Hey guys, I managed to round the edges on a nut, and now my socket set just keeps slipping. The nut is the one that holds the metal braket to the car, that the upper control arms attach to. I need to get it of quickly to...anyone got any bright ideas how I can do it without distroying th bolt? Cheers, Michael.
Its a 15mm nut, and theres not much room to move about in there... I'm gonna try a pair of vice grips again, but thought i'd have a break for a while and see if there was another way that would leave some skin on my knuckles
Well, 14mm was a perfect fit, but I stupidly used an imperial first of that was a little to big, which started to strip in, then by the time I uses a 14mm that it was supposed to take it just killed it. pretty much no nice edges on it anymore
If you can get a pair of stilsons onto it properly, you will get it off. There has never been a rounded nut or stuck stud which I haven't been able to remove with quality stilsons.
If you can put a ring spanner on it, in the gaps where the nut has rounded, put some nails in there. My Pop did it on a sump plug once.
METRINCH !!!!!!! This is where you REALLY need a set of the metrich sockets and spanners - they will even work on rounded nuts and bolts !!! not cheap - but very much worth it IMHO see if anyone you know has a set and use them tomorrow - a full set of impact 1/2 inch drive sockets is only about $90 last time I checked.
1st question is your socket a 6 side socket or a 12 side socket if it is a 12 side one try a 6 side that might work or try a metrench or i no it costs a lot snap on have some awsome gear that is designed to get you out of this kinda problem short of that i dont no
Hammer and Cold chisiel haha nah dont do that!!... Id prolly start with some crc, leave it for a while. . .then get a GOOD QUALITY set of multigrips, vice grips or stilsons and give it a good heave ho! that should do it! ryan
Yeah I got a metric set aswell, ,tried using diferent ones, but it was no good. I just spent the last 30 mins heating it up and tapping the nut to see if I can loosen it. Have used a tonne of crc to, but that didn't help much either. Gonna leave it for tonight, sprayed heaps of crc on it, and will let it sit till tomrrow. I think I'll just keep trying to heat it up and tap at it with a chisel till it gives. Just need the little sucker off!
Those bolts are 80-95ft lb and are just dam hard to undo anyway. Try using a long handle ratchet spanner, and remove the control arm to give yourself more room, if you have not already done so.
The nut thats stuck is the bottom right hand one. I tried taking the control arm off, but the bolt that hold it(the one closer to the body of the car) won't come all the way out as the angles are all wrong and it gets jammed up against the body. Plus theres not enough room in there to get a good stilson, as the suspension and everything gets in the road for any good leverage... plus multi grips just keep slipping and chewing up the nut... I'll try and get them on really tight again tomrrow morning and see how it goes...its the only one too!!!
exactly same thing happened with me when i tried puting my adjustables in...i did one side than the mechanic did the other one which i could take the bolt off. what he did is fully rounded the thing and hamered in a smaller socket...than with a rattle gun it came off. Try hamering in a socket that is a REALLY tight fit, and get a rattle gun, dont think you will be able to take it off even if u get a socket onto that sucka.
Those bolts are spot weilded to a plate on the engine bay side, which is held on by yet another plastic screw,low on the wheel arch in the engine bay If you damage one bolt you have to replace both as a unite. The plate that holds them, also stops them rotateing when your undoing or doing them up, the hole thing comes out in one piece, from the engine bay side. I striped,rounded the same nut on the side as you have, no way could i get it of, so i ended up cutting it of with a dremel. It was quite easy to make up a new bolt set including the connecting plate. I hope you dont have to do the same. Good luck.
Go to a tool shop and ask for a nut cracker(splitter) to fit the sized nut your dealing with. They look a bit like a ring spanner with a bolt screwed into the ring, and a chisel on the end of the bolt inside the ring. You put the nut cracker over the nut and start winding in the bolt till the nut has been split. Have seen them for sale at super cheap.
