BimmerJeeper

The 18mm lower nut.

Soaked in Kroil.
Tried a breaker bar.
Tried an 18V electric impact wrench.
Tried MAPP gas.

Doesn't budge.

Any creative ways to remove this nut?








Crappy AutoZone parts.

Installed this on my Cherokee in Dec.
Sheared right off in 6 weeks. (1000 miles?)

At least they replaced it for free, and it was a quick swap (2nd time is always a breeze)
I’m curious if the new one also breaks.

On the plus side, I learned that sway bars do actually work.
The last few days, when I hit a pothole, it felt like the Jeep was jumping obliquely.

OldTires

Soak it with PB blaster for about a week. Most likely the bolt will snap off and you will have to press out what it left. But give the PB a try first, maybe you get lucky.

If the bolt does snap, you can go the dealer and get replacements, or look for those quick disconnect kits that come with similar pins that replace that bolt.

RocketMouse

or heat maybe? Little torch action might help. Just a thought. Had to do that recently on a stubborn tie rod end.

XJlimitedx99

That bolt is splined and pressed into the swaybar mount. That could give you problems. Hammer doesn't work because the mount just bends instead of putting the energy into the bolt.

As far as the nut goes, you just need a bigger bar. I've never encountered a bolt I couldn't break or turn. I use a jack handle slid over my 1/2" drive bar and it usually does the trick.

Once I used my floor jack to turn the breaker bar to remove my leaf spring bolt. Miraculously, the captive nut didn't break.

jordan96xj

You basically already tried everything I would recommend. The good news is that is a pretty solid bolt, so you can get on it fairly hard without snapping it (not guaranteed of course).

Kroil is good stuff, don't forget to clean things up around the bolt with a wire brush or wheel to make sure the kroil can find a way in.

What you need in this case is instantaneous torque. Torque that is applied suddenly, which break bars don't do well. My first option would be a bigger impact gun, going in the tighten direction first, then reverse, then repeat a few times. Just to try and break the fuse between the nut and the bolt.

Without a bigger impact gun, my next option would be to find the shortest breaker bar I could find, with the shallowest 6 sided socket that would fit. Then use a small sledge to really give a good instant wack (in the tighten direction first, then the opposite). If the torque is applied suddenly enough, it tends to shatter the fuse between the nut and bolt. When the torque is applied gradually (like with a longer breaker bar) it tends to just twist the bolt right apart, especially if it is compromised already.

tech

You need to heat the nut until it is red hot and I mean glowing red hot then hit it with the 18V electric impact wrench.and it should come off .

RocketMouse

I agree with Jordan.... short of an impact... if you don't have access to a torch, or don't want to... The size of the breaker hasn't made that much of a difference for me in the past. But what is key... is how Jordan said.... you don't want to apply steady pressure... you want that quick motion to break it free from that fuse. And yes, sometimes going the direction to tighten first just a bit and then back the other direction really can help. Been there done that many times.

PatHenry

All of this is good advice. The only thing i'd add is when soaking it in penetrating oil (PB, Kroll, Liquid wrench) you want to tap the nut with a hammer.

If it were me (and I've done sway bar links several times - I had a TJ which had the worst design ever), I would:
1 - clean the exposed threads as best I could with a wire brush.
2 - Soak it in liquid wrench, tap it with a hammer.
3 - Drink a beer
4 - Repeat step 2, wait a bit, repeat step 2
5 - Try the breaker bar or Impact wrench
6 - If it's still stuck, repeat steps 2 and 3 then 5
7 - If it's still stuck, take a torch to it - heat it to red hot, put the breaker or impact on it right away. If it doesn't come off on the first try, try again. The goal with the heat is to get the metal to expand enough to separate.
8 - If that doesn't work after several passes, I'd very carefully, using a dremel or extremely carefully with a cutoff tool, cut into the nut enough to get a groove (basically close as I can before risking damage to the bolt), then I'd try to split the nut using a big screwdriver or punch with a hammer.

Good luck!

Ralph77

I don't have much faith in this working. I have one of these in my tool box. Never used it but would give it a try.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-nut-c...p-00904772000P

OldTires

Hey, that's a good idea, Ralph. It makes me also think of taking the small Dremel cutting wheel (if you have one) and making careful cuts until you split one side open. Then pry it with a screw driver.

Ralph77

It occurred to me that the nut might be to big but just checked and it is not. Again no idea if it would work. I own a Dremel tool too. I should have thought of that but I, myself, would be a little leery of using it. Not as steady as I used to be. Taking it down some or weakening the nut with the Dremel might let the nut cracker do its job though.

BimmerJeeper

Thanks for the ideas.

When I used MAPP, the nut did not turn red.
I had the heat for about a minute, and it was smoking (rubber).
How long does MAPP require to turn the nut red?

If I can't get it red, I will just take it to a shop.

Maybe I gave up too quickly.
Should just crank the 1/2" impact for like a minute?
Maybe it will slowly start to give, instead of instantly break free.

Cherojakee

Try paraffin wax. Clean the threads with wire brush. Heat one side of nut with torch. Remove heat and apply wax to other side. The heat wil draw the wax into the threads. Then apply breaker bar. I would try that before trying to cut the nut or taking it to shop.

PatHenry

You're definitely not heating it up enough. Don't be afraid to get that nut glowing red - if the rubber burns, it's not a big deal, you're replacing the bushings anyway and there's nothing there that you're not tossing that will be damaged by the heat.

s346k

you’re doing it wrong. 1 of 2 things will happen when you put a breaker bar on something.

1) it breaks loose
2) it breaks

if these aren’t your results, regroup and do it correctly.

edit: i have had the rare occasion where the socket breaks...sometimes the joint on the bar will break, a few times i’ve bent breaker bars altogether. rare occurrences but noteworthy nonetheless.