Switched from impact wrenches to breaker bars on stubborn suspension bolts

I used to just grab my Milwaukee 1/2 impact and go to town on rusted control arm bolts, but after snapping two of them last year on a Ram 2500 I started using a 24 inch breaker bar with PB Blaster first. Now I let the penetrating oil sit for 15 minutes and crack them manually before the impact even touches it. Has anyone else had better luck breaking loose rusted frame bolts this way?

4 comments

4 Comments

diana5122mo ago

Huh, have you tried heating the bolt head with a torch first before the PB Blaster? I mean, the heat kind of pulls the oil in deeper, and it's helped me on a few Ford trucks where nothing else worked.

tessa_murray2mo ago

Just torching it first can sometimes warp the metal and make everything worse.

miles_hall2mo ago

Hold on now, heating that bolt up before the PB Blaster can ACTUALLY do the opposite of what you think. I've seen guys on job sites cook the bolt so hot it expands and locks itself in even tighter, and then the penetrating oil has got nowhere to go because the threads are squeezed shut. Plus if you're working on anything aluminum like a transmission pan or a water pump housing, that torch will mess up the aluminum way before the steel bolt even gets warm. I'd rather just soak the thing in PB Blaster overnight and tap it with a hammer the next day, way less risk of cracking something expensive.

kelly6381mo agoMost Upvoted

Bring back the old trick of using a soldering iron instead of a torch. Something like a 100 watt iron pressed right on the bolt head heats it slow and even without blasting the surrounding metal. I've unstuck bolts on an old Chevy intake manifold that way without melting the gasket or warping anything around it. The heat soaks in deep but controlled, and you can follow it up with PB Blaster while the bolt is still warm. Way less risk of locking the threads tight or damaging something fragile.