole in the top of the main pedestal post(I think). If so you would want to drip some "WD-40" down each bolt and let it set. If this doesn't work then you would have to drill off the heads. With the extension out of the way you might be able to put visegrips on the remaining bolt. Or cut the bolts off and drill out what is left. No fun, good luck.
Stainless Bolts in Aluminum
The problem is that the stainless bolts are screwed into aluminum and no anit-seize compound was applied to the threads prior to assembly. After a few years there is no way to get the bolts out. I don't know what the solution is to getting them out, but, if you eventually get them out and go to reassemble the pedestal I'd recommend the threads be coated with Lanocote or West Marines Never-seze. This should always be done with stainless fastners set in aluminum. When you're finished with the pedestal project recommend you check out the steering quadrant - bet there is the same problem there too. The sooner the stainless threads are coated the better it will be for future maintenance. With regard to the four machine screws I think you're talking about, Edson has some specially coated replacement screws available from their catalog.
The problem is that the stainless bolts are screwed into aluminum and no anit-seize compound was applied to the threads prior to assembly. After a few years there is no way to get the bolts out. I don't know what the solution is to getting them out, but, if you eventually get them out and go to reassemble the pedestal I'd recommend the threads be coated with Lanocote or West Marines Never-seze. This should always be done with stainless fastners set in aluminum. When you're finished with the pedestal project recommend you check out the steering quadrant - bet there is the same problem there too. The sooner the stainless threads are coated the better it will be for future maintenance. With regard to the four machine screws I think you're talking about, Edson has some specially coated replacement screws available from their catalog.
Success!
I have been working on the same project (off & on) ever since I bought my boat. Last week I finally succeeded. I finally gave up any hope of ever removing the bolts and tried grinding the bolt heads off using a dremel tool with a high-speed carbide bit. That didn't work too well either but occaisionally the bit would slip off the bolthead and down to the lip of the SS housing that supports the compass. I didn't want to destroy the housing (Ritchie, the maker of my compass, also makes the housing, and they call the housing a binicle. The also wanted $104 for a new one if I had decided to destroy it to get to the frozen bolts.) Anyway, by grinding away a narrow portion of the housing that surrounds each bolt I was able to lift the housing straight up over the bolts. Once the housing was off I used vice grips to remove the bolts. To put it all back together I used extra wide washers under the new bolts. These are big enough to span the large holes that were ground out of the housing. Dont forget to use anti-sieze compound on the new bolt's threads when putting it back together so that the bolts can easily be removed next time. If it had been assembled that way to begin with it would have saved us both a lot of trouble.
I have been working on the same project (off & on) ever since I bought my boat. Last week I finally succeeded. I finally gave up any hope of ever removing the bolts and tried grinding the bolt heads off using a dremel tool with a high-speed carbide bit. That didn't work too well either but occaisionally the bit would slip off the bolthead and down to the lip of the SS housing that supports the compass. I didn't want to destroy the housing (Ritchie, the maker of my compass, also makes the housing, and they call the housing a binicle. The also wanted $104 for a new one if I had decided to destroy it to get to the frozen bolts.) Anyway, by grinding away a narrow portion of the housing that surrounds each bolt I was able to lift the housing straight up over the bolts. Once the housing was off I used vice grips to remove the bolts. To put it all back together I used extra wide washers under the new bolts. These are big enough to span the large holes that were ground out of the housing. Dont forget to use anti-sieze compound on the new bolt's threads when putting it back together so that the bolts can easily be removed next time. If it had been assembled that way to begin with it would have saved us both a lot of trouble.
- Status