Front Suspension, Lower Arm, Hub Bolt Removal

[Frogmella]

I've been bashing about for some time trying to get the bolt out that connects the lower arm ball joint to the hub. (For strut removal).

It just won't budge AT ALL. Its been slavered in Plus Gas every day for three days before I even started and the various nuts have come off without a fight but this bolt isn't having any of it.

I'm working on my drive so access is limited as far as swinging hammers is concerned. The bolt head is corroded and none of my sockets seem to fit closely so I havent even been able to rotate it or knock it out with hammer and drift.

Does anyone have any helpful tips (I've ordered new nuts and bolts from Rimmers for reassembly)

[klarzy]

Originally Posted by Frogmella

I've been bashing about for some time trying to get the bolt out that connects the lower arm ball joint to the hub. (For strut removal).

It just won't budge AT ALL. Its been slavered in Plus Gas every day for three days before I even started and the various nuts have come off without a fight but this bolt isn't having any of it.

I'm working on my drive so access is limited as far as swinging hammers is concerned. The bolt head is corroded and none of my sockets seem to fit closely so I havent even been able to rotate it or knock it out with hammer and drift.

Does anyone have any helpful tips (I've ordered new nuts and bolts from Rimmers for reassembly)

grind the nut end off and hit it through with a drift...

you can also change the strut by compressing the spring, undoing the strut top at the rotary bearing (3 bolts), removing the 2 bolts holding the strut shaft to the hub arm and wiggling it out.... changed many a strut like this... much easier...

[Frogmella]

Originally Posted by klarzy

grind the nut end off and hit it through with a drift...

you can also change the strut by compressing the spring, undoing the strut top at the rotary bearing (3 bolts), removing the 2 bolts holding the strut shaft to the hub arm and wiggling it out.... changed many a strut like this... much easier...

Thanks for the reply.

Given that the protruding nut end of the bolt is freely exposed to the air (i.e. not stuck inside the suspension arm) how would grinding it off help? At least with it sticking out I have something to clout.

I can't/don't need to compress the spring because it's already broken hence the need to remove the strut. How do I compress the damper enough to get the bottom end out of the lower arm socket? Haynes talks about needing to hammer the bottom arm off the strut.

Sorry if the question sounds stupid, I'm quite inexperienced and have never worked on suspension before.

[klarzy]

If you grind the head off of the Bolt then you don't know if you can get the rest of the thickness through all of the hole if you grind off nut at least you know what you're trying to hammer out with a drift has been through the hole once before and will definitely push through if you can compress fully the strut because the spring is broken it makes life easier for you undo the three bolts on top of the straps that hold the rotary bearing this is done from inside the bonnet at the top of the strut hump over the wheel arch this will allow you to pull the inner part of the strut Down. once you've had done the two large bolts that hold the strut flange to the wheel at the Hub arm then you should be able to put us broad flatd screwdriver into the slot hammer a bit to open the slot up and then we pull the strut out and free it .fitting of a new Strut is a reverse but you will have to compress the spring before refitting

[Frogmella]

Originally Posted by klarzy

If you grind the head off of the Bolt then you don't know if you can get the rest of the thickness through all of the hole if you grind off nut at least you know what you're trying to hammer out with a drift has been through the hole once before and will definitely push through if you can compress fully the strut because the spring is broken it makes life easier for you undo the three bolts on top of the straps that hold the rotary bearing this is done from inside the bonnet at the top of the strut hump over the wheel arch this will allow you to pull the inner part of the strut Down. once you've had done the two large bolts that hold the strut flange to the wheel at the Hub arm then you should be able to put us broad flatd screwdriver into the slot hammer a bit to open the slot up and then we pull the strut out and free it .fitting of a new Strut is a reverse but you will have to compress the spring before refitting

Thanks again,

I don't think I have explained properly. I got the lower nut off fairly easily with a ratchet now there is a protrusing thread area where the nut was previously quietly corroding away. Despite Haynes saying "..tap out the bolt" a lump hammer and drift have been ineffective. This is partly because, on the drive, access is restricted and so I can't get much swing on the hammer, I'm tickling it really. But now I think about it I should probably just put the nut back on the bolt so its level with the end of the thread then I'd have a larger area to smack.

However....

I just found out that I also cannot undo the single bolt that holds the strut bottom. As I said in my OP it has been drowned in Plus Gas for the last three days. I tried an 400Nm Clarke mains electric impact wrench and it still won't move at all, bolt head edges starting to go.

It all looks so easy in the Haynes manual.

[klarzy]

Originally Posted by Frogmella

Thanks again,

I don't think I have explained properly. I got the lower nut off fairly easily with a ratchet now there is a protrusing thread area where the nut was previously quietly corroding away. Despite Haynes saying "..tap out the bolt" a lump hammer and drift have been ineffective. This is partly because, on the drive, access is restricted and so I can't get much swing on the hammer, I'm tickling it really. But now I think about it I should probably just put the nut back on the bolt so its level with the end of the thread then I'd have a larger area to smack.

However....

I just found out that I also cannot undo the single bolt that holds the strut bottom. As I said in my OP it has been drowned in Plus Gas for the last three days. I tried an 400Nm Clarke mains electric impact wrench and it still won't move at all, bolt head edges starting to go.

It all looks so easy in the Haynes manual.

Pop the nut back on apart from a couple of threads and hit the nut...

[macafee2]

get a hot air gun they type used for stripping paint. heat the hub casting around the bolt for some 5 minutes. yes a good 5 minutes. Try to avoid pointing the heat at the rubber of the ball joint. With nut back on bolt so there is only a couple of mm between nut and casting, hit nut...hard.

used this method on both sides of my car, worked a treat

another member had this problem and removed the whole suspension leg, cut through the bolt via the slot in the arm then hammed out the shaft of the bolt, I think it was the head end seized, but one end came out easily the other did not

macafee2

[Frogmella]

Originally Posted by macafee2

get a hot air gun they type used for stripping paint. heat the hub casting around the bolt for some 5 minutes. yes a good 5 minutes. Try to avoid pointing the heat at the rubber of the ball joint. With nut back on bolt so there is only a couple of mm between nut and casting, hit nut...hard.

used this method on both sides of my car, worked a treat

another member had this problem and removed the whole suspension leg, cut through the bolt via the slot in the arm then hammed out the shaft of the bolt, I think it was the head end seized, but one end came out easily the other did not

macafee2

I've got a paint stripper so I'll give this a try tomorrow, only problem I see is getting enough access to hit it hard enough.

Thanks for the tip!

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by Frogmella

I've got a paint stripper so I'll give this a try tomorrow, only problem I see is getting enough access to hit it hard enough.

Thanks for the tip!

I think you will need to put the steering on full lock. A heavy hammer will help..... with the bolt not putting steering on full lock.

macafee2

[Frogmella]

Can an impact wrench shear-off a bolt top? Or is the hammer action too brief to do that?