Stripping banjo bolt while trying to swap slave cylinder??

[malamikigo]

I'm stuck while trying to change my clutch slave cylinder. I'm basically at step 1, trying to loosen the banjo bolt. Tutorials I read said it was an 11mm wrench, which for me it definitely is not. 12mm seemed to be the right size, but when I wrenched on it, it spun on the bolt and stripped it a bit.

Seems to be made of the softest friggin metal ever!

So, I'm stuck. 11mm doesn't even fit onto the bolt, 12mm stripped it. I even tried imperial wrenches. 1/2" is too big, 7/16" is too small.

So wtf am I doing wrong here? I don't know where to go from here, and I feel retarded for being stuck at the first stage.

Help!



Suggestions?

[Dirty Duc]

Order a new one, and break out the vise-grips.

[Ddan]

Beat me to it   

[Dirty Duc]

Oh yeah, and for anything you can get to with a 6 point socket, use that over an open-end wrench.

[malamikigo]

Yea this is what happened WITH the closed end of the wrench!!

[Dirty Duc]

Yea this is what happened WITH the closed end of the wrench!!

Check the socket for cracks... I've broken sockets before.  It wasn't always obvious until the socket ate something crucial to a project.  Replace it with Craftsman or something else with a lifetime warranty (even Snap-on breaks).

[malamikigo]

Thanks for the help guys, I was able to get it off using a 6pt socket vs. the closed end (12pt?) of my wrench which just stripped it.

That little bolt is made of cheese though.  Couldn't believe how easy it stripped using a standard 12mm spanner.