Readers Respond: Share Your Tricks on Loosening Stuck Nuts and Bolts

Responses: 39

By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

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I have found spraying a penetrating fluid and tightening the nut first, YES I said tighten the nut first Just an eight of a turn. There is clean thread behind the nut and will allow the nut to move thus fracturing the rust on the exposed side and allowing the penetrating fluid to do it's work. Back off 1/4 turn spray with penetrating fluid and tighten again 1/4. Back of 1/2 turn, spray and tighten 1/4 turn. You get the picture. Repeating the process as you remove the nut aids in preventing binding and breakage. GL
—Guest EAChis

try heating he nut with a torch, this expands the hole diameter and loosens the rust. For flush broken studs, a good machine shop will have a graphite rod stud extractor. Looks like an arc welder in action and leaves a perfect thread in the hole!
—Guest tireman63

I found the best thing to do on a stud is to use heat. Heat the little stud 4 times not 3 or 5 but 4. Let it cool to the touch by itself inbetween each time and then with a sharp hit, not to hard, it comes out with your fingers. (most of the time)
—Guest Hank

been working automotive field 30yrs.+and have found a great product k@w knockerloose spray the bolt or nut and let soak a few minutes then use either use a 6point wrench or socket to keep from rounding the head of the fastner and be patience taking the bolt off.
—Guest firechaser_52@yahoo.comlo

you can mix a tablespoon of gas with a tablespoon of transmission fluid to help break the rust.also you should tighten the bolt then loosen then tighten then loosen this help to break the rust without breaking the bolt
—Guest guest

The gas wrench (oxy-acetylene torch) after heating using and air wrench as the impacts seem to loosen W/O breaking!
—Guest inlandtackle@yahoo.com

If it is a bolt that is threaded into something I will take a center punch put it in the center of the head of the bolt and hit it with a hammer mite have to do it a couple of times,but it will shock them loose.
—Guest Ernie

In the British Army I used coca cola on an exercise in the ooloo somewhere to free stuck rusty nuts and it worked. Leave it to soak while you have a cup of tea and "Hey Presto" off it came.
—Guest Lenny

I like to make a slot or parallel flats on a screw or stud with cutting wheel on a dremmel tool. Cutting off or splitting nuts. It dosen't apply to all situations, but it is quick.
—rhayashi11

Heat with torch then simply put an ice cube on it and presto you get brake fluid flowing...
—Guest Rick

For those of us who do our own restoration work, here's some interesting comparisons on penetrating oils sent by a friend. Happy knuckle busting! Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break-out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker. They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. *Penetrating oil ..... Average load* None ..................... 516 pounds WD-40 .................. 238 pounds PB Blaster ............. 214 pounds Liquid Wrench ..... 127 pounds Kano Kroil ............ 106 pounds ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch which we now use.
—Guest Larry Winters

Heat them up with a torch and melt wax on them. The wax is supposed to go into the threads and they come off with ease!
—Guest Miles

I have found if it is rust that is holding it to use brake fluid to soke the threads in from 1 hour to 24 hrs
—Guest Eagle47968

I bathe it with penetrating oil, finish a beer, then give it 3 whacks on the head, and that's it. zero resistance. It always work.
—Guest T. Holder

I keep a 4 way wheel wrench around for really tough lug nuts. I put the wrench on the nut then with some pressure applied I give the other end a smack with a sledge hammer. Works every time. On bigger trucks with the lug nuts off and the wheel still stuck to the point that you can destroy the rim trying to get it off with a sledge, I put a chunk of 6x6 wood that I keep around between the tire and frame then start the truck and turn the steering wheel letting the power steering pump take the tire off. Never busted a pwr steering line yet. Winter in Canada sucks.
—Guest old guy in Canada

Matthew Wright
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