... OK, I'm forced to ask for bolt extraction help yet again. The bolt that holds the upper control arm assembly to the frame is not willing to come out, or even budge. I got the nut off, and I got the bolt to turn, but it won't move out at all. I have removed the battery, tray, bracket for the ac line, and air filter housing, and have tried beating at the bolt with a big hammer. I still can't get much leverage, but all its doing anyway is deformed the bolt (at this point I'm going to replace it with a new one). Is this bolt under load, or is it just corrosion holding it in there? I have disconnected the steering knuckle from the arm, and have loosened it from the torsion bar. You can shift the UCA up and down slightly so I don't think it's putting a load on the bolt ... but I'm not a master of physics so maybe I'm missing something.

Can someone offer advice? I've soaked it in PB Blaster, overnight. I had to just clean everything up and leave it because I have to be at work in an hour (the car isn't at my house, but at my dad's place). Makes me so mad to have to abandon a project for the day like that.

On the positive side, I took the opportunity to bring the battery tray and air filter housing home to clean up/repaint when I get home from work.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

So it must be on the passenger side....

I recently removed both sides on my 85D to repair the sway bar tips and I had no problem pulling these bolts out. I'm sure you have tried it but pushing hard on the thread end while turning the head usually works.

Maybe its stuck on the UCA itself. I believe theres a sleeve that wraps around the bolt and probably rusted/fused to the bolt.

Actually, I had more difficulty putting it back in since it was tough to line up bolt to the opposite opening.

__________________
the sooner you start... the sooner you'll get done If it ain't broke, don't fix it.. Its always simpler to tell the truth...
2007 Honda Accord EX
2007 Honda Accord SE V6
96 C220
97 Explorer - Found Another Home
2000 Honda Accord V6 - Found Another Home
85 300D - Found Another Home
84 300D - Found Another Home
80 300TD - Found Another Home
Previous cars:
96 Caravan
87 Camry
84 Cressida
82 Vanagon
80 Fiesta
78 Nova
Ford Cortina
Opel Kadet
68 Kombi
Contessa

Yes, it is passenger side. I can see what looks like a sleeve on the bolt under the UCA ... the bushing are so bad that I can push them away from the bolt (on one side it's just crumbles). I guess maybe the poor state of the bushings may have allowed something to jam and/or fuse. I just don't know how much to continue beating on it, if I'm just going to make it worse.

Should I try shooting PB Blaster up under the sleeve?

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Yes, try more PB blaster. There is no load on the bolt. I think I had to beat on mine a bit to get it out.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

Pry bar. If you cant purchase on the head, try puttin one end of the par on the other end of the bolt and then hit the bar with a hammer as low as possible.

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Good luck, you have a few MB's in your sig, which one?

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83 SD

84 CD

78 240D ... the job was pretty smooth up until the bolt ... I didn't even have to take out the battery tray or air filter housing to get the nut off. Now there's parts everywhere.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

On mine it was the Lower Front Control Arm Bolt that would not come out and it was indeed rusted in.
You Bolt is rusted to the steel sleeve/s in the bushings.

How do you fee about burning some rubber.
On mine I had to heat the arm and get the metal sleeves hot enough so that the penetrating oil would leech in between the blot and sleeves and the loosened. But, it still took alot of beating.
Sometimes just plain heating a bolt as hot as you can get it and letting it cool off is enough to loosen things up.

I am assuming the threaded part of the bolt is facing the Radiator and the Head of the Bolt is towards the fire wall.
If the bolt has moved a 1/4 inch or so you could cut the head off of the Bolt with a Hack Saw; tap it foward and cut the threaded end off and tap it back in.
After that it may be possible to yank the arm out with a little careful prying between the arm and the sheet metal where the bolt goes through.

If the end you are beating on mushes over too much you may have to drill that end out being careful not to enlarge the Bolt Hole in the Sheetmetal.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Head is actually toward the radiator, threads toward the firewall. That's why I'm having a really hard time getting any leverage with the hammer to hit it straight on.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

... I worked a little more on this today, after dousing it from every angle with PB blaster. It is definitely one with the sleeves. I actually pulled the bushing off one side (yeah, it was so bad I could pull it off with my fingers!) so I could see the sleeve and shoot more pb on it. I also tried clamping on the sleeve with channel locks and turning the bolt, thinking maybe I could loosen the rust, but no, the sleeve turned with it. My dad tried hammering the bolt too, and he thinks we should go at the sleeve with an air hammer and try to break it off or at least jar the rust loose ... thoughts? I haven't tried a torch yet because it worries me a little in terms of burning something I don't want burned (I do plan to use this control arm again ... the ball joint is just fine).

So ... air hammer, torch or something else? I really don't want to damage the frame of the car itself. It's amazing how one little bolt can make you feel helpless ...

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

You did not say if you planned to replace the whole arm or just the Bushings on the Arm when you get it out.
If you are going to replace the whole Arm see if you can use that Air Hammer with a sharp Chisel attatchment and cut the Arm away from the Bolt/Sleeves. Cut it so you have enough room to cut a slot across the sleeves to split the sleeves.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I have run into this several times ,first time thought about useing torch na.. to much smoke and smells bad, What I have done was to take my air ziz wheel and cut it in between frame with and air tool works for me.you can beat and beat and it will not budge, there is just enough room to cut it in front of the control arm then cut the back side and it will fall out, then put it in a vise drill the rubber out what is left of it and soak it again with blaster and drive it out, sometimes when it has been in a very long time they rust to the control arm make sure you get it all the metal out and then clean it up so the new bushing will go in properly.....good luck its a rear pain , just manual labor..lots of it.

Maybe a sawzall is the answer, if you can find stuff called Kroil, a PB blaster type product on steroids, use that.
Good luck.

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83 SD

84 CD

I agree with Pop&Blow, torch would be a last resort. Burning rubber smokes, stinks and is very difficult to extinguish, plus the heat won't be friendly to suspension parts and mounting brackets you are reusing. Sawzall will work (BTDT on various shock bolts, leaf spring bolts and suspension bolts on various vehicles ) but you will need a supply of blades and you will have to find a way to hold the bolt as steady as possible because it is rubber mounted, and it will vibrate with the blade instead of cutting

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1984 300 D runs, interior
1984 300 D light hit in front, RUST, mint/perfect dash, decent interior (see above), parts car
(hate to kill one)
1998 Dodge diesel

I'm with your Dad. If you can get an air hammer on the bolt/sleeve it will deliver a ton of 'whoop-ass' - hang on tight when you pull the trigger and be sure to wear really good safety glasses because the vibration will free up quite a bit of loose rust - which will fly all over the place.

If the air hammer fails the torch never does - but the torch is always my last choice due to high chance for collateral damage.

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98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)