Lads...

As many of you know, the front LCA bolt has a problem seizing to the sleeve that runs through the bushing. This is compounded by the fact that the NUT, is located INSIDE the front sub-frame, and not exactly thoroughly welded, so the only way to pop the thing out, is to cut the subframe.

So, I'm about to do this tomorrow after determining today that my bolt was seized to the sleeve. Does anyone have any good suggestions for where to cut/drill the subframe? And does anyone know what size the nut is on the inside of the frame?

Just trying to learn from peoples mistakes (if any) before I go sawing this thing open.

 

have you released all tension on the bolt and thrown some kroil oil and an impact wrench at it yet?

The bushing sleeve really puts a lot of side pressure on it and if the tension isn't let up on the control arm fully, the bolt doesn't like to go anywhere. Remove all other bolts in the control arm and take a stab at it. It really should be a speherical bushing considering the movement of the control arm.

 

Are you using an impact gun?
Can you spot weld the top to prevent it from spinning?

 

1. Have not pulled all other bolts out yet, because the ball joint is ceased in the knuckle. The reason the thing went bad honestly, was from me trying to get it out when I did my clutch, but ultimately just disconnected the rest of the suspension, and left that in. But I can pop them I guess and go from there.

2. I am using a good impact wrench and PB Blaster, won't budge, either tightening, or loosening. I can get the bolt to spin with a breaker bar, but it's just pushing the nut off obviously (now that I've made a small incision, I can see). I don't have access to a welder sadly (primarily due to lack of 220).

If I can get that bolt out, the LCA off, and the new joints pressed in... I can get it to a shop to weld it up, but I just need to get that bolt to pop out of the bushing sleeve!

 

Happened to me on my last evo . Had to cut the subframe to reach that ****ing bolt . After we change the bushing , we just rewelded in place the piece we had cut .

 

I just did this yesterday actually.

This was my experience.

The bolt kept spinning and making loud noises, I thought the nut broke free inside the subframe, it turns out it didn't, I just needed to keep spinning the bolt until it came out. It took a **** ton of force, 18" breaker bar + 2' pipe to get it to break free

In the end I did actually cut the subframe on RH side and welded the nut anyways. After understanding where the nut is, on the other side I just drilled a 3/8" hole until I could see the nut and then welded the nut and my way back out filling the subframe back up.

So in the future that nut isn't going to break off, but I will also use tons of anti-seize on the bolt/bushing.

So the question to you is, does the bolt actually spin? I was so sure the nut broke.... but it didn't because it didn't seem the bolt was coming out....
There is a chance in my experience that you may not have to cut the subframe, just saying.

 

Well, I cut the subframe open to see what the status was.

The bolt, and the nut are spinning, and it's loosening itself at the nut (pushing the nutcage off) for maybe 1/5'th of the turn.

The only solution I can think of is to stick weld it (size constraints/contamination issues), because otherwise, there's no way to get enough leverage on that nut/cage to push the bolt out of the front.

Always a good time. Mitsu didn't do a poor job engineering too many things on this car, but this is def one of them.

 

crap, yeah, tighten it back up so the nut is flush on the subframe and weld it.

Mits corrosion peformance is absolutely
Everywhere on the car its terrible.

 

I guess its never too late to join the party. I spent this past weekend working on the car replacing bushings. Unfortunately I was unable to R&R my front LCAs due to the notorious bolt. I gave up and brought it to my alignment guy. I figured let the professional with a lift handle it.

Well, he was unsuccessful as well. I mentioned that I had read about this issue and that people were cutting open the subframe to remove it. So he cut it open and was able to remove the nut. Unfortunately, even with the nut off he was not able to get the bolt off as it has seized to the sleeve of the bushing and is now spinning. He tried using a pry bar as well as an air chisel but unfortunately could not free the bolt from the sleeve.

I was given my options, put it back together and call it a day, cut off the lca and then remove the bolt that way, or cut up the subframe and replace that.

Since I was not prepared to loose my car for a couple of days we choose to put it back together for now. Ive since sourced a set of LCAs and the current gameplan is to cut out the old ones and replace them with the spares.

Im sure that plan will work however I hate to cut up perfectly good control arms for nothing. I've got about a week until my new arms will come in the mail so that gives me some time to figure out a more clever way of removing my old control arms.

For anyone that had the bolt seize to the bushing, how did you free the bolt from the sleeve?

 

My car has been up on jack stands for a month plus working on this. Wanted to unbolt the subframe but now those bolts are spinning in the actual frame. Really just hard getting motivation to work on it when it's always one setback after another.

 

This must be a rust state thing. One of the only good things about living in CA. Good luck with your issue.

 

do not cut your K frame. drill the bolt out if you have too and retap the nut. if the nut that is tack welded inside the frame is broke then your SOL. DRILL a 3/4 hole near that nut. re tack the nut and that is it. a circle is stronger then cutting the thing apart.

when re installing a new bolt use never seize on the threads and a good grease on the smooth shaft on the bolt.

 

Thanks for the quick responses guys. The problem at this point isnt the nut but rather the sleeve from the bushing. I need to figure out a way to free them from each other or else Im gunna hack up my current LCAs. This is what it looks like currently


Ive been searching online looking for tips and tricks. I read the following that sounded interesting. It states:

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...

Any thoughts on that? Any other ideas in general that I/ my mechanic hasnt thought about?

 

I know this was mentioned earlier but want to repeat it. I've loosened stuff that was rusted beyond repair with Aero Kroil. I have not tackled this job yet however nothing works as well as Kroil. WD-40 and PB blaster are crap in comparison. Try soaking it heavily with Kroil and letting it sink in overnight. It's worth a shot.
Google it on Amazon etc. you can't get it at regular retail stores.

 

I own some Kroil, I had to call them directly to order a small can. What a pain in the ***. They are still doing business like it's the 1990s. Sending me paper catalogs in the mail and ****.



http://www.kanolabs.com/

Sorry to hear about the LCA issues! That's a bummer for sure.