For those who have experienced rusty bolt removal

Ken Cook on Fri Jun 26, 2020 5:22 pm

Over the past two weeks mainly on the weekends, I have tried to remove the O2 sensor from my vehicle. What's nice about my vehicle is that it has 4 of them and they're just a pain in the rear end to remove. I've been soaking with Kano penetrating every day I come home. I've heated with a propane torch and then got my MC tank for plumbing and tried that. I used a muffler chisel, I heated and tried the melted wax, I tried 6 different O2 sockets. Mind you, there all in the worst position and place possible. It's as if one planned this. I had a dozen style of vise grips and to no avail this one was going to be the one that broke me. My son has a lot more patience for this stuff. I had enough last weekend and was preparing for the first time in my driving career to actually take it to a mechanic. Mainly due to my time schedule. My son bought this tool and it's just impressive. It got hot fast. I had Map gas on this thing for nearly 20 minutes and couldn't get it as hot as what this tool did in 10 minutes. Not too mention you don't have to worry about burning other wires hanging in the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=f2A8no15Ep0&feature=emb_title

rsv1cox on Fri Jun 26, 2020 5:37 pm

But did you get it off Ken?

Sounds like you tried everything that I would. Never heard of that tool.

My go to is a 1/2" drive air tool set at 100 psi but you can't get it everywhere. Ratchet, ratchet, knock, knock - either the nut/bolt gives or you do. Rounded, out comes the Saws-all.

BTW, looks like one of those attachments would fit a Cox cylinder just fine.

Ken Cook on Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:16 pm

My son got it off, however he also got hit in the lip with a piece of metal from the air chisel which cut it him a bit. He was so happy and I have to admit so was I. The coil turned that area literally white in just a few minutes. It was very impressive.

Oldenginerod on Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:07 pm

Nice tool. I find that freeze spray works pretty well. I was doubtful at first, but the good quality stuff works remarkably well. It shrinks the metal to compress the rust, and as it expands again, breaks free the threads.

If replaceng an 02 sensor, I just cut off the wires and slip a ring spanner (What do you guys call it?) over the sensor. Normally does the job, although over here we don't have to contend with salt-rusted cars. If access is the problem, just drop the engine pipe(s).

**Cribbs74** on Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:56 pm

Interesting Ken,

Heating the bung instead of the sensor might have yielded quicker results, or maybe that’s what you did? I am surprised the oxy/acetylene torch didn’t do the trick.

The joys of living in the rust belt. I certainly don’t miss it when I hear stories like this. I regularly works nuts and bolts that have been on a vehicle 50yrs and they come off as if they were installed yesterday. Do you guys have safety/emission inspections up there in PA?

Anyway, neat tool and I am certainly glad you were able to break it free. I probably would have got fed up and dropped the exhaust and cut it out. Although if that was hard to break free then I bet the rest of the nut/bolts holding the exhaust on would have been just as stubborn.!

Ron

Mark Boesen on Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:51 pm

marvelous mystery oil and acetone 1:1 makes a great penetrating oil.

Ken Cook on Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:03 am

Ron, I do have access to a oxy acetylene torch but not at my house. I tried propane, I tried map and I also used my plumbers acetylene only torch. Everything surrounding the area acted like a heat sink and wouldn't get the area hot. It was so tight between the frame rail and other obstructions, you barely could get vise grips on it. I really didn't want to disturb the exhaust. My mechanic buddy suggested that lowering the exhaust might be my only option. He also mentioned drilling a new hole in the pipe and welding a new bung within it.
I was going to weld a nut onto the old sensor if this tool didn't work. It really amazes me just how frozen nuts and bolts can get. We do have safety and emission inspections and they're quite strict.

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