Menu
What's new
By:
Advanced search...

STUCK BOLT - replacing front lower control arms.

A

antdad

Members
Messages
446
Reaction score
79
Location
Heathrow
Car
Tourer i-cdti 07
Thought I'd do it on a nice day but I'm not surprised, bolt is well an truly stuck inside the sleeve. I used plenty of heat to get it unscrewed from the captive nut but it's stuck with no room to drive it out. It's being soaked overnight in pentrating fluid but I doubt that'll work, do I have any other choice but to cut it out?

https://imgur.com/a/eowIT54
 
If you've got the other two arm bolts off can you get enough movement/angle in the arm to take some pressure off where the bolt is binding in the bush sleeve?
 
Thanks for your responses, thought I'd start with the easiest to access.

I used a jack under the arm to straighten things up and prevent any pinching but I believe it's stuck in the sleeve because it's heavily corroded. I needed a a breaker bar ( + 2m pole) after repeated heat treatments to unwind it from the captive nut but once free from that it just ripped the rubber surround from the housing. I melted some of the rubber off so I could attach a mole grip to prevent the insert from rotating and hopefully use the thread to unwind it from the sleeve but the grip couldn't hold.

I'm looking for replacement bolts atm from someone who can deliver...
 
I had the same problem with mine, heat, self locking grips and an impact gun pulsing on max was enough to knock it loose from the sleeve. how much heat have you used? autogen/oxyacetylene causes more rapid heat expansion than propane so that helped me immensely
 
mlkehunt said:
I had the same problem with mine, heat, self locking grips and an impact gun pulsing on max was enough to knock it loose from the sleeve. how much heat have you used? autogen/oxyacetylene causes more rapid heat expansion than propane so that helped me immensely
Click to expand...

That I can well believe, I only have MAPP and propane plumbers gas torches and it's a large bolt as you know so I only managed limited penetration. You gave me an idea about using a different set of grips though so I'll give it another go tommorow with an air gun.
 
Last edited:
If that doesn't work then as you say it's probably a matter of raising the arm enough to get a reciprocating saw blade in underneath it and cutting through the bolt if you can't get a hacksaw in.
You've been unlucky, I remember Adam from Holdcroft Honda describing this happening sometimes and giving them trouble. I suspect the resistance you encountered was from the sleeve rather than the captive nut, because fortunately for me my sleeves weren't corroded and the captive nuts themselves put up virtually no fight at all.
Holdcroft definitely do home delivery.
 
Thanks Sayama. Does TA still have a relationship with Holdcraft and can you post their details as all I seem to get is their ebay shop?

I've never used them before and these bolts look like a specialty item, I'm reasonably certain I'll have to cut through this and one of the other bolts too as this car I'm sure was once parked in the sea.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately Holdcroft's online site says not currently shipping by post so my mistake. Lings Honda say business as usual and Cox Honda say they ship essential stock but orders from Honda UK take longer.
My car was offroad for a week doing this job after the local the fastfit place I asked to replace the bushes managed to snap one of the arms. So it'll get you one way or another!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top