Dealing with rusted and corroded bolts, parts, etc...

[Ffrog]

Was wondering what others use for dealing with rusted and/or corroded parts that are stubborn to separate or loosen? There are several types of lubricates and grim eaters, as well as using heat with them.

I know PB Blaster is often recommended, but I've wondered if CLR would also do a decent job on removing rust and corrosion. Other then potentially damaging paint or finish, which may sometimes not be a concern anyways, would CLR work fine?

[sim1manson]

I think the toughest thing CLR can remove is lime scale. I don't think it works well on rust(I've never seen it advertised as a rust remover).
PB works well. Sometimes you need to work the nut or bolt back & fourth, spraying it every couple back & fourths.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by sim1manson

I think the toughest thing CLR can remove is lime scale. I don't think it works well on rust(I've never seen it advertised as a rust remover).
.

CLR has rust removal right in the name.
Calcium Lime Rust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_Lime_Rust

CLR is okay if you can immerse your rusty parts in a container of CLR. But it does not cling well to parts on a vehicle, so its of limited use.
Rust-dissolving lubricants like "Liquid Wrench" dissolve rust, lubricate parts and cling to surfaces, and work better.

[sim1manson]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

CLR has rust removal right in the name.
Calcium Lime Rust.

Lol, sorry for the misinformation. Thank you MagicRat.

[LadyMe]

I'm going to second that PB Blaster recommendation. It's the best product for rusted/corroded bolts that I've used.

The first time I used it... I had this rusted bolt I couldn't get off. I tried a variety of things for over a week. It was in the worse place (couldn't even cut it off). I was on the verge of attempting to drill it out when I sprayed it down with PB Blaster - that thing was off 5 minutes later. There's my PB Blaster commercial.

I have used CLR in my heater coil to help clean out the dirt & grime... it works pretty good for that (but I agree with MagicRat - I think if you use CLR you will need to immerse what you want to clean). I also have Liquid Wrench - but I don't think it works anywhere near as well as PB Blaster because I had tried it on that afore mentioned rusty bolt and it made zero impact.