Cannot remove stuck strut bolts

[icantfixcars]

The two bolts at the bottom of my struts are basically glued to the knuckle. Please help I am at my wits end.

Hi I am pretty new to any kind of car repair. I bought this car because it was supposedly easy to work on and cheap, The suspension failed and the mechanics diagnosed it as needing front struts and control arms replaced. It was very expensive to get them professionally replaced but online videos made it seem pretty simple, lol. I impact wrenched the knuts off no problem on both passenger and drivers side, but when I tried to hammer the bolts out like the guy in the video they just would not budge one teenth of an inch, in the video it took a few weak swings with a hammer to knock them right out. I don’t know what to do most of the videos and forums are of rusted on knuts or rusted in bolts but I don’t know if mine are rusted or just that the flanged head is pressed so hard in its fused to the strut. This is extremely frustrating, any suggestion I see is to use some tool I don’t have like a torch (maybe?) or a cutting tool which makes me very nervous of making the bolt even more stuck. From my hammering I have blunted the ends of the bolts a bit but the knuts still thread back ok. Please please help I cannot afford to take my daily driver in for the expensive repair. I already spent beyond my budget on decent quick struts.

Thank you

[aleekat]

Try soaking in a penetrating oil like PBlaster, etc.

[maxwedge]

I've had this happen in my shop. Huge pita. Up on a lift, nut back on the end of the threads, heat the knuckle near where the bolts go thru, not cherry red, this is where they usually freeze up, not in the strut. Then try and turn the bolt, while you hit the nut side. As aleekat said try and get on blaster in around the knuckle, let it sit overnite, wipe off the excess.

[icantfixcars]

Thanks, I’ve soaked it in basically wd-40 overnight, is pb blaster specialized for this kind of thing? I hear about it all the time from other times I’ve looked at forums when I get stuck lol, but I’ve also seen ‘wd-40 will do in a pinch’. I don’t have anything to heat, would a cheap butane torch be ok? I don’t hear about heat guns I assume they would be too weak?

[maxwedge]

Wd 40 is not for rusted bolts, pb blaster is used. My advice at this point you may need help with this, a real torch is required to get enough heat. Do you have a air powered impact gun, a battery powered one may not be strong enough to turn a a frozen bolt, while trying to back it out. No other way short of removing the entire assy.

[icantfixcars]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Wd 40 is not for rusted bolts, pb blaster is used. My advice at this point you may need help with this, a real torch is required to get enough heat. Do you have a air powered impact gun, a battery powered one may not be strong enough to turn a a frozen bolt, while trying to back it out. No other way short of removing the entire assy.

I’ll try pb blaster than first as it should be a more suitable fluid, I have been using an air impact wrench but while it zipped the knuts out easy it won’t even turn the bolts in the knuckle, I hear that the way they are textured and flanged makes that unlikely until you knock them at least partially out. Thanks, at this point it could still be cheap enough to rent a torch.

If I have to cut the bolt I don’t see how that wouldn’t make it worse, where would I cut?

[maxwedge]

Where would you cut it, you cannot reach the area where they are frozen, in the knuckle.

[icantfixcars]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Where would you cut it, you cannot reach the area where they are frozen, in the knuckle.

Thats why I was confused by the suggestion, if I can’t unstick it with my modest means I’ll take it in before I start cutting anything, I was thinking I could detach the knuckle and bring it down with the strut and work on it that way or if i can’t get it off still just replace the knuckle part too but that opens up further oppurtunities to get stuck plus the cost of two new parts. Thanks for all your help

[maxwedge]

Any shop should be able to get them apart with more HD tools.

[icantfixcars]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Any shop should be able to get them apart with more HD tools.

Managed to get them off just by hitting them with a lot of the pb blaster, never used it before didnt realize how much of a difference it would make. Struts are on now.

[aleekat]

Thanks for the Update.

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by icantfixcars

Managed to get them off just by hitting them with a lot of the pb blaster, never used it before didnt realize how much of a difference it would make. Struts are on now.

Whew, good news.