i stink at working on cars...

[T2urtle]

Well maybe its me, maybe its the nissans i work on or maybe its the mid-west weather.

Last couple cars i've wrenched on just doesn't go SMOOTHLY at all. Things break into 2. Bolts are rusted to crap and i cant turn them.

I've attempted to remove 2 wheel speed sensors, only to snap off that 10mm bolt holding it on and then when removing the sensor, 1/2 the sensor is still in the hub.

Suspension bolts are seized onto the bushings. So now i have to torch on and possibly replace the bolt and bushing.

Frozen slide pins and seized calipers on the rears, that wont twist in.

Belt tensioner that i loosened the locking nut and then on quick turn to adjust it and snap goes the threaded bolt that does the adjustments.

This is just a BAD BAD year for me. I'm ready to just sell my tools so i'm not tempted to wrench no more, but i know in the long run i still save some cheddar wrenching on my own cars.

 

[Bignate603]

99% of the effort when working on cars is getting the parts on or off. Everything else is easy.

I'm moving pretty soon into a house with a real garage. A compressor, impact wrench, and torch are all high on my list just to help me get stuck bolts unstuck without snapping them.

Are you using a good penetrating oil before you try to do the work? If you have the time you can start soaking everything down a week or so ahead of time.

 

[SonicIce]

pretty typical combination of the salty roads and lame build quality of modern cars

 

[T2urtle]

Are you using a good penetrating oil before you try to do the work? If you have the time you can start soaking everything down a week or so ahead of time.

I normally dont. Once i notice bolt is stuck then i apply and move to the other side.

I have the compressor and impact. Been thinking about a hand torch and air hammer. I had to borrow a friends last time to punch out a CV shaft. That CV shaft was stuck on both ends.



Everytime i go out there in my head its a .5- 1.0 hour job with NO issues. It then turns into a 6-8 hour task that included a trip to the parts store. like simple swaybar endlinks, i ended up have to buy a cutoff wheel and went at it because the bolt connecting the link to control arm kept spinning with nothing to grab on to. I just wanted to replace ONE torn rubber bushing for that.

I wonder tho, had i taken to a shop and they couldn't get it off, would they of told me "oh we need to replace the whole thing but you have to get it done because you cant drive away like this"

 

[njmodi]

This sounds like what I went through every time I did anything on the front end or brake-related (e-brake cables included) on my Maxima...

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

PB Blaster. Every time, all the time. Spray it over a few bolts you know your going to remove. Go do something else for 5-15 minutes, come back and life is MUCH easier. Seriously. I broke a tonne of bolts on my silver MR2 before I got smart and bought PB Blaster. Theres just no reason not too. And to save having to use it on the bolts that you already replaced, use some antisieze.
These are just two key 'tools' that are required for any midwest car.

 

[Bignate603]

I normally dont. Once i notice bolt is stuck then i apply and move to the other side.

If you know you're going to be working on something ahead of time you should hose the bolts down with penetrating oil (Like somebody else mentioned, PB blaster works well). Do it days in advance and reapply multiple times. It will make life much easier.

 

[Throckmorton]

I stopped working on my Jeep. It's not worth the effort and I can't afford to fix the things I break. Better to just not maintain it and let it die slowly. When it dies I'll take the bus.

 

[manimal]

PB Blaster. Every time, all the time.

This



shoot it with some squirrel piss!

 

[overst33r]

pretty typical combination of the salty roads and lame build quality of modern cars

Are you saying older cars had better build quality?

 

[Bignate603]

Are you saying older cars had better build quality?

People often say that older stuff was built better but from my experience it's not really true. Some older stuff was built heavier which sometimes helps. Big hunks of metal are stronger than parts that have been better optimized for weight but typically the older stuff rusts just as bad, if not worse, than the newer stuff.

 

[jlee]

People often say that older stuff was built better but from my experience it's not really true. Some older stuff was built heavier which sometimes helps. Big hunks of metal are stronger than parts that have been better optimized for weight but typically the older stuff rusts just as bad, if not worse, than the newer stuff.

I'm so happy to have a desert truck. 265k miles and the VIN sticker is still on the frame!

 

[Squisher]

I'll be the first to admit that I think PB Blaster and its ilk are snake oil, yet I continue to use something similar all the time. When faced with a rusted nut or bolt I always clean as much of the rust off as I can with a wire brush first. A little elbow grease or one of those 3" wire brush wheels on a drill motor usually do the trick.

A lot of issues with breaking stuff free comes from feel and you're only going to get that from experience. Often a quick and sudden motion is the magic that you need to break stuff loose. Wimpy slow turns just make things worse. It also never hurts to bang stuff judiciously with a hammer first to loosen stuff up, just like opening a jar of pickles. Heating with a torch and then allowing to cool can also be the way to go before you break something.

By-the-way, someone here posted a study of penetrating oils here like a year or two ago and a homemade mix of 1:1 automatic transmission fluid and acetone blew away every commercially available penetrating oil out there. Like I said, I don't really believe in the stuff, but I still use it, just in case I'm wrong.

 

[IcePickFreak]

If a bolt gives me any trouble, I go right for the torch. I'l even heat up the brake bleeders on 10+ years of WI winters on them with good success. The little propane canister ones will work in a pinch, but if your going to be doing much work at all I'd suggest a cutting torch as it's just all around handy to have.

I can't imagine living in an area with no winters/salt.. that makes me want to sell my tools and not wrench anymore lol. In some parallel universe I'm still under a rusted-to-hell car in below freezing weather, a big gash on at least one finger bleeding profusely but you can't even feel it since your hands (and tools) are frozen because it's so cold, and a rusted bolt with no room to easily get at it and more rust falling in your face.

 

[Bignate603]

If a bolt gives me any trouble, I go right for the torch. I'l even heat up the brake bleeders on 10+ years of WI winters on them with good success. The little propane canister ones will work in a pinch, but if your going to be doing much work at all I'd suggest a cutting torch as it's just all around handy to have.

I can't imagine living in an area with no winters/salt.. that makes me want to sell my tools and not wrench anymore lol. In some parallel universe I'm still under a rusted-to-hell car in below freezing weather, a big gash on at least one finger bleeding profusely but you can't even feel it since your hands (and tools) are frozen because it's so cold, and a rusted bolt with no room to easily get at it and more rust falling in your face.

Rust is why I always wear eye protection now. Getting that crap in your eyes hurts.

 

[T2urtle]

Rust is why I always wear eye protection now. Getting that crap in your eyes hurts.

Been there done that.

I'm going to get me one those little plumber propane torches. Hopefully that would be my best weapon.

I've been wrenching randomly for the past 5 years. But 2012 has just kicked my butt more. And there wasn't much of a winter.

I will be declining a lot more offers to work on peoples cars now.

TapaTalking

 

[Throckmorton]

I'll be the first to admit that I think PB Blaster and its ilk are snake oil, yet I continue to use something similar all the time. When faced with a rusted nut or bolt I always clean as much of the rust off as I can with a wire brush first. A little elbow grease or one of those 3" wire brush wheels on a drill motor usually do the trick.

A lot of issues with breaking stuff free comes from feel and you're only going to get that from experience. Often a quick and sudden motion is the magic that you need to break stuff loose. Wimpy slow turns just make things worse. It also never hurts to bang stuff judiciously with a hammer first to loosen stuff up, just like opening a jar of pickles. Heating with a torch and then allowing to cool can also be the way to go before you break something.

By-the-way, someone here posted a study of penetrating oils here like a year or two ago and a homemade mix of 1:1 automatic transmission fluid and acetone blew away every commercially available penetrating oil out there. Like I said, I don't really believe in the stuff, but I still use it, just in case I'm wrong.

Once I used silicone spray instead of PB. I don't know if it worked or not. I figured since it's non toxic I could spray it everywhere. I think they actually mix acetone with the silicone, so it's not really non toxic, but the acetone evaporates.

 

[JCH13]

Once I used silicone spray instead of PB. I don't know if it worked or not. I figured since it's non toxic I could spray it everywhere. I think they actually mix acetone with the silicone, so it's not really non toxic, but the acetone evaporates.

Not sure if silicone is a good base for a penetrating lubricant, but I know it will royally screw up paint/body bits if it gets on them.

I really like Kroil over PB Blaster, seems to work a bit better.

 

[LTC8K6]

Silicone spray can screw up the sensors on your engine, too. I recommend keeping it well away from your car.

 

[Doppel]

Well maybe its me, maybe its the nissans i work on or maybe its the mid-west weather.

Last couple cars i've wrenched on just doesn't go SMOOTHLY at all. Things break into 2. Bolts are rusted to crap and i cant turn them.

I've attempted to remove 2 wheel speed sensors, only to snap off that 10mm bolt holding it on and then when removing the sensor, 1/2 the sensor is still in the hub.

Suspension bolts are seized onto the bushings. So now i have to torch on and possibly replace the bolt and bushing.

Frozen slide pins and seized calipers on the rears, that wont twist in.

Belt tensioner that i loosened the locking nut and then on quick turn to adjust it and snap goes the threaded bolt that does the adjustments.

This is just a BAD BAD year for me. I'm ready to just sell my tools so i'm not tempted to wrench no more, but i know in the long run i still save some cheddar wrenching on my own cars.

This is one of the main reasons I am driving new cars right now. I hate paying for mechanics to do what I can do but on the other hand having only two cars it seemed like most of my jobs (brakes notwithstanding) were novel in some capacity; I didn't get to do the same job multiple times often (and second time around things are way quicker), so each time was some new seized up bolt to worry about. Plus, working on a car in the winter with grime on the garage floor and/or dripping off the car just sucks no matter what.

I'll be the first to admit that I think PB Blaster and its ilk are snake oil

I've never, ever had that stuff work in any capacity I've tried. I think it works, just very, very slowly. Torque always works, even if by God it breaks the head off the bolt

 

[jlee]

This is one of the main reasons I am driving new cars right now. I hate paying for mechanics to do what I can do but on the other hand having only two cars it seemed like most of my jobs (brakes notwithstanding) were novel in some capacity; I didn't get to do the same job multiple times often (and second time around things are way quicker), so each time was some new seized up bolt to worry about. Plus, working on a car in the winter with grime on the garage floor and/or dripping off the car just sucks no matter what.I've never, ever had that stuff work in any capacity I've tried. I think it works, just very, very slowly. Torque always works, even if by God it breaks the head off the bolt

Really? The next time you have a bolt that's coming out ridiculously slowly, squirt some down inside. It makes a huge difference.

 

[JCH13]

Really? The next time you have a bolt that's coming out ridiculously slowly, squirt some down inside. It makes a huge difference.

Try to loosen the bolt, try to tighten the bolt, add a little heat, squirt on some oil, let it cool, squirt a little more oil on, try to tighten again, then try to loosen. Rinse and repeat as needed. Magic happens and the bolt comes out.

 

[mvbighead]

A blow torch... yet another thing to add to my auto repair arsenal.

The stuck bolt on a shock yesterday was really, really stuck. Cheater bar back to impact back to cheater back to impact, spray with oil, repeat repeat repeat.

I wonder if heat would've helped a bunch?

 

[Squisher]

I think a lot of you would be surprised at how hot you can get a bolt with MAPP gas.

We're not looking for phase changes to the steel, just expansion and contraction.

 

[mvbighead]

So I take it a little propane guy won't cut it?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...d=10053&langId=-1&keyword=torch&storeId=10051