Help needed EQ5 Bolt bent

[oyabuns]

Hi all,

One of the latitude bolts on my EQ5 mount is bent and I can't seem to get it out. How can I access the bolts or get it out?

[Prador]

I would suggest from this point onward the bolt is to be sacrificed to the gods of awful engineering. If you try to forcibly turn it out you may trash the thead. Hacksaw it off as close as you can to the mount and try to rotate out what remains from inside the mount head.

This will of course render the mount unuseable until you replace the bolt with something more substantial.

[oyabuns]

I fixed it by accessing the mount screw. (removing the black side covers with a heat gun)

Then I pressed real hard on the damaged end of the bolt that was stuck. After trying to get it out it was no longer stuck and just slid out easily. 

[FLO]

It is good to hear you have resolved your mount's bent bolt. 

The normal solution is to first remove the base of the mount so you can see the bolt then gently unscrew it until it won't come out any further. With a junior hacksaw saw off the length of bolt that protrudes from the mount, leaving 2-3mm. Use the same hacksaw to cut a groove (like a screwdriver slot) across the top of the sawn off bolt, then use a screwdriver to screw the bolt all the way in until it falls out. Then fit a replacemant.

If you are not confident please phone your supplier. 

Interestingly, we used to routinely remove and replace bent bolts but we see very few these days. 

HTH, 

Steve

[Carbon Brush]

Yes, another problem with EQ5 latitude bolts. Some say the manufacturer should use a more mature (harder) cheese.
Maybe as FLOare seeing less problems, the quality out of the factory is improving.
Or the SGL threads are encouraging more people to sort the problem for themselves?

I have an old EQ5 clone mount. Badged TQ5. It has pads on the ends of the latitude bolts.
The bolts are also made of a harder grade of steel than many of the new mounts.

In my shed there is a Celestron CG5 with latitude bolts in perfect order.
The original bolts are in a box for if/when I sell it on. The mount has stainless M8 bolts.