Tips for giving away «stuck» fasteners

General information

Before starting to release, the stuck threaded fasteners should be saturated with penetrating oil for some time. Being absorbed, the oil softens corrosion deposits, which greatly facilitates the further procedure for unscrewing the nut or turning out the bolt / screw.

Corrosion deposits can also be destroyed by sharp hammer blows applied to the bolt head.

A convenient device for releasing stuck fasteners is an impact drive, which can be equipped with both an end head and a nozzle in the form of a screwdriver bit.

In particularly severe cases, warming up the body of the component into which the stubborn bolt / screw is screwed can help (or nut body) blowtorch, gas welding torch, etc. However, when heating components made of aluminum alloys, one should not forget that the melting point of aluminum is much lower than that of steel - do not overdo it.

If none of the above methods succeeds in releasing the stuck nut, you should carefully make a side notch on it with a hacksaw (parallel to the fastener axis), then break the nut with a chisel, being careful not to accidentally damage the threads of the bolt/stud.



If the bolt/stud is sheared flush with the surface of the component, a special extractor will be required to remove the stud - follow the manufacturer's instructions. Complete with extractors, a set of leroks and taps is usually attached (see accompanying illustration).


Damaged threads can then be repaired with appropriately sized taps or taps. If the thread in the mounting hole is damaged beyond repair, enlarge the hole with a drill, then cut a new thread in it with a suitable tap. Alternatively, if you want to keep the thread size the same, you can install a spiral insert into the hole.

Hairpins

The simplest method of turning a stud out is to lock two nuts on the free end of the stud (see accompanying illustration). Then the stud is turned out like a bolt, and the key is put on the bottom of the nuts.

In addition, there are many special tools for extracting studs - ask at auto parts stores.

Oil seals

Oil seals are usually removed by prying them out with a flat-blade screwdriver or other suitable tool. In doing so, some care must be taken not to damage the contact surface of the component in/on which the gland is mounted.

The oil seal to be replaced unequivocally can also be removed by screwing several self-tapping screws into its end surface. Then the gland is removed by the screws by grabbing their heads with pliers.

Before installing a new oil seal, be sure to lubricate its lips.


Unless otherwise specified in the instructions, the stuffing box is always installed with the jaws towards the sealed cavity. When dressing the stuffing box on the trunnions of the shafts, care should be taken not to damage its lips on the sharp edges of the keyways or splines. To do this, the dangerous part of the trunnion must be wrapped with tape.

The installation of a new oil seal is carried out using a wooden block, a socket head or a piece of pipe of a suitable diameter. Make sure that the lips of the stuffing box are located in a plane that is horizontal relative to the axis of the trunnion, otherwise the stuffing box may buckle, which will lead to the development of leaks. Unless otherwise specified, the gland should be flush with the outer surface of the respective component.

Gaskets

When separating two hermetically sealed components (e.g. cylinder head and block) do not insert a lever between their mating surfaces. This is a blunder and will cause permanent damage to the sealing surfaces, especially if the components are made of soft aluminum alloy.

Components can be dissected by tapping the perimeter of the joint with a soft-faced hammer, or with an ordinary hammer through a block of wood. Before installing a new gasket, both mating surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned of the material of the old gasket and traces of sealant.

Make sure that the replacement gasket matches the old one in its parameters and is correctly applied to the mounting and technological holes of the joined components.


Cork and paper gaskets are subject to shrinkage and must be soaked in water before installation after a long period of storage.

Bearings and bushings

If a special puller for extracting the bearing / bushing is not available, its equivalent can often be quite successfully made from improvised material.

Bearings can often be removed from their shafts/axles by gently tapping on opposite sides alternately (use a hammer and punch).

If no suitable press is available, the bushing can be installed by clamping it together with its component in a vise. A vise can also be used to remove the bushing. This will require spacers of suitable size, one of which should rest against the sleeve, and the second, larger size, against the surface of the component. Instead of a vice, you can use a large and fairly strong clamp here.

The simplest tool for extracting and installing bushings can be made from a long bolt, two washers (small and big), nuts and tubular spacer (see accompanying illustrations).






Rubber bushings and bushings installed in blind holes are removed using a special flared type bolt used by masons (Rawlbolt Loxin). Firmly seat a suitable bolt into the bushing. Screw it tightly into the sleeve. The bushing can now be removed by the bolt with a sliding-faced hammer or a pair of levers.

Blind hole bushings can also be removed using hydraulic force. After stuffing the hole in the bushing with grease, insert a fairly tight drift into the hole and start tapping it inward. In this case, the bushing under the action of hydraulic pressure will begin to come out of the hole.

Turning the crankshaft

There are many situations when it becomes necessary to rotate the crankshaft in order to bring it to a certain position (for example when setting the ignition timing, checking the valve timing, etc.).

To make the engine easier to crank, remove the spark plugs from the engine - this will relieve the compression pressure.

The easiest way to turn the crankshaft is with a socket head (driven) or a ring wrench, which should be worn on the crankshaft pulley nut. The shaft should be rotated in the direction of normal rotation.

On vehicles with a manual transmission, the engine can be cranked by shifting the transmission into a higher gear and pushing the vehicle. Alternatively, the car can be lifted off the ground and, by selecting the highest gear, turn one of the drive wheels forward manually.

Also, the crankshaft can be brought to the closest to the required position by short engagements of the starter. Then the position of the shaft is corrected by turning the crankshaft by the pulley nut.