kmgar99 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 I was all ready to do a write up on how to replace the upper and lower rear trailing arm bushings.....camera ready....bolts beed sprayed with "PEN" penetrating lube for 3 days straight...9 days off from work (In case i screw up and have to walk to get a part) etc.... But the STUPID nuts won't come off...tried my air impact wrench/driver, 1/2 breaker bar, hammer, 5lb sledge, Cussing, and everything else I could think of. Not one of the 8 nuts would even budge!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I have to spend money and have a mechanic get them off.....AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not really a garage forum question...more of a venting....but anyway :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reido Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 How much of a cheater bar did you try? I did my tie rod ends a while ago and I had a beast of a cresent wrench with a 3' section of exaust for a cheater bar. Then I had to stand on it to break the nut loose. The nut made this terrible squealing noise that echoed throughout the neighborhood with every bit of movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 If you can't get them to budge with an impact wrench and you have at least 90PSI(hopefully 120PSI), then hack/grind/drill them off. Thats what the mechanic will probably do, and charge you for. Just buy the new bolts, etc, and do it yourself. Just to cover all bases, do you have FULL air pressure ? Is the air gun torque setting on max ? Are the bolts spinning instead of breaking loose ? If you live in salted road country it may be different, but I have only had to cut/drill bolts off a few times in my life... Good Luck. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 I've had my impact wrench at max with 120psi and not been able to loosen a nut before. Throwing on a big-hiney wrench and a 3 foot pipe and throwing a little weight on it easily did the trick. Of course, I have also snapped off bolts using the same method Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted November 22, 2004 Author Share Posted November 22, 2004 Thanks for all the tips....here are the answers.....largest cheater bar I could fit under the truck was 18" and no I can't stand on it (Bad Angle) My compressor is putting out at the max 120PSI to the impact wrench....unfortunatly, the whole idea of a standing/jumping on a cheater bar sounds great, but the nuts are located in a position that makes it impossible.......and as far as the whole bolt spinning, Nope...nothing is moving at all.... Precise1 is right....that's all a mechanic would do anyway.....I have some errands to run today, so maybe starting tonight or tomorrow morning I will start the Hacking, sawing, grinding, beating, and chewing on the bolts/nuts to get them off. Then i need a ride to the bolt place or the Stealer..HHHmmmmm....Dilema.... Anyone know the dimensions or sizes of the bolts off hand, so i can get them while i'm out today Thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Sorry, dont know the size of the bolts off hand... Just an afterthought, if you can get a nut splitter on there, it may save you a lot of swearing. You can also get away with splitting the nut with a hacksaw. If you are REAL careful you won't even damage the bolts, but then sounds like they need to be replaced anyway. Unfortunately, I have done a lot of this type of stuff; farging PITA most the time, but the right tools always help. Good luck... Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 You need a longer breaker bar. Try putting one on there and then jacking up the end of the bar with a jack. They'll come loose with enough leverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 Thanks again everyone......I'm off to Harbor Freight to find a nut splitter and a longer breaker bar.....if 88's breaker bar and jack idea don't do the trick then the nut splitter surely will...... Pictures and a write up to follow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted November 24, 2004 Author Share Posted November 24, 2004 UPDATE......I stopped at two mechanic shops on my way home from Harbor Freight and neither of them could loosen any of the bolts. They both used 3' breaker bars and impact sockets set to 160PSI......They were going to charge me at first, but i think it became a mission for each garage until they admitted defeat. Then they wished me luck and said No Charge! I started to use the nut splitter when I realized because of the design of the nut (Flared at the end...kinda like a built in washer) the nut sp;litter will only cut the nut portion, then i'm gonna have to split the flared portion with a cold chisel...Screw that...i'm cutting them all off with a cutting wheel!!!! This is the most frustrating thing I've ever done in my life......It's really discouraging! Anyway C-YA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 Crappeh, man. I feel your pain, brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 time to break out the torch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 LOL, sounds like you have those things welded in !! Got ya about the flared nut, start cutting !! Just make sure you don't go under there pissed and get carried away !! I'm not your dad, but I'm gonna act like it for a sec... Please wear safety glasses... Good luck Bud ! Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardwaretoad Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 Shop I used to manage up in Nevada we had air ratchets that'd go up to 620 ft/lbs in reverse... sometimes those weren't even enough to break some of the bolts that'd rusted onto the hydrocyclones we were rebuilding... and that's without them hiding in a suspension... Sounds like it's definately time for the "blue-tip wrench"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted November 25, 2004 Author Share Posted November 25, 2004 I haven't tried to heat them yet...(My torch ran out) but i might try to heat one of them on Saturday (Tomorrow is Paintball) If heat doesn't work, then its off with their heads! And Bernard....Thanks for looking out for me but I always wear my safety glasses..I am a Maintenance Tech at a manufacturing plant so we can't even walk in the front door without the glasses on and earplugs in. This really sucks, i was supposed to be done with these on Tuesday...i will only have two days vacation left after this and i am moving into my new house before Christmas.... Thanks everyone...i'll keep you posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adelard of Bath Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 I haven't done this on a Pathy yet, but I've done it recently on a nasty Dodge Ramcharger, and (yes hilariously) a 1984 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon (hee hee!) it was the same, except smaller.... My 600 ft/lb impact wrench worked on the Toyota but the Dodge had to get a cutoff wheel in there, sliced those nuts off right at the bushing. Anyway, with both vehicles, my problem was the same: I couldn't get the bolt out of the steel sleeve it was through! A couple hours of 6lb hammer action, drilling, hammer, drill, etc got the Dodge ones out...but only after I cut several more bolts so I could lay the leaf springs on the garage floor. Yay Then I was having the same problem with the Toyota control arm bushings...Then I noticed that part of my problem was that as I was hammering the bolts out, they mushroomed slightly, no matter how careful I was...then once the rust broke free and the bolts started to move, the mushroomed part wedged itself in there quite nicely. So on the next one, once it started to move, I used a grinder to taper the end of the bolt smaller, and it slid right out once the rusty/stickiness was overcome. I now own the biggest air hammer I could find, but it didn't help much in either case. I like that idea of using the jack under the breaker bar...groovy. I did that once to pop a head loose from an engine. I should try that on the breaker bar next time. Usually I just attempt to hit it with the 2-lb hammer but the are ALWAYS in some terribly awkward position. That is the coolest smily I ever saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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