Spent $40 on a breaker bar and still snapped a bolt off in my control arm

Bought a cheap Pittsburgh breaker bar from Harbor Freight thinking it'd save me money, but the bolt was rusted so bad I ended up snapping it clean off and had to drill it out anyway. Anyone else had a $40 lesson turn into a $100 problem with extraction tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_thomas872d ago

Did you try using a torch on it first, or did you just go full Hulk mode on that poor bolt @ryanhayes? lol I've definitely learned the hard way that $40 lesson turns into a $200 problem faster than you can say "extraction kit".

ryanhayes2d ago

Wait, did you actually use a breaker bar to try and loosen a rusted bolt, or did you just crank on it until something gave? I mean, breaker bars are for breaking torque not for snapping bolts. If the bolt was that rusted, you probably should have hit it with penetrating oil first and let it sit overnight. Idk, maybe it's just me, but I've never had a Pittsburgh bar snap on me. I broke a socket once but that was my fault for using a cheap impact socket on a stuck lug nut. You sure the bolt didn't just give out because it was already rusted through? A good breaker bar won't fix a bolt that's been corroded for years.