God darn it!!!! My maxima is never nice to anymore. Last time i had both rear calipers seize up on me. Exhaust has all sorts of parts patched and replaced. Rear quarters are showing rust now.
its a 98 maxima with 130k, been in chicagoland area all its life. I did lowering springs for it about 8 years, rode around for a year and then put on the stock stuff to give the car to my father.
So one of the rear shocks blow, no big deal. I crawl under to see which one and how much work to remove it. Looks like i just need a 17mm for the lower bolt to the knuckle and the 2 x12mm on the tops. Order the parts thinking simple 1-2 hour job.
charge up my air compressor on my IR impact, holy crap! that thing is stuck on there! It won't give. Spray PB blaster and 30 minutes later, i go with the method of blast it on and off repeatly. Doesn't work. I go with all out force to remove it, NOTHING. Pulled out the 3 foot breaker bar NOTHING! I tried the other side and same thing but that bolt has rusted so bad its more like a 18-19mm head now.
3 hours now. I'm done for the day. I'm thinking of trying to go with MAP/P gas torch or take it to the shop. I have the quick strut unit already. I figure i'll get charged 200 bucks for this (an hour each)
Sorry, I know it looks like i am the new stalker, but, I think I can make this one short, and be of help, I hope so anyway,
I would tear a strip of cloth say 2 and 1/2" wide, 6" long, and carefully wrap it around the nut, then I would tie the cloth loosely but firmly with some thin copper wire, twist the knotted ends, one around the nut, one around the protruding bolt end, sort of a sock, making a hat that slips on and off easy, Also one on the other shock bolt if it is rusty too, then place a plastic bucket directly under that, or them,
Find a heat source like hot solder gun, or house hold heater with not fan, or heat lamp, I only want to hold the heat source close to warm up the sock,
Then I would check my laundry and bathroom, for drain cleaner, ( Caustic Soda ) buy it at the local shop, 1/4 cup of cool water, and a 1/2 spoon of caustic, gently mix with s/s spoon and drip feed from the spoon onto sock until the sock is saturated, and slowly dripping into the bucket, /s
Use the heat source ( not oxy, or flame heat ) to heat warm the bolt from the other end, that will warm the cold water and the caustic soaked in the sock will begin reacting, and you will have a very warm caustic soda bath,
Let it sit while adding an occasional drop of cold caustic, slow drip is good, hot sock is good too, but dont touch the soaked sock, with bare hands,
Give 30 mins, and carefully pull the sock back with pliers and check all rust, grease, crap previously on there has been burnt, if the hole area around the nut area under the sock has turned blackish, one might assume the fully rusted nut surface at the back of the nut has almost dissolved and at the protruding bolt end, the reacting caustic solution has saturated at least half along the bolt inside the nut, dissolving the rust as it goes,
Replace sock, and drip feed for another hour, remove sock, do not try to wire brush clean any caustic soda saturated black stuff, one tiny bit on your skin, will absorb onto skin, and burn with increasing bit until you cannot bear it, and you will run for the nearest clean or dirty water to wash it off, imagine if a bit flicks in your eye,
Once you are ready, remove sock, and stand the little hat in plastic bucket, just in case you need it again, ,
Move the bucket and the remaining cold caustic cup and spoon out of the way, then I would suggest you use a 17mm x 19mm solid and long ring spanner, sidchrome or some quality tool metal, that fitted the nut properly, pointing the other end (19mm) of the ring spanner down under the car, pointing at the ground, then place my foot on and around the centre of the spanner, apply pressure so the spanner could not bounce off, and while using one hand to hold onto the under body of the car to steady myself, with my other hand I would take a 2-3 foot long swing at the 19mm end of the spanner. On the horizontal plain, under the car,
With 10" long length of 4" x 2" hard wood, I would hit so hard that if I held pressure on it with my hand, the shock wave caused would hurt my hand, but not enough to hurt my booted foot, which is not enough to break the ring spanner,
I would be surprised if it did not crack and move first time, and in shock if I have to give 4 swings, if it is not cracked by then I will do the sock soaked caustic thing again,
The nut could need to be removed by adjusting the spanner quickly with one hand and tapping with the weight of the wood with the other hand, until it was nearly screwed off, it is only tight cause the thread and bolt thread is packed tight with wet dissolved rust dust, which grinds to powder as it unscrews,
Wash the bolt clean with a wet oily rag, gently, it comes off easy, soak nut and washers in clean water, dry and oil them, they will show visible oxidation quickly,
If you want to paint the part or nut after you rinse off the spent caustic soda ash, and let dry, paint them quickly, as the caustic cleans metal so well, it will quickly start showing signs of oxidization,
The left over caustic in the cup that was keep cold, can be placed in a plastic cup or container, small, with a tight lid, along with a hand full of rusty nuts and bolts, and place it in the hot sun, every hour give it a shake, a few hours later , shake well and open and check all steel is clean of all oxidation removed, flush under tap, dry with hairdryer, dust off with clean rag, and paint with etch primer, or 2 pack,
Please use gloves and safety clothing, full face mask, and have a hose with fresh water ready, Hope that helps,
I have used caustic wraps on 4 and 8 nuts used in heavy earth moving, rusty nuts, 8 hyd ram lock nuts, once soaked in caustic if they need it, , I use a 12 18 long flogging spanner, and a large sledge hammer, to remove and tighten big nuts, and at times I have just flame cut a flogging spanner out of 5/8 or 1 plate, in the bush miles from anywhere, small generator for die and angle grinders, blar blar, cheaper than buying a new factory spanner,
Also while I have you here crying because I will never shut up, I have got to mention I have seen heaps of great projects on this forum, with heaps of dirty car parts, that have to be cleaned, partly rusty suspension arms, stripped engine blocks, half thick coating of engine paint, half rusty thick coating, the lot.
I suggest you consider this approach and method,
Say a four cylinder engine block just stripped down, filthy with baked oil stains , rusty patches the lot, and or rusty shock bracket , but a good thick plastic tube with good clip on plastic lid,
Place the tub where it will be safe and have good ventilation and good prolonged sunlight, for days,
Fill the tube with water to cover the parts and add 6 spoons of caustic soda, and close it up, even drill holes in each corner and bolt the lid on if you think the kids or animals will come near it, let it heat up a bit, later in the day check to see the caustic solution is active and moving around the tub, lift out parts with long hook and inspect, replace lid, repeat check each day, until caustic is spent into harmless dirty water soda ash, and parts are clean, hose with garden, if you find any bit rust or paint, or caked rust in a water gallery, or caked carbon in a exhaust port or manifold, let it dry and back in the caustic tube until it falls off,
And when it is super clean using the garden hose, heat dry it asap, run your finger over it to ensure not grease film and dry, paint what you have to, or coat with half petrol half oil, paint brush or spray bottle,
Roll up and store in clean cloth ready to be refitted, or delivered to machine shop, clean as,
Sorry too long, but I cant share in under 30 words,
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