Help: I'm really close!!!

[Aaron]

So I am trying to get all the bolts off the tranny to take it off the engine and the top two bolts look like this. What the heck are these? How do I get them off?

Aaron

[Brody]

Those are called TORX drives or star head drives or maybe a few other names depending on who makes them. Checkers or any of the cheapo auto places should have a decently priced set and if you ask for a TORX drive set,most everyone will know what you are asking for. BTW, it is worth buying a set of these in a 3/8" drive as they are scattered all over your Jeep. Get the sockets(female) first, then pick up a set of the 3/8" drive males...and yes, they do come in both metric and standard. I can't tell from the picture what it is, but my guess would be that if you have been using standard sizes up to this point removing bolts, they are going to be standard. Metric would the same way. You could always just get a set of each and return the one you don't use.

Hope this helps.

[Aaron]

Looks like it and I have to say that I haven't seen too many. There were a few of these scattered around my 91 Cherokee, but I couldn't tell you where they were now...

Huh. So its like an inverse Torx cause all the Torx stuff I've used in the past has the indentation in the center of the bolt rather than this which is the inverse. I have a set of Torx in 3/8 but not this type. More tools needed.

[Mporter]

Yeah it's a socket, not a driver (like pete said)

Also, fun fact. They use these (but smaller size) to secure the case to XBOX's. I know this because I replaced mine with a clear one a couple years back.

[Brody]

What I have found working on various Jeeps over the years, especially when they started adding metrics to the equation, was that for some reason known only to the Jeep engineers, Jeep uses the most mixed up bag of nuts, bolts and screws that I have ever seen. I remember doing a very simple radiator replacement on my 91 XJ. On my Toyota, I have two same size bolts on the hose clamps, 4 10 mm for the shroud, and 4 12mm for the radiator itself. On the Jeep, I ended up using 3-4 different size metric, a Phillips, two different size TORX, and a couple of different size standards to do the same thing.

Anyway, welcome to Jeep land. Hopefully you won't run into too many surprises. For your own piece of mind, you might take those bolts down to the nearest ACE hardware and try to match them up with the same size as the others. Make sure that you match the grade, too, which should be stamped on the top of the bolt. There isn't any need to use these specialty bolts here that I know of.

[Jamie]

I have this set of sockets. 150.00 bucks from the Mack truck, only place I could find them. Where are you located?

DO NOT try to take them out with anything but the proper size TORX bit or you are screwed!

As Brody said replace with other type upon removal but make sure they are identical in size as these do bottom out in the bell housing. if they are too long you will crack the housing.

Inverse TORX is the correct name.

[Hypoid]

Auto-stoned has them, Harbor Freight has them, Cherokees use the same fastener in the same location. ;)

I spent a day mud wrestling a junkyard engine to be denied by these two bolts. Buy the right tool, give the fastener a hammer slap to the head (like driving a nail), they come right out.

Edit: Give me a moment and I'll see which size it is...

You need the E-14:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95395

[74fj40]

BMW is extremely fond of these as well as regular TORX. expecially for engine bolts. Most of them are aluminum, which sucks, because then when torquing them we need to angle torque them... which can get super annoying... :(

[Aaron]

after 4 stops yesterday, I finally found something the sockets, I think... I'll try them out tonight. The packaging said they are used on late model German vehicles. Mine is 1997 Jeep so I dont think it fits.. Unless they borrowed the bolts from Daimler.