Section : General

Sticky Nuts 

Posted By : Ben Duckett, 24-Sep-2003, 07:29pm

I've got a nasty problem with a nut that has rusted solid onto a shaft. I have tried WD40, hacksawing it, hitting with a chisel and extremely large hammer all to no avail. Anyone got any suggestions as my car is in bits on the drive
Cheers in advance,
Ben

• Sticky Nuts 

  Posted By : Jason Chinn, 24-Sep-2003, 09:05pm

  I know this sounds daft but is it a nut or the head of a bolt - ie it won't come off ever!
  Assuming it is a nut and assuming that access is a problem (otherwise you would have just sawn it off!) have you tried some heat? Lots of heat? Then quenching to provise some thermal shock? Where/what is this nut

  • Sticky Nuts 

    Posted By : Ben Duckett, 25-Sep-2003, 10:58am

    The thing is actually the nut not the bolt. It is the locking nut for the steering rod arm on my Golf which has rusted solid. I am a bit reticent to saw through it as I don't want to damage the thread on the arm itself. I'm going to borrow a blow lamp and heat the thing until it glows and then put it in some cold water. Quite what that will do I don't know but I'm sick of lying on my drive with people wandering past sniggering. Why oh why didn't I pay for the garage to do it?

    • Sticky Nuts 

      Posted By : John Davies, 29-Sep-2003, 00:49am

      Ben,
      I'm all in favour of the flame to deal with all such problems - see previous correspondence on stuck sump plugs - but a little caution is needed. Heating to red heat then quenching changes the 'temper' of the part - the relative stiffness/brittleness - towards stiff and brittle. Not good for a major steering component.
      
      The point of heat is thermal expansion. A solid rod, or bolt will expand less than a ring or nut, so when heated a nut will be looser than when cold. Heating to red heat is unnecessary - until the penetrating oil boils and bubbles is quite enough. Quenching it really has no advantage, though many will do so with penetrating oil to try and get that to, er, penetrate.
      And always try tightening the nut first - this can crush corrosion and allow a litlle movement. Then wiggle the spanner back & forth, more and more, until you can wind it off. If the nut begins to squeal, STOP, back off, apply more penetrating oil and try again. The squeal means that the nut is so tight on the bolt that it is siezing, and the strain on the bolt will soon break it.
      Finally, try a nut splitter?

      • Sticky Nuts 

        Posted By : Adrian Lee, 29-Sep-2003, 09:17am

        Well said John................no arguments this time!!!!!!!!

        • Sticky Nuts 

          Posted By : Ben Duckett, 29-Sep-2003, 06:24pm

          Thanks for the suggestions. I eventually got the nut off by sawing through it far further than I initially wanted to and bending/snapping the two halves apart with two pairs of mole grips. The next trick was to get the new gaiter over the lip of the sleeve. That involved lying on the floor and fiddling around a lot. Can I suggest the Haynes manuals adopt a 'Skinned Knuckle and Curse Rating'? That job was definitely high up on that scale!
          Ben

          • Sticky Nuts 

            Posted By : Philip Brammer, 29-Sep-2003, 08:06pm

            Hi all, sorry to jump in, but I'm a great believer in the application of heat (oxy-acetylene) on stuck nuts. There isn't an exhaust fitter who has not needed the use of a torch and not for welding! I served my motor mechanics time saving time, and by that I mean saving the customer money and me a telling off! Nyloc nuts you replace anyway and the secret is to Never allow anything to get cherry red! BUT the other secret is knowing when to give in with a cold nut before the damn thing rounds off. Judicious use of a torch gives miraculous results.
            Other secrets are using a ball joint splitter as a last resort. The application of two 2lb hammers simultainiously each side of the taper usually works quickly and easily. Also removing a steering wheel on a taper can usually be achieved by pushing the top and pulling the bottom and vise versa whilst pulling hard. works for me!
            Another time saving tip, don't bother undoing the wheel nuts prior to jacking up, use a half inch socket and long extention bar and put the socket on the wheel nut. Use the bar to work the wheel one way then the other. The inertia of the wheel will soon have the nut loose and undone. ALWAYS use a chalk or wax marker to mark the stud and stud hole so the wheel goes back the same to retain the balance. Some wheels are balanced on the car. Same goes for the drum.
            
            Any other tips out there? Always looking for new methods to try.
            Thanx for the ear.