The rear bolt on my lower control arm is the only bolt that won't budge. I sprayed it with WD40 but still no luck. I have a 12v torque wrench intended to remove wheel lug nuts I thought might help but I am a bit concerned it might break the bolt. Has anyone tried this type of torque wrench or is it too sketchy to even try?

12v torque wrench

 

I wouldn't use an impact wrench. I doubt the one you show would take it out anyways.

I have removed dozens of rear control arm bolts, and the only times I spun the captive nut in the frame was using an impact wrench.

That bolt is tightened to something like 72 lb-ft PLUS 180 degrees of rotation. Very tight.

I would use a breaker bar with a pipe on it if necessary and go slowly. If the captive nut spins in its cage, the work suddenly becomes a lot more involved.

Find the place where the bolt comes through and spray it with Liquid Wrench or PB Blaster or Aerokroil and let it sit overnight.

Usually it starts spinning, but then gets hard again as the excess threads that were past the nut start to go through the nut. If those threads are corroded they will jam in the nut.

Steve

 

X2, use a Johnson bar and piece of pipe or floor jack handle.








floor jack handle is handy ,if you have one

Piece of pipe for extra leverage

 

Thanks for the replies. I will follow your advice.

Is it a good idea to actually tighten the bolt slightly once it's been sprayed and work it back and forth a little or is it best to just back it out ?

 

First I would spray the area with Kroil. It's expensive but works way better than PB blaster.
Let it sit for a good part of the day or overnight for best results.
Yes you should tighten first. Your idea is correct. Take your time, don't rush it.

 

Agreed, tighten then loosen, repeat and squirt more penetrating oil in there, it’s messing but better then having to cut the cage and the bolt.
It’s easy in a lift but a PITA in jack stands !

Some reading , whilst you let the oil soak that nut and bolt!

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cutti...&client=safari

 

Soak the nut/bolt with penetrating oil after you heat it up a bit with a torch, it will help the oil move through the threads, keep soaking it and let it sit overnight to thoroughly get in the threads then soak some more before you start to help lube the rusted threads as they go through the nut, tighten/loosen as you work it out , takes time but helps.

 

Worst case is use a saw cut the bolt out get the nut out of it's cage and go to a dealership to get new nut and bolt (part numbers in the parts number thread https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/comm...rt-numbers-68/)

 

Well that didn't go well. I sprayed the bolts liberally several times and let it soak overnight. Today I tired to turn one bolt a little then tired to back it out a little. Nothing moved so I tried again. This time it seemed to back
out just a bit, I think, maybe not. Turned the bar a bit further and it fell apart. This is a 3/8" drive so it's probably why it broke. I looked at a 1/2" drive and it doesn't seem much sturdier. A 3/4" drive bar is a lot more money so I might as well just take it to a garage. I am doing this on jack stands and I don't see how it's possible to get at the captured nut to cut it if that was an option.


t

 

You don't actually cut out the captured nut.

You use a hammer and cold chisel to break the 3 (I think) spotwelds holding the cage to the frame.

First you have to cut the bolt. Unfortunately, the head is in a slightly recessed area so you cant just run an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel along the surface under the bolt head. I had to make two angled cuts in the bolt head facing each other. After that "V" shaped piece fell out, a cold chisel whack knocked the rest of the head off.

I bought the bolt from the dealer. A new caged nut assembly can't really be welded on because there isn't enough room. I just bought a flanged metric nut (14mm I think) and held it in place with a box end wrench while tightening the bolt. Also a LOT of anti-seize on the nut and bolt threads.

Is this the driver side or the passenger side? The driver side has more stuff in the way, I had to use an offset box end wrench cut in half (it was too long).

Don't give up on the breaker bar. Get a good 1/2" breaker bar and impact socket. That's what I use, sometimes with a piece of pipe for more leverage.

Steve