Frozen Bolts

[Ozzie Oswald]

I don't know if this is true but worth giving it a try:

I have been told that a mix of 50% ATF (transmission fluid) and 50% acetone is better for loosening frozen bolts than WD40 , Liquid Wrench or several other things. I don't know if this is true but could be another of these internet lies.

 

[hifi_hokie]

It's been discussed here (and a lot of other places), but I've yet to try it.

After breaking a caliper bolt using WD40, I went to Kroil and never looked back...PB Blaster also has its devotees.

Welcome to GJ, btw!

 

[Matt018]

Ive heard of it aswell, but why not just use a can of penetraling oil? Also an impact works really well on rusted bolts.

 

[Outlawmws]

It has a good rep, but it is hard to keep it mixed, so if you mix some up, shake well before using. basically the very thin Acetone is supposed to be carrying the ATF where is wouldn't ordinarily go.

 

[bobcatdan]

I like kroila nd if that fails, torch. Every member here should own a torch.

 

[CudaChick1968]

An old taper candle and a torch works too.

 

[zakmartin]

I wouldn't want to accidentally get acetone on my paint. I don't know if there's a chemical reaction that makes it inert when you add the ATF, but I'm not sure if I'd like to risk it. I like Liquid Wrench Penetrating Oil. I find it works better than PBlaster.

 

[91bronc300]

Every member here should own a torch.

That's the truth, but I want one of those induction heaters made for rusty bolts. I don't have the money for one though.

I've been wanting for awhile to mix up some ATF and acetone and fill a Sure Shot with it. Haven't gotten around to buying a Sure Shot either though. I don't have the cash for a lot of things actually.

Nothing beats heat for getting a stubborn fastener loose, in my case though it also usually burns up some wires or a bushing.

ATF and acetone is so cheap though. Maybe you could mix it up and use it out of an oil squirt can.

 

[2mJps]

I Have fighting rusty bolt and junk sense i could walk. Has anyone ever used the pennzoil spray? I dont know if they make it anymore? I was in a parts store one day and they were closeing it out cheap i got a can and sprayed it on my jeeps choke cable i had drownded the cable in every thing i had for about 6 months.You could hardly use it.I sparyed it with the pennzoil stuff and pushed it in when i went to pull it back out it pulled so easy it thought it brook.

 

[dj spanners]

That's the truth, but I want one of those induction heaters made for rusty bolts. I don't have the money for one though.

my snappy dealer showed me one of these electric heaters for rusty bolts,
he didn't have anything rusty to demo it so he chose to heat up an old 3/8dr main gear, it was glowing cherry red in around 20/25 seconds, i was gob smacked at the speed of this thing, but at around uk £550 it'll have to be another day but i want one

 

[buffalobill]

kroil is very good, and you can use it to clean your 22's and lube your air tools as well. they have a lot of other cool products too, if you buy it directly from them, they will send you some pamphlets on it, along with some obviously biased "tech tips'.

 

[bobcatdan]

Kroils tech tips are good reading for the crapper.

 

[hickmlg09]

I don't know if this is true but worth giving it a try:

I have been told that a mix of 50% ATF (transmission fluid) and 50% acetone is better for loosening frozen bolts than WD40 , Liquid Wrench or several other things. I don't know if this is true but could be another of these internet lies.

Liquid wrench works awesome!

 

[efoster01]

+1 for kroil here as well. Whe I was a youngster in my dads shop I remember KO "knocker-loose-juice". Had a gorilla on the can, I always remember it working well but I have never been able to find it.

 

[greasemonkey44]

kroil is usually what i use; fantastic stuff
normally heat is what you need to free up a really frozen bolt, not a spray

 

[justanengineer]

Im a big fan of Liquid Wrench and Marvel Mystery Oil...

 

[pop pop]

Hot ATF. If it leaks from every transmission, you know it will penetrate rust.

 

[JMcFly]

I hope Kroil has a special for the holidays coming up. I'd like to order some to have on hand

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

kroil. and a mapp torch. mapp torches should get the part hot enough to help free it up. Time also helps. soak the part with a good penetrating oil. (kroil, pb blaster, liquid wrench ect...) Generally I find that you dont need the heat of a oxy, acetylene torch. and if you do generally you will either damage the part or weaken it so much that its useless.

Good Luck

 

[DodgeMech]

Working at a dodge dealer I have access to two great rust penetrators...MP50(basically mopar's version of wd40) and mopar rust penetrant...I've yet to meet a stuck bolt that won't move after soaking in one of these...

 

[Lotek]

WD40 is a lousy penetrating oil imho, I don't use it for much more than cleaning crud off of things that brake cleaner wil damage, Kroil, GM heat riser penetrant, PB Blaster, this really nasty stuff in an old can that I have had for years, no idea what it is, it has taken all the paint off the can, probably toxic..., but you get the idea, if it won't harm paint, it isn't going to do squat to rust. I have used the atf mix and candle wax, both work well with heat, but all of the above are flammable, even the WD40, so take care.

 

[Zeke]

I tried the ATF thing with acetone. Put some in a jar and dropped a sticky/rusty all steel caster in it. No change after a week. I think Kroil or PB Blaster is much better.

Especially with heat. And I can get it in a handy spray can.

 

[cfaas416]

+10 on Kroil....that stuff ceases to amaze me. If seen it put on bolts that have been outside exposed to the elements of a refinery for over 30 years and they broke like butter. Simply good stuff.

 

[bcradio]

+10 on Kroil....that stuff ceases to amaze me.

I'm sorry it doesn't amaze you anymore.

 

[Inkncraig]

I buy kroil by the gallon. It smell great too.

 

[FiendFX]

I'm sorry it doesn't amaze you anymore.

Full of ceases...

 

[RCStocker]

WD40 is a light weight oil It is not a penetrating oil. I personaly seldom use it. I spray it on my tools and then wipe them off. That is about all I use it for.

Years ago the penetrating oils really worked very well. I still have some cans of it after 40 years and I don't know who makes it anymore.

 

[fredybender]

Taken off "tractor forum" by a member called TMM
He has done his homework... Its to demonstrate that ATF / Acetone is not all that good...



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a while back, i heard that ATF/acetone mix was a great bolt-buster. so, i made some and used it, but was suspicious of how well it actually worked. so, i decided to make my own test! i decided to test:

PB bolt-blaster
WD-40
SuperTech "Lubricant" (knockoff WD-40)
ATF/Acetone

i used 1/4-20 bolts and nuts that i etched in acid and rusted for several weeks, and then i screwed then together and rusted them for another couple weeks. i used saltwater, rain water, sun, heat, etc. each group had three bolts each.

then i submerged and soaked the four contestants (leaving out a control group of course!) in their corresponding fluids for 8 days. using my torque wrench, i measured the torque required to break the bolts free. the results are surprising!

here are some photos:

RESULTS (all numbers in foot-pounds):

Control group:
20
30 to shear
30 to shear

WD-40

28
30
30

ST "Lubricant"

20
28
26

PB Blaster

30 to shear
30 to shear
30 to loosen nut

ATF/acetone

30 to shear
30 to shear
30 to loosen and turn with extreme noise and resistance


I was very surprised to see that PB worked no better than the control group or the magic ATF/acetone potion! it is also the most expensive out of all that i tested. ST "Lubricant" was the cheapest fluid, and also the most effective. WD-40 did a decent job, but smelled the best.

i could only get so accurate of a reading from my wrench, so i would say that these numbers are accurate within 2 foot-pounds. i also wish i used larger bolts, so there wouldn't be as high a chance of shearing the bolt by twisting it. honestly i didn't even think of that happening!

another interesting observation is that the ATF and acetone did not mix. i shook it every day, trying to get it to mix, but they stayed separated just like oil and water, so this is an interesting this to keep in mind! if you think you're soaking a seized piston with ATF and acetone, you might as well just be using ATF, since that's what sinks to the bottom.

this was a fun experiment with some interesting results. if i feel up to it and if enough people are interested, i might use this 1/2-13 threaded rod and nuts that i found lying around in my shop, in addition to any other magic potions or products that someone might want me to try.

enjoy

tmm

 

[pugs]

Liquidwrench or some Schaeffers Penetro 90

Smoking wrench always works..... One way or the other!

 

[Shadowdog500]

+1 for Kroil here as well. I buy it by the gallon.

ATF and acetone does work well.

WD40 is a good water displacer but don't really work great as a penetrating oil.

I keep a propane touch and a candle handy. Hit the bolt with a little heat, then touch it with the candle, the bolt usually comes fight off.

There was a study done by Machinist's Workshop magazine in their April 2007 issue that tested different penetrating oils to see which one did the best job of removing a rusted bolt by measuring the torque required to loosen the bolt once treated.

Here's the summary of the test results:

Penetrating oil ..... Average load

None ...................... 516 pounds
WD-40 ................... 238 pounds
PB Blaster .............. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ...... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............. 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds

Chris

 

[fredybender]

There was a study done by Machinist's Workshop magazine in their April 2007 issue that tested different penetrating oils to see which one did the best job of removing a rusted bolt by measuring the torque required to loosen the bolt once treated.

Here's the summary of the test results:

Penetrating oil ..... Average load

None ...................... 516 pounds
WD-40 ................... 238 pounds
PB Blaster .............. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ...... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............. 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds

Chris

Look at the pictures and the documented specs TMM made in my above post...
I tend to believe real looking posts like TMM's ...
The numbers you have are all over the net, and I'm a bit sceptical on those...

 

[pipsters]

Look at the pictures and the documented specs TMM made in my above post...
I tend to believe real looking posts like TMM's ...
The numbers you have are all over the net, and I'm a bit sceptical on those...

Agreed

 

[bitbycarbug]

Look at the pictures and the documented specs TMM made in my above post...
I tend to believe real looking posts like TMM's ...
The numbers you have are all over the net, and I'm a bit sceptical on those...

Why would he pre-rust them, then screw them together, then rust them again?

Wouldn't a more real life scenario be to use rust them after they were together?

If a nut or bolt is already rusty to the point where the threads are rusty, I'm not using it.

Impacts are nice too for rusty bolts.

 

[dragonballz]

What are your opinions on "BG in-force"? I've used it in 2 of the shops ive worked in. I dont really know if i would have gotten the bolt loose if i didnt spray it.

 

[ATC]

Taken off "tractor forum" by a member called TMM
He has done his homework... Its to demonstrate that ATF / Acetone is not all that good...


...snip...

While I admire his ambition to perform a test like that....I don't think any of it can be portrayed as fact. In the real world, EVERY old/rusty bolt/nut you run across is completely different. I've had 2 identical bolts no more than 2" from each other act completely different. One took a 1/2" breaker bar and ended up shearing it. The other one eased out with nothing more than a 3/8" ratchet...

 

[shurik06_83]

diesel fuel will beat the pants off almost any magical can oil u can buy