Mac 86 951

I know you all work on your own cars.

How many of you have broken a bolt or two?

I've read through a couple threads just today that discussed the fixing of a broken bolt. I want to remind/suggest a new technique to removing long ago installed bolts on multiple metal applications such as our Porsches.

Waking up bolts is simple. Tap on the bolt (in a hammer bolt into the bolt-hole direction) that helps break loose stuck/dirty/corroded/cold welded bolts that can occur. This is very important when removing a steel bolt from an aluminum block where you want the threads to stay in the block... (oops my bad).

It doesn't take much to tap on a bolt, and if you try it I think you'll find that it helps.

Andy1212

Penetrating oil works better...

Darwantae951

Not all the time.

Johnny Johnny

New? Not really, and there's a whole lot of other techniques to use, and many times you need to use a number of them in tandem to get those stuck bolts out. Examples are:

- spray with penetrating fluid, let it soak for a few minutes, then tap on the head.

- Soak a rag with penetrating fluid, wrap it around the bolt head, and leave it there for a couple of days.

- Tap on the head, with a dolly pressed up against the end of the bolt (this, I've heard, sets up a high frequency vibration that can break the corrosion)

- Heat the bolt, the part it's bolted to, or both. Extra big CAUTION on this one - stuff could light on fire (obviously), and the melting point of aluminum is lower than that of steel! Use non-flammable penetrating fluid.

- Break the damn head off with a breaker bar, drill out and re-tap ;-)

Ask any old timer car mechanic, and I bet they've got a zillion more techniques.

kevincnc

I don't know about "tapping", I hit them as hard as I can without causing damage Can you expalin the "dolly" technique? I don't get it.

If you're going to heat anything, put the heat on the part that the bolt is screwed into so it expands first instead of heating the bolt first. If it's a nut on a stud, heat the nut but don't hit the stud or it will mushroom out and you'll never get the nut off. Anyone ever done that?

I think the most important thing is using a socket or non-offset box end wrench whenever possible. An adjustable wrench can round off the corners if you/re not careful. When breaking loose I've found that a sharp hit with your palm or soft hammer works best. If you just pull as hard as you can, you're more likely to strip the head or break it off.

V2Rocket

bigass sledge + 1" thick metal rod about 8" long does the job every time.

Calmchaos

I always hit them with a hollow copper pipe. I'm a fan of the vibration school of thought.

jstand22

this is not a new technique...

I'm sure most people on here know how to do this. It does work very well however, so if you don't know how to do this you should learn. I used it about 2 months ago when removing the cams from my car, because usually the cheesehead bolts that hold the cam carriers down strip, and you have to drill half of them out. I did the wake up technique and then used an impact wrench (not gun) and didn't strip one.

PSUice944

Heat the bolt and area with a small torch, then use ice cubes on the bolt head itself only.

Thats how I got my fill plug off my tranny the last time, my Dad was helping. I can't say the ice helped more then the heat alone, but it was a neat exercise!

eniac

This is the best advice in this thread. Gel padded Ringer's gloves come in handy for hitting your hand on wrenches to break bolts loose.

When I was 17 I already knew how to fix cars so I got a job as a mechanic. There, a true season expert taught me that I didn't know squat about mechanic work at the time. This was one the the very first things he ingrained into my head. Suddenly working on cars became soooo much easier as I very rarely had a broken or stripped bolt since. I have seen way too many people just pull and pull while I watch the wrench slowly start to strip the head or snap the bolt. Over time you get a feel for the metal and can look at the type of bolt and grade to determine how much it can flex before breaking. It can be felt by hitting the wrench with your hand if it's going to loosen or break.

halik

PB Blaster + hammer works 99% of the time

jaje

I use Aero Kroil...Karl from iA recommended it so I bought can and it is awesome (better than PB Blaster)...they are a industrial solvent company and have many other products including penetrating oil with graphite in it.

I use an impact ratchet (not too strong but helps wake up the bolts - especially on old poorly treated 944 Spec tubs).

MyBlackCar

Good technique. However, if your bolts are seized, be ready to learn how to drill straight and apply a timesert, too.