heel2toe

iTrader: (41)

I've tried PB Blaster as well as Liquid Wrench and havent had any luck thus far. I havent ever used Kroil so I will order a can and see if that changes things.

Other than penetrating oil, how else could I separate the sleeve from the bolt? There must be a way to get in there and cut it up without damaging the control arm but we choose to play it safe and let it be for now until I have spare parts should anything go wrong.

Any thoughts on the following? put the nut back on... tighten it.... fairly tight... tight enough for the sides of the frame to hold the inner bushing tube tight... then loosen the BOLT... usually holding the nut to prevent it from spinning...

It makes sense in my head but Im not sure if right when you loosen the bolt the sleeve is no longer wedged strongly in there.

ProPilot04

iTrader: (11)

Chaps.

I'm bringing this back up since I STILL have not solved this (granted, I haven't spent much time on it)

1. I have removed all bolts.
2. I have made a small incision in the subframe as pictured earlier in this thread.
3. I welded the nut to the frame. I mean I WELDED it. No dice.

Upon backing the bolt out, the welds simply popped.

Now... here's what I'm looking at.

1. I can get in there with the MIG (maybe) and try to just go over my now popped dirty welds and see if I can get a better bead on the bolt. This is obviously the best option, but I'm not optimistic.

2. People have mentioned drilling the bolt out. I can NOT fathom how this would work, since the bolt is huge, and I'd hate to wallow out the holes in the frame that it actually passes through.

3. I have another set of LCAs coming just in case, but I was thinking about trying to cut the bolt on either side of the bushing, but I don't think I could get a sawzall blade in there with enough clearance to actually saw back and forth?

4. My last option I guess would be to actually CUT the LCA off leaving that bushing section still attached, and then cut into that (opening it like a baked potato) and just torching the bushing to melt it out, and THEN cut the bolt.

Option 4 seems VERY intrusive, but I dunno guys. What other options?

I'm not against kroil, but the issue is more getting it into the bushing sleeve. To compound, the bushing is spinning slightly in the control arm... so the only way to really pop it now is by pulling the bolt out.

Give me something to help here squad! If I can't get it done soon, I'm facing a cross country move and having to leave my broken car in storage here.

OR, how difficult is it to press the ball joint out with the LCA still on the car. Or more aptly, how hard is it to press the NEW whiteline one in?

barneyb

Well, if in a hurry, a entire new subframe is around 300 bux. With the old one out you could hack on it any way you want.

ProPilot04

iTrader: (11)

There is that. I haven't actually pulled the whole thing ever, just loosened and lowered. I imagine the rear roll stop mount, steering shaft, and power steering lines would need to be disconnected?

Also, in one of these posts... someone had mentioned a green bolt from VW that was supposedly anticorrosive. Does anyone know the part number for this, or the size/pitch/whatever of the stock bolt?

I also just found out that my pinch bolt for the stupid ball joint is stripped, so... I'll need that PN as well.

ProPilot04

iTrader: (11)

Also are all of the CT9A front subframes the same? No difference between 8/9/MR correct?

deylag

iTrader: (23)

Yes all of the subframes are the same.

I would recommend removing the front sub-frame from the chassis if you haven't already. That is going to give you a way better chance of slowly adding increasing amounts of torque to the bolt so that it just doesn't spin and break away.

I remember when I did this I had taken out the sub-frame with both my lower front control arms still attached at that hinge. Sprayed it down with pb blaster. It was hot outside so I left the entire assembly outside to heat it up. Then I stood on it and put my breaker bar on the bolt and slowly kept adding enough torque until the bolt moved.

ProPilot04

iTrader: (11)

No. The bolt moves. That's the problem. The NUT moves with it. If I put a wrench on the bolt, AND the nut, they come apart just fine. Again... that's the problem. The BOLT is fused to the BUSHING SLEEVE. So the only way to get it out, is to weld the nut to the frame, and hope the weld holds to apply enough force to pop the bolt loose from the sleeve.

My toolkit is no joke. I have torches, pneumatics, welders, etc. I'm telling you, this **** isn't coming off without some serious surgery.

I just emailed these dudes about new subframes and shipping. I think I'll probably be going this route despite the "extra" work.


But still does anyone have a part number for the ball joint pinch bolt, OR the VW green bolt that works for this front LCA bolt?

barneyb

This is the only reference I remember seeing.

Originally Posted by antilag_200 View Post
Nope it is not an isolated incident, I had to do the same thing with my car Had to cut the subframe to access that bolt... IT SUCKED big time./....I ended up using volkswagen beetle bolts ( which have a green coating on them, to prevent them from rusting to the bushings and sleeves....

GTijoejoe

iTrader: (25)

ok, here is some experience I've seen in the past about this issue, it seems like you have the exact same issue my buddy had and this is how he got it out.

First off, take out the entire subframe + steering rack, it will make it super easy, and its simple to remove.

Then he torched the bushing in the LCA, I mean melted the entire thing to almost nothing, careful, don't do too much heat here, it can damage the aluminum arm... but you need enough access for the next part.

Than he cut the bolt with a sawzall on either side, control arm is now free, then took the bolt out of the nut in the subframe and replaced the bushing in the arm.

His bolt and bushing were seized to one piece lol

I hope that helps you save on buying a new subframe.

ps, let me know if you have any questions.

cmac04RS

iTrader: (1)

I lucked out and found a subframe off a wrecked car locally. They only wanted 50$ so I figured why not. Car was hit in the rear by the way.

Jsiebert

iTrader: (10)

I am having a hell of a time with mine. I need to replace the control arm due to it being bent and my bolt will not even turn. I decided to soakwith kroil for the next few days and then try the breaker bar again, then impact again, thentry to shock the bolt with heat and water. All else fails im going to cut the bolt out and have a tubular subframe made so this **** doesnt happen anymore.

ProPilot04

iTrader: (11)

FYI, my impact did nothing... but my breaker bar worked with considerable effort. If yours is still in the "stuck phase" I would probably suggest cutting open the subframe now, and welding the nut to the frame since it will be good and tight.

There are a few tubular subframes in production now, but you're talking about a $3000 piece that saves you basically 15 (ish) pounds, although it would certainly help this problem.

The problem though lies specifically in the bolt fusing to the bushing sleeve. I haven't deciphered which metals these are yet (haven't tried), but I'm guessing we're looking at some type of galavanic corrosion. I'm quite confident based on other people's experiences that no amount of lube or grease is going to help prevent it. PERHAPS electrical grease... but I doubt it.

If you're into spending the coin on a tubular subframe, you might be better off just finding (or having) a custom bolt (made) out of a metal that would still provide the tensile structural strength required, but have the chemical properties to resist the corrosion.

GTijoejoe

iTrader: (25)

Just some info to add, as I agree the point of concern is the corrosion toughness between the bolt and the bushing.
The bushing is def steel and the bolt is def steel, so there is no galvanic corrosion, likely the bushing does not have a high corrosion coating and/or the bolt (my $ is on the bush)

So with that being said, if you are all about $$$ you should buy two new OEM bolts and get them coated with high corrosion proof coatings and save your money on tubed frames and custom made bolts.... that to me is just silly.

And/or you can regularly maintain anti-seize on the bolt every 10k miles...... I'm confident that would work just fine, its not the hard to remove/install.

cmac04RS

iTrader: (1)

I was giving this some thought the other day. I wonder if you could flute the contact area of the bolt to keep them from fusing. Or flute it and the put a grease fitting in the head and channels to the flutes. Making it grease-able.

cerevo

iTrader: (1)

I hate to bump an old thread but I'm stuck at this point myself now.
I have all the bolts out except that front bolt through the control arm. I think I broke the weld on the nut on both sides as with my breaker bar and jack handle I heard a LOUD pop ( I couldn't hear out of one ear both times for like 4-5 seconds) and ever since then its like no matter how much pressure I put on it, it seems to snap back to where it was. So my bolts are definitely stuck in the bushing...

I'm wondering if any of you guys are cutting on either side of the LCA through that bolt with a sawzall/Dremel or something and then just trying to get the rest of the bolt out of the nut like you would any broken bolt with an easy-out or something.

It seems to me if I cannot get the bolt out of the bushing then cutting either side of the LCA through the bolt, then trying to break the nut and whats left of the bolt, out of the subframe and just replacing the bolt and nut, greasing them up superbly, and putting anti seize on the bolt. Hoping to never have to take it out ever again..

What's worked for you, if you have done this successfully!?
My rear bushing broke totally and allows the passenger side wheel to move back and forth over bumps so it rattles real bad going over bridges and things and you can tell that left turn take more steering angle to go around because of it. I got the Perrin PSRS bushings in a spare set of LCA's just waiting to go on with good front bushings.. just cant get the old ones off!