Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: bappy on 14 September 2008, 12:24:53
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Hi Guys,
I'm having a fight with my miggy...
I'm trying to replace drivers side wishbone, I've got the 2 big-ass 21mm bolt out of the top of the wishbone but cannot, to save my life, undo the 18mm one around the ball joint.
I've sheared a halfrauds pro 12" 3/8 driver, snapped the inside of a 72 tooth 3/8 ratchet and finally exploded my 3/8 socket.
btw the bolt has been soaking in wd40 for days
I borrowed a bunch of 1/2" drive sets and found a 1/2" 18mm socket. made an extension bar up 4 foot long to get enough leverage and actually turned the socket around the head of the bolt!
I've hit it with a hammer and drift very hard several times, the only thing I haven't tried is a blowtorch which I don't want to do around the brake lines...
I cannot get this bolt undone. Ideas? It's not left hand thread is it???
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No its not a left hand thread, have you rounded off the bolt head
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mostly yes...
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Best bet m8 is to protect brake lines as best you can and get out there with the blow torch :( :(
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If the bolt head has been rounded off is there any way you can get a smaller socket eg 17mm or 5/8 on the bolt with a bit of persuasion
If you want to go the blowtorch route you could remove the brake calliper & tie it up out of the way
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If the bolt head has been rounded off is there any way you can get a smaller socket eg 17mm or 5/8 on the bolt with a bit of persuasion
You could try but doubtful. Plusgas far better than WD. A bit late now seeing as you need car tomoorow. Still think best option is the torch then persuader and cold chisel but you`re still gonne need a new bolt. :( :(
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ok thanks guys.
I'm gonna take caliper off and have a go at the nut on the other side. might have to drill/grind it off. I may try blow torching... my guess is that if the bolt head has rusted on I might be able to undo the nut.
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hi guys,
got the caliper off and the nut off on that side... still can't get the wishbone out... the bolt wont budge even whallopping it with a hammer from the nut-side. is the whole knuckle holdery bit all threaded too?
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hi guys,
got the caliper off and the nut off on that side... still can't get the wishbone out... the bolt wont budge even whallopping it with a hammer from the nut-side. is the whole knuckle holdery bit all threaded too?
No its not
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ok, decided to have a look in haynes manual... said something about removing drop links to ease pressure? thats weird... I've removed pressure by lifting the hub with a spare jack... this is still doing no good as the chewed 18mm bolt is holding proper fast on the knuckle. gonna try blowtorching now if no one else has any ideas??
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Have you tried winding it out or is the bolt head completely furbered?
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Look at the rear of the pinch point for the ball joint you will see a slot, spray plenty of plus gas here......then tap the bolt out whilst trying to tunr it from the other end.
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this is the king pin clamp pinch bolt we are talking about if i understand it. The bolt runs through the clamp and the slot in the king pin/ball joint, so the pin can not be removed with out the bolt being removed first. It may be that the pin is interfearing with the bolt? Is there 3mill of pin( or so) sticking out the top of the clamp? If not may be worth a minor wack either up or down to free the bolt?
You could try opening up the clamp with cold chisel or wedge shared drift and see if the pin will move up or down a mill or so, you should be able to get
a long punch on to the top of the pin, or wack the wish bone from under side.
If it aint that i would put it back together until you can get a new bolt and drill the head off later. Hth
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In my experience heat will remove any nut if you get it glowing red. Oxyacetylene would be the preferred weapon , not sure a blow torch could generate enough heat for a really stubbon nut.
Taking the caliper off should give you much easier access if my memory serves me well.
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As said above you have to get the bolt out to pull the balljoint down and out. Opening up the gap with a cold chisel helps a lot. On one I did the thread of the bolt had eaten into the balljoint stub - that one unscrewed out - but that shouldn't normally be necessary.
I'd try tapping the balljoint up to loosen things off before driving the bolt out.
For the record I think you really need a six sided impact socket and an impact wrench to get that 18mm bolt off first time.
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Coming to this thread late, but hope this might help.
The bolt and shank of the bolt will be severely rusted in, as said before spray with Plus Gas or if you don't have any try dowsing it with paraffin and 3 in one oil - or mix up some engine oil and paraffin etc.(plus gas is essentially a paraffin and light oil mix).
As you have rounded off the bolt head, two options spring to mind:
1. Why not try putting nut back on bolt, tightenening up loosely and if there is enough thread left on the end of the bolt add another nut, undo the first nut to lock on the second, leaving a slight gap between first nut and pinch bracket. then use a ring spanner on the second nut and plenty of torque to turn bolt whilst whacking the top nut with hammer at the same time, this might dislodge the bolt enough to get it moving. Also hit the top head of the ball joint and underside loads to also ease the bolt.
2. Hacksaw a straight slot in bolt head, then use a chisle as a drift at 45 degrees on edge of slot to hammer the bolt head round. (needs two people though, one to hammer bolt head, and one to hammer end of bolt out! But as i re-call not much room to swing a hammer under the wheel arch so be careful.
When I did mine i had to buy a 2ft long extending socket bar to undo this nut, and give the bolt (with nut still on but on the end of thread only) plenty of welly with a hammer, to get it out, In my opinion the only way to get this bolt undone is to take the brake calliper off to start with as otherwise there is not enough room to get a socket on square - hence probably why you rounded the bolt head off.
If all has failled then put the wishbone bolts back in, nut back on pinch bolt and drive carefully for tomorrow. Go to VX to get a new pinch bolt and nut whatever.
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thanks all.
In the end Mark's suggestion worked. there was just enough bolt left to grip it, put some pressure on and whalloped away with a lump hammer. came out then.
unfortunately i was a right spacco and didn't put the nut on the bolt whilst i hit it. I then had a bent end on the bolt.
thankfully a pal of mine was able to repair the bolt by shortening 3 MM and grinding the head back to 17MM.
getting the new one in was interesting to say the least! had to dismantle the drop links and take the hub off to make enough room for that!
all done now. need to do passenger side next...
thanks guys!
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Oh terribly sorry old boy, I am a little tired, another Gold star to Mark. He he.
Well done, ill bet the other she takes 5 mins now youve done all that?
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thanks all.
thankfully a pal of mine was able to repair the bolt by shortening 3 MM and grinding the head back to 17MM.
New bolts are 2 quid a piece from Vx so probably worth changing them when you get a chance cos they sound pretty mashed from what you have said!! :y
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thanks all.
thankfully a pal of mine was able to repair the bolt by shortening 3 MM and grinding the head back to 17MM.
New bolts are 2 quid a piece from Vx so probably worth changing them when you get a chance cos they sound pretty mashed from what you have said!! :y
Dead right :y
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It is so satisfying to hear a happy ending!
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heh heh
I'll pop down to vx and buy one before starting on the passenger side!