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The thick metal plate has a thread for two bolts. By mistake I screwed one of the bolts in all the way. Now the bolt won't come out from the metal plate - bolt spins freely both directions. I tried to apply downward force on plate while turning the bolt in hopes that it will "catch on thread", but it didn't.

enter image description here Any tips on how to get the bolt out? And is the thread most likely ruined in the plate and/or bolt?

P.S. this part is from washing machine where it goes into trunnion.

enter image description here

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  • get a nut that fits the bolt .... thread it onto the bolt all the way to the metal bar .... clamp the bar and the nut into a vice ... unscrew the bolt
    – jsotola
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 18:56
  • the washing machine picture and reference are irrelevant to the problem
    – jsotola
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 18:58

2 Answers 2

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By getting the bolt positioned in the manner shows in the image, you have effectively filled a hole that is just a bit too tight for easy removal. This means that you should be able to tap with a hammer or mallet the bolt until the thread engages the bar threads. Caution should be exercised to not cause deformation of the bolt thread or bar thread as they near engagement. Consider also to rotate the bolt as you tap downward to assist with the gentle thread coupling.

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  • Thanks the hammer trick did it. Had to try couple times for the bolt to bite into thread again. However, with this method bolt lost the thread near its head but that is not a problem in my case because i actually need only the thread at the end of the bolt to be able to tighten up trunion against agitator shaft. I even ended up reusing the bolt. Thanks! Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 19:19
  • Glad to hear that it worked. I should have also suggested to use force, but I suspect you don't believe in hokey religions.
    – fred_dot_u
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 21:44
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I have done exactly the same in the past.

My solution was to use a screwdriver to gently prise between the head of the bolt and the bar and rotate the bolt with a spanner. The rotation cause the screwdriver to be thrown out but perseverance works....

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  • I used a pair of tile nippers... lifted the bolt and was able to turn it...
    – JACK
    Commented Aug 10, 2019 at 23:08

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