AARGH!!!!...Stuck bolt!

[DubbaDooz]

I know this is a really remedial question, but it must be asked. I'm in the process of replacing my starter, and one of the bolts WILL NOT budge. I guess years of rust and oil change drippage has practically welded that thing to the mounting bracket. What techniques do you guys use to get past this annoying setback?
Oh..and please keep in mind that I'll be on my back under my car (gotta love being away at school ) without too much room to move. Fun!

<small>[ December 01, 2002, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: DubbaDooz ]</small>

 

[Mr Anonymous]

The two most common methods are heat or penetrating lubricant. I'd be weary of using a torch in that area since the oil residue could ignite pretty easily. If you have some liquid wrench you could use that, or if any of your local retailers carry PB Blaster, that stuff works wonders.

I know the space your working in is pretty tight, but another option is to put a 2-3 foot piece of pipe over the end of your ratchet to give you more leverage to loosen the bolt.

 

[luigisho]

You might be able to find a pair of cheap rhino ramps to give yourself some room to work under there.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Hey man, Do what I did, If you can lock on to it with some vice grips, Just twist it out. Otherwise put the ratchet on there and kick it with your foot. I had to do this on a Tempo. I couldnt move it with my arm, so I kept hitting it with the bottom of my foot until it gave. Good luck!! Let us know what happens!
Bob

 

[projectSHO89]

I had to use about 2' of extensions on a 1/2" deepwell socket, extended out the LF wheel well, a Craftsman breaker bar, and a 3' steel pipe on that to loosen one of my starter bolts last winter. Needless to say, they all got a dose of anti-sieze when the starter was re-installed.

Gotta love those "torque amplifiers'!

Steve

 

[Marccus]

DubbaDooz:
I know this is a really remedial question, but it must be asked. I'm in the process of replacing my starter, and one of the bolts WILL NOT budge. I guess years of rust and oil change drippage has practically welded that thing to the mounting bracket. What techniques do you guys use to get past this annoying setback?
Oh..and please keep in mind that I'll be on my back under my car (gotta love being away at school ) without too much room to move. Fun!

The absolutely best product to use to remove frozen bolts is called "Rost-Off" by Wurth - a German company. Anything made by Wurth exceeds anything else I have used by any other manufacturer.

I've used it on the locking ****** bolts on the Y-pipe/exhaust header studs which hadn't been touched in thirteen years.

Also, ALWAYS use assembly lubricant on studs, bolts, nuts, etc, and use thread chasers to clean the female threads and rethreading dies to clean the male threads.

Use high temperature assembly lubricant (2400 deg F) for exhaust applications and ARP Assembly lubricant for other applications. ARP = Automotive Racing Products which makes the world's best fasteners used exclusively by NASCAR - very, very expensive, however. eek!

thumbs_u

 

[pjtoledo]

,,,,,,,,
Also, ALWAYS use assembly lubricant on studs, bolts, nuts, etc, and use thread chasers to clean the female threads and rethreading dies to clean the male threads.

[/QB]

It's kind of a rare occurance to find guys that actually know the difference between a thread chaser and an ordinary tap!!!! Keep up the good work.

Perry Toledo,ohio

 

[DubbaDooz]

projectSHO89:
I had to use about 2' of extensions on a 1/2" deepwell socket, extended out the LF wheel well, a Craftsman breaker bar, and a 3' steel pipe on that to loosen one of my starter bolts last winter. Needless to say, they all got a dose of anti-sieze when the starter was re-installed.

Gotta love those "torque amplifiers'!

Steve

So is THAT how I get to that top bolt? Haha, good thing I decided to put this project off till tomorrow...lol. All of this in "one hour from start to finish?"

 

[Off Road SHO]

Oooo Oooo Oooo...I have those! I have those. What do I win Perry? I also have a lot of other machinist stuff that I inherited from my wife's grandfather, he was a self taught crop duster mechanic. Some of the more exotic stuff he fabricated himself to solve a problem on radial aircraft engines.

Tom

 

[noSHO]

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH MATEY! This here bolt is stuck, argh! Hehe....

 

[DubbaDooz]

luigisho:
You might be able to find a pair of cheap rhino ramps to give yourself some room to work under there.

lol, my car doesn't start, making it near impossible to put it up on ramps. My starter just quit on me without much of a warning. Ahhhhh....ford! thumbs_u

 

[DubbaDooz]

noSHO:
AAARRRGGGGHHHHH MATEY! This here bolt is stuck, argh! Hehe....

Well blow me down, shiver me ratchet extensions! Yo ** ** and a bottle of PB Blaster.

 

[DubbaDooz]

well, i put a 12" pipe over the end of my ratchet, kicked it, used about a gallon of liquid wrench, went out and got some brandy new vice grips (which I like very much thumbs_u )and all I have to show for it is a bolt that's stripped like there's no tomorrow. What now...is it time to get it towed to the dreaded (gasp!) mechanic? Or are there any local SHO owners that might like to give a poor college kid a hand? I'm in Columbus, Ohio (OSU), if there's anyone out there who might like to help . There just might be a lunch in it for you!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

DubbaDooz:
well, i put a 12" pipe over the end of my ratchet, kicked it, used about a gallon of liquid wrench, went out and got some brandy new vice grips (which I like very much thumbs_u )and all I have to show for it is a bolt that's stripped like there's no tomorrow. What now...is it time to get it towed to the dreaded (gasp!) mechanic? Or are there any local SHO owners that might like to give a poor college kid a hand? I'm in Columbus, Ohio (OSU), if there's anyone out there who might like to help . There just might be a lunch in it for you!

I would have recommended against using vice grips, but oh well. Unless you want to drill it out yourself, your next best bet will probably be to take it somewhere where they have an impact wrench. A starter is as low-tech a part as you'll find on a SHO, so you can probably pretty safely go to a local garage.