discopotato03 Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 Hi all , had a mongrel of a time yesterday removing the two body mount bolts to get one rear strut out . Breaking them lose wasn't the problem but obviously the bolts threaded sections are longer than the body's captive nuts and the exposed bit gets corrosion or dust/dirt on them . Can anyone please tell me if its possible to get at the exposed end of the bolts in situ to clean and lubricate them before removal . I'm concerned about breaking the bolts off part way out because the remains would not be easy to remove and you can't drive around on just one bolt . Even damaging the internal threads is not nice to contemplate . I still have one more side to go and don't want to screw it up . Any tricks here ? Cheers A . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 brute force has always been my modis operandi on those. i've never had them break...yet. go slow and take a break every now and again. if they're hard to turn they heat up very fast...which makes them expand. they'll be way too hot to touch by the time you get them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 You can take the inside plastic covers off and wire brush the ends. Then add your lube of choice. I've used my 1/2in breaker bar with extensions to get those suckers out. If you have access to a compressor and strong air ratchet, that would work best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Soak them with your favorite penetrating oil. Unscrew until stuck. Shoot a small shot of oil up the shaft of the bolt. screw back in. Unscew again, until stuck. Work back & forth 1/2 turn a few times. More oil. Repeat. Do this many times. Each time it will go a little further. Takes lots of patience, but is the least risk of breaking off. Good arm workout. For bolts the size of these, it's probably over cautious. The last time I used my impact wrench, checked that they were turning as I went, gave them the oil, no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 they can break if you are too brute with them. what are you using for tools. i find the best method outside of an impact is to use a 1/2" dr ratchet or breaker bar and enough extension to bring your tool outside of the wheel well, use a pipe for leverage. you dont want to turn the wrench faster than the bolt or it can twist off. use steady even torque and dont reef on the tool too fast. do noy use jerking or bouncing type forces against it. slow sand steady is the trick, and be sure to keep yout tool square on the bolt. soak in some pb blaster or other non-wd40 spray. turn the bolt out what you can untill it gets too tight, then work it back in, work it in and out, as you do this it will help to clean off the threads as it goes back and forth. spray the exposed threads as you do this. i learned that trick form stubborn semi trailer wheel studs! just take your time, it will give withthe right coaxing. don't force it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 You can take the inside plastic covers off and wire brush the ends. Then add your lube of choice.I've used my 1/2in breaker bar with extensions to get those suckers out. If you have access to a compressor and strong air ratchet, that would work best. The captive nuts do not extend into the cab at all. They are welded into the support bracket that lines the inner portion of the rear fender. If you clean all the crap in there, you can actually put you're finger behind the lip of that bracket and feel the captive nut and the end of the bolt protruding. Easy as pie to spray some lube back there. Or even heat with a torch if needed. make sure to pull the innterior plastic trim away form the body if you use heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 All of the above suggestions are correct. I tend to use an excellent rust penetrant (called Yield) or Kroil; both are better than PB Blaster. Spray the part of the bolt that extends out past the body well on the inside. Spray the portion coming out liberally also. Back and forth is the way to go; and patience. If you try to rush this job you'll break the bolt as well as get a charley horse in your arm. Good luck it can be done. On the re-install, run a tap through the nuts and use never-seeze grease on the NEW bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 The captive nuts do not extend into the cab at all. They are welded into the support bracket that lines the inner portion of the rear fender. If you clean all the crap in there, you can actually put you're finger behind the lip of that bracket and feel the captive nut and the end of the bolt protruding. Easy as pie to spray some lube back there. Or even heat with a torch if needed. make sure to pull the innterior plastic trim away form the body if you use heat. I couldnt remember if they did or not. Usually they are so covered in road grime/dirt, its hard to see anything in there and I usually have to chip away the crap on the bolt heads just to get a socket on. Guess I need to pay attention more next time I strip a EA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discopotato03 Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 Thanks all , The go ended up being working them in and out until they came all the way out . And yes I was using two long and one short 1/2 drive extensions to get outside the wheel arch . I also used Never Seize when I refitted them . I am 98% sure the thread is M14 x 1.25 (the bottom eye bolt is) and bought an intermediate tap so I can chase these captive nut threads in future . The struts will be removed in the near future for the Koni Coilover units I hope to have soon , this was just a trial of higher rated wagon springs ie 180 in/lb for 196 in/lb . Its works and increases roll stiffness but increases the ride height which I was expecting . BTW , plastic covers on the ends of the top bolts ? New one to me . I might dig around and see if I can rat up suitable high tensile bolts that are the correct length so that there are no exposed threads to corrode or get covered in dirt etc . Cheers A . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Soak them with your favorite penetrating oil. Unscrew until stuck. Shoot a small shot of oil up the shaft of the bolt. screw back in. Unscew again, until stuck. Work back & forth 1/2 turn a few times. More oil. Repeat. Do this many times. Each time it will go a little further. Takes lots of patience, but is the least risk of breaking off. Good arm workout. For bolts the size of these, it's probably over cautious. The last time I used my impact wrench, checked that they were turning as I went, gave them the oil, no problem. This is what I had to do, it takes a while, and you will get tired, but it does work. I was going to cut the bolts shorter before I put them back in but I realized that the may never be removed in the rest of the life of the car. I was amazed at how big of a bolt they used for shocks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertsubaru Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I just use an impact gun and lots of PB to help lube and cool the bolt as it comes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 These are a good reason to own a torch set. Bit of heat to the bracket - little bit of Yeild (my choice) and they will impact right out of there. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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