'94 Escort, rear drum brakes, frozen adjusting nut

[Farshid]

Hi folks.
I'm new to car repair and to this forum. I'm trying to check and possibly change the rear brake pads, but the adjusting nuts (neither wheel) will not budge.
Guidance please.
Thanks.

[GTP Dad]

They may be frozen due to either rust or dirt. Take the drums off and spray them with brake cleaner. If it is dirt they should move. If they are rusted you will need to remove them and spray them with WD 40 or other penetrating oil. (Do not spray them while they are on the car unless you cover the shoes. Any WD 40 on the shoes will ruin the shoes.) Or you can buy new ones. This is common especially if there was no anti-sieze put on them when they were assembled.

[Farshid]

Thanks GTP Dad.

I should have explained the porblem more clearly and listed the unsuccessful steps I've taken so far. Here goes:

Problem:
The frozen nut is the one in the center, it goes on the spindle and holds the drum in place. On one wheel it is rusted on the other it is as clean and shiny as can be, it seems no anti-sieze was used when these nuts were put in place and tightened.

Unsuccessful attempts...
I used both WD40 and penetrating oil to no avail. The shoes and the braking surface are not exposed, so I doubt they got contaminated.

Would appreciate any further help...

[Jet-Lee]

2 words: plasma...cutter

j/k, don't do that...sorry dude, can't help...GTP Dad took the words from my mouth...

[Jet-Lee]

what about a BIG socket and a cheater bar? Just torque it off...

[Farshid]

Hi Jet-Lee.

The tools I've used so far:

A regular socket (with a 1/2" drive hole). Since I only have 3/8" cheap ratchet, I used a F3/8" to M1/2" adapter. I used my floor jack handle as a cheater bar. I tried to turn it by hand, also stood on it! Nothing! I could not even tickle the nut, let alone loosen it.

By BIG socket do you mean a longer one? I've seen these deep, black vanadium sockets at my local auto parts store. Would you also recomend a 1/2" drive ratchet? Or do I just go out and rent or buy a compressor and an impact wrench?

Farshid

[Jet-Lee]

Originally Posted by Farshid

By BIG socket do you mean a longer one? I've seen these deep, black vanadium sockets at my local auto parts store. Would you also recomend a 1/2" drive ratchet?

Farshid

Sorry, meant "BIG ratchet" but I changed my mind now, reading your post, to "a good sized, 1/2" drive, breaker bar...with a cheater bar"...How's that?

*EDIT* - Use Craftsman, that way you can jump on it, and if the breaker bar breaks, you can take it back for a new one. Craftsman doesn't care HOW you break their tools, if it's broke, it gets replaced for free.

[GTP Dad]

Question for you! What year is this car anyway? On most of the spindle nuts of recent memory there is a small tab that is bent inward into a slot that holds this nut from turning. Look at the nut and you can easily see this tab. Take a round punch and drive it up so that it is even with the spindle. If you try to turn it without bending this up no breaker bar in the world will remove it. Also there is a penetrating lube called PB Blaster, if the nut is truly rusted on this stuff will free it. It is a catalyst that reacts with the rust to loosen it. Good Luck!

[Farshid]

It's a '94. You are correct about the bent tab, I had taken care of that. The nuts are frozen.
I will try PB Blaster + a breaker bar.

Thank you GTP Dad and Jet-Lee.

[Jet-Lee]

I'd completely forgotten about the tab...I guess I just assumed that it was already punched out/up...Good call...

[Farshid]

Hi guys.

Clarification:
The tab was never a problem, I got that out of the way before trying to loosen the nut.

I have tried with a 1/2" drive, 18" long, and the nut will not budge, in fact the whole structure will bend, I do not want to break the spindle before I loosen the nut. PB blast did not work either.

I'll keep trying, and I post the results if I'm successful. In the mean time, I would welcome any other ideas.

[GTP Dad]

Why are you removing this nut anyway? Are you having bearing problems? You really don't need to remove this to work on the brakes. To remove the drum just remove the two screws that hold the drum in place and hit it with a hammer. You don't need to remove the spindle nut to do this!

[catback23]

You can always take the car to someone with an air impact wrench, they'll get that spindle nut off in one quick pull of the trigger.

[Farshid]

Got it!

Thank y'all for the suggestions.

GTP Dad:
In the beginning I thought the two screws hold the drum too; but they don't, at least not in this car, they might do that in other cars, that is what the Chilton Manual says too. It is the spindle nut holding the drum. When I first told my friend that the two screws just seem to fill the hole and do not much else, she laughed her head off, but now she owes me a nice dinner!

Jet-Lee and catback23:
It took a big 3/4"drive, 18" long P L U S my 280Lb friend standing on it, but it finally came off!

[Jet-Lee]

hehehe....now how are you going to re-torque it back on? Good job though