Stupid question

[74goldtarga]

I jacked up my car and took the rear wheels off. I was going to try to lower the rear via the eccentric bolts. I can't get the nut (any of them on the spring plate for that matter) to budge. I used a crescent wrench and ended up hitting it with a dead blow hammer to try to get it to release. I tried a long breaker bar with a socket - no luck with that either. It would be easier on a lift but I am still not sure I would be able to move it. I sprayed WD40 on the nuts and bolts back there too. I am no bodybuilder but I'm not a weakling either.

Those of you who have worked on the rear suspension - what do you do to break loose those nuts?

[nynor]

pray. then put some pb blaster, or other suitable penetrating oil, on them. maybe a little heat. i am sure others will chime in.

[74goldtarga]

I forgot to pray, it is amazing how much easier it is if the God of the universe is pulling the wrench with you. Pray first, then to Checker for some penetrating oil. Still open to input, thanks.

[nynor]

its the god of stuttgart you pray to.

[Icey1174]

Never worked on this area of the car yet.... but my experience is a good hex head socket, if it is a hex, and a long pipe. The hex socket will give you more surface area of contact on the screw and is much less likely to round the corners. I am a die maker by trade and our screws are really, really tight. I often use a 6' breaker bar or 6' long pipe at work to get them off with a 1/2" drive or bigger. I have a 6", 12", and 4' pipe I use at home. A good socket firmly on the screw head and a longer breaker bar or pipe should do the trick. The more rigid your setup the better. So if you have a 1/2" drive then use that. 3/8" will work too. You would be surprised at how easy they come off when you are at the other end of a 6' pipe. Like butter! Just make sure you are taking it off and not putting it on. WD40 will help. Soak it first then get the pipe out. Also make sure your socket stays on the screw head firmly. You do not want to round the corners. A crescent wrench is not a rigid setup, the socket will work a lot better. A good tap with a hammer on the socket on the screw head (not the rachet) will "wake it up" and may help you get it off. I would still use the pipe.

Extra effort and strength in trying to get a screw off can result in bigger, better, and more serious injuries. Keep that in mind. I use the pipe a lot. It's a lot safer then busting you hand, arm, knuckles, or anything else. It also takes a lot of the stress out of the job.

My only experience with eccentric bolts were the ones on the front struts. It's important that you are turning the nut to loosen and not the bolt. At least with the front struts the nut side had an eccentric washer. When I turned the bolt I screwed the bolt into the flat on the washer. It made it a lot harder to get the washer off. Then I had to get a new washer. It took some work to get the flat on the bolt to line up with the flat of the washer again.

[74goldtarga]

Thanks Icey, appreciate the warning about injuries. The pipe is a good idea, but I would need a lift to get under the car with a pipe. Which means I may need a lift and a pipe to do the project - frustrating. Additionally, the lower nut where the spring plate and control arm meet is a tight spot and I would at least have to move the solid brake line to get to it with a socket. More food for thought.

[blown 944]

Use an air impact it will do it easily.

I tried like he!! to get mine to budge with the breaker didn't work so I broke out the air gun it was a snap.

[74goldtarga]

I was wondering about that, that would be cheaper than getting a lift. Thanks.

[WaFfscles]

just did this project a few weeks ago. i used penetrating oil, a butane torch or some torch to safely hear the 24mm nuts and a 6 foot pipe as a pry bar....... if u use a torch be careful of any rubber seals or bushings in the area. i also used a 6in extension and then the pry bar on top of that and just push up as the extension allowed me to have the pry bar outside the wheel well of the car, be careful of ur car body, and once it goes it will make a low ping all the way up the pipe, a warning just in case u have sensitive hearing. i didnt have a lift, it was on jack stands

[Rick V]

First things first, throw the WD40 away, it's only good use it to remove sticker glue. Get some PB Blaster (like stated earlier)
You will need leverage, so the pipe and wrench idea comes to mind. If that fails get yourself an eletric impact, unless you already have air, and bust them off.
When you tighten them back up I believe the torque spec is 181ftlbs. I could be wrong (I have been before). That is the spec for my 911 so I recon it will work for the 44.

[WaFfscles]

yeah i tried the impact wrench, mine wasn't an expensive one and kinda old, but if u get a good one they usually work just fine.

[nota]

use your feet
most people can put out 4 to 5 time the power
with the leg then the arm
and with a long bar/pipe you can break losse allmost anything

as with all risky moves be out from under the car
and use a extra jack to hold up the tool so it willnot slip off

[Dave L]

the bolts have to be torqued to 250FtLbs so they are going to be on there pretty good. They have also probably never been loosened in 16+ years so that isnt going to help either.