Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Whilst trying to drop my rear axle slightly in order to remove to the metal fuel lines I discovered that one of the bolts that holds it in place is well and truly stuck. The bolt in question is #21 in the image.

I've coated the thing in a river of WD40 and hung off a breaker bar like a demented chimp and gotten nowhere with it. I can't really apply heat to it as it's inside a rubber bush and I don't fancy a) setting the car on fire or b) destroying the bush and then finding out I still can't get the bolt out to renew it.

Does anybody have any suggestions to free this evil bolt? The one on the other side of the car came out without issue along with all of the other bolts holding this on.

I can't remember for definite how you gain access to the nut at the other end of the bolt (nut#23), but I think that it is accessible. Have you got enough room to grind through the nut using a dremel type tool? I've split nuts before using a chisel and or grinder.
You could even cut/grind the bolt head off, drive the remaining bolt through the body bracket and aluminium arm and attack the other end with a hack saw to enable removal of item #16. It all sounds a bit brutal I know, but sometimes you have no option. By-the-way, all the bolts, nuts and washers are still available from Porsche.
Good luck and let me know how you get on...

I have the nut off but the bolt has attached itself to the inside of the bush. With enough force I can pretty much turn the bush inside the mounting (or at least that's what I think is happening, the bolt certainly isn't freeing up).

Access on the nut side is quite lacking and only gives a few cm from the jack stand point to the part where the bolt tightens up to. I have thought of cutting the head off the bolt and trying to hammer it out and failing that setting to it with a drill. Last time I drilled a stuck bolt out of a car it took me 7 hours to get through the damn thing (which was a similar size bolt but thinner) and got through a lot of drill bits in a process so I was hoping somebody had a good way I'd not thought of.

A long shot I know.

I think heat is your only option.

Rich

I don't like your input to this thread!

I'm trying to find ways to avoid setting my car on fire.....again

Yep heat and new bush

Now you're all at it!

Righto, in that case I'll get some flexi fuel pipes from Pirtek and ignore the bolt issue until I need to do something else down there.

This may work.

Slice one end off the bush, force a long thin screwdriver down the outside of the bush, hold it there while you spray some WD40 in, work the screwdriver round until you have done this all round, wait while the WD40 does it's stuff, and then push out the bush and bolt together.

You'll need a new bush though.

Hacksaw each side of the bolt adjacent to the bush, use a padsaw if necessary. Then if it is still stuck Heat. Or an Irish screwdriver (BFH)!

Gas axe it out. Heats the only way.

Have you got a mig/tig or stick welder? You could weld a length of bar to the bolt head and use the bar as part of a slide hammer assembly and hammer the bolt out from the bush housing.

I feel for you mate, I'd be reluctant to use a large amount of heat as well. Have you also tried squirting Plus Gas into the bolt/bush housing? I thinks it's better than WD40.

Don't give up old boy; and remember, hardship is character building

This bolt was also seized in position when my indie replaced those bushes on my 968. One side came off OK, but the passenger side snapped off. I think that a Dremel was used to remove the nut and then the bolt was drilled out.

had the problem before i drilled it out but if i remember right spent a long time with it not the nicest job to do so good luck with it

I think I might order up new bolts for both sides and some new poly bushes and when the car is on the road give it to a garage to do the drilling then bush fitting .

WD40 is a very poor penetrant and ineffective for this application.

Try something more effective first like PBlaster (I buy this in the States whenever I'm there, but see if anyone here sells it) or Kroil (ditto).

After allowing to soak then borrow/buy an impact wrench (needn't be air powered - you can get excellent electric ones) and the shock should easily break any corrosion holding it in the bush.

You're reluctant to use heat so how about the opposite? You can easily get hold of freeze spray that is also meant to thermal shock stuck bolts free. tbh I've never had any luck using it, but you may be more fortunate.