Petersubaru Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 recently I was shown a receipt by a subaru owner who had to have an intake gasket replaced and the cost alone for 1 bolt removal was over $500.. this was because the "head" of the bolt broke off which resulted in many hours of extra labor...is there some preparation one can do before hand when taking out these 20plus yr old bolts?? ..I have removed a few of them myself over the yrs and they can be very stubborn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 don't force them. if they get hard to turn while loosening them, tigthen them down a bit. work it back and forth, back and forth. this will free up the corrossion down in there. if you're lucky enough to get it to come up even a millimeter off the manifold, spray PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench (not WD40) down the shaft of the bolt. the point is to get some down inside the bolt hole, not on the bolt. this works most of the time. and yes it's a serious pain to work with them once they shear off. i would also suggest not trying to remove them when the car is hot...although maybe that's a good time to try for some reason i'm not aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prospeeder Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I had the head of a bolt twist off, so i took all the rest off, and pried the manifold over the bolt, wich was easy, and then used some vice grips that were SOOOO tight, i mean i used chanell locks to lock the vices down, and it turned out with PB blaster, so really its not the end of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Some folks say warm isn't too bad but not when its hot.That give a better chance for threads to stick to the bolt and strip out. Back and forth many times untill you get that space enough to spray PB down there.Still,go back in if you have to often.Break the corrosion and and chipping. Lots of us already have the Heli-coil or Time-sert kit for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 if you get a stubborn one, heat up the head with a torch next to where the bolt is.. once its hot, spray from PB blaster around the bolt. (DONT BREATHE THE FUMES THE PB BLASTER WILL VAPORIZE) the heat helps suck the PB blaster into the threads. make sure you antiseize the hell out of the bolts when you put the intake back on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 yeah, they suck. i had to heli-coil 4 out of the 6 holes when i resealed my motor. i've gotten quite good at heli-coiling. my last car was from Vermont. yep you guessed it, EVERYTHING broke. lol check around at several shops and see what they use for rust penetrant. i found this stuff called "nutcracker" at a local stealership... this stuff's 10 times better than pb-blaster. just stop by a stealership and ask a mech if they use something better than pb-blaster to break down rust... if they got it they'll tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 you were lucky..my example ended up braking the bolt down into the engine case...a good idea just entered my head.. if you feel one bolt to be very stubborn ...then grind the head down and remove it by your method..... I had the head of a bolt twist off, so i took all the rest off, and pried the manifold over the bolt, wich was easy, and then used some vice grips that were SOOOO tight, i mean i used chanell locks to lock the vices down, and it turned out with PB blaster, so really its not the end of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Nobody mentioned "persuading" the bolt with some hammer taps... Otherwise, what the others have said. Heat-cycling the bolt area and penetrant oil, work the bolt slowly out then back in. Patience. I'm thinking of replacing with studs and o-rings on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born_a_Brat Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I GOOGLEd "nutcracker" ....no success. Is there another name? do you know the manufacturer? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petersubaru Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 I can't think of any other bolts on this model of car which has the potential to create a lot of problems... yeah, they suck. i had to heli-coil 4 out of the 6 holes when i resealed my motor. i've gotten quite good at heli-coiling. my last car was from Vermont. yep you guessed it, EVERYTHING broke. lol check around at several shops and see what they use for rust penetrant. i found this stuff called "nutcracker" at a local stealership... this stuff's 10 times better than pb-blaster. just stop by a stealership and ask a mech if they use something better than pb-blaster to break down rust... if they got it they'll tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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