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Stuck bolt

I brought my 1997 Dodge Intrepid into the shop for new rear struts. They could not do the job because they could not remove the lower bolts (the one that run parallel to the ground). He told me that he broke 2 stainless sockets.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks.

Reply to
JHI
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This may not sound helpful but I would suggest that you spray a lot of WD40 on them on one day and then bring them to someone else (another mechanic) the next day. Some are better at turning wrenches than others. Also, who knows (?) , maybe the mechanic was in a hurry to get out of work and exagerated about the broken sockets. I would take it to another shop after you soak it a day in the WD40

Reply to
stevefrench

penetrating oil, air tools, finally just cut the mother off and replace it. I haven't a clue what the lower shock bolt on an Intrepid looks like, but it surely is just a standard bolt and nut like what I'd consider a "normal" car?

If it's *not* normal, how about a nut splitter and then chase the threads with a rethreading die?

Can someone clue me in as to what is so difficult about the lower shock bolt on an Intrepid? I'm a little amazed that a mechanic would actually say that he couldn't do a job because he couldn't get a bolt loose. (well, unless it threaded into a blind hole in cast iron... those *can* be problematic.)

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

WD-40 sucks, use a real penetrating oil like Kroil or Wuerth Rost Off. PB Blaster works OK, just not as well as the other two (but you're more likely to find it in a store)

WD-40 is great for cleaning locks and stuff and for drying out your distributor cap... but as a penetrating oil I've never had much luck with it...

nate

stevefrench wrote:

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Stainless steel is not particularly strong for this kind of work. Hardened steel sockets particularly ones designed for air impact guns and made from chrome molybdenum steel are what you use.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

I would recommend you find a garage that a) uses real tools and b) isn't totally full of shit.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

JHI wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Thanks to all,

Reply to
JHI

I'm coming a bit late to the coversation but...

I use to work for a Dodge dealer and I don't recall Intrepid rear strut replacement being that hard.. Anyways in cases of stuck bolts.

I usually do the following:

  1. Good quality 1/2" Impact Wrench and impact sockets

Failing that:

  1. Heat up the area around the bolt with a torch.. (CAREFUL!) and try the impact again.
  2. PB Blaster that soaks for a day
  3. Air hammer on the bolt itself to try and dislodge it.. Usually destroy it.. (See an example here:
    formatting link
    Weld a nut onto clean metal after making a mess of the bolt6. Drill it out & Retap. Now, what I REALLY think happened is your tech is flat rated and gets paid for his 1.2 hours (or whatever it is) for the job.. Problem bolts are a productivity killer.

I was once working on a Cadillac Allante 4.1L with Digital Dash and loads of electronics and had to weld a nut onto a broken water pump bolt to get it out. The water pump job had a flat rate time of something like 2 hours.. It took the better part of a day.

__________________ Note: To reply, replace the word 'spam' embedded in return address with 'mail'. N37.3 W122.0

Reply to
Barry S.

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