Epic fail! Oil purifier has beaten me

[CylvaBirch]

Tried to get the oil purifier out of the flywheel on my 1955 NH today. Would not come out, so have left it “for another day”.
I have now ground down two 11mm sockets ready to bash on but I really think I will have to lay the bike down on its side next time. Not possible to do it alone, bad back and all that. Never mind, fully recharged with lovely fresh Castrol XXL.

[Simon.Gardiner]

Nowadays I only ever use surface-drive sockets for this. A brilliant idea - drives on the flats, not the corners, and it's easy to get one fully onto an already mangled hex (much easier than with a standard 6-point socket).
A while back they were fairly common but now they seem to have disappeared (and no-one seems to know about them).

Here's an image I've borrowed to show the concept:

surface-drive.jpg (27.13 KiB) Viewed 3769 times

If 11mm is what you're using (I've been using 7/16 A/F but they seem to have gone completely) the only one I've been able to find is here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/consolidated ... 6732.m1684

(Folks with with professional connections will hopefully have much better resources available.)

SG

[Dan Rodd]

I used a bi hex 11mm deep socket on mine,hammered lightly on,I may have been lucky as it had been out before,but not for some time going by the crud inside!

[alan.moore]

Club single spares sell a metric and an imperial purifier 'bolt'. I think the metric one is 10mm

[CylvaBirch]

Thank you all for your input.
I have now ordered one of the special surface drive sockets ready for another attempt, probably over the winter.
I have a new purefier screw from John Budgen ready to replace the old one.......when I can get the b@gger out!
David.

[JohnnyBeckett]

if the socket slips try IRWIN bolt grip nut remover sockets they will not slip the more you pull on it the more it grips they have out me out of trouble lots of time

[Dave.Barkshire]

Just in case all fails...

Mine was not declared un-removable after much effort at an engineers shop so a larger nut was spot welded to the hex and it this worked.