Changed my mind about using a breaker bar on those rusty Ohio bolts

I always used a big cheater pipe for stuck suspension bolts, but a guy at the shop said to try a 1/2 inch impact first after soaking it in PB Blaster for 15 minutes. Tried it on a 2007 Silverado control arm bolt and it came right out without the risk of breaking my socket. What's your go-to method for really stuck hardware?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley86014d ago

That cheater pipe method always felt like a last resort. My neighbor swears by heating the bolt with a torch for a few seconds right after the PB Blaster soaks in. Says the heat pulls the oil right into the threads. Never tried it myself but he gets stuff loose that looks totally welded on.

the_kai13d ago

Yeah that heat trick is a game changer for sure. I was working on an old truck's exhaust manifold and nothing was moving until I hit it with a torch for like ten seconds. The PB Blaster just bubbled right into the threads and it came loose with a normal ratchet.