Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > Tech Help

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-11-2003, 12:05 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 169
Urgent help!!

I started what apeared an easy job: to replace the sway bar bushing. First I removed the Torx T-50 bolts holding the sway bar link. Removed both links. Then, after securing the sway bar in place - will not fall, I start removing the 2 bolts of each bushing bracket. The bolt head is an Inverse Torx (I used an E-12 socket). The first 20 or so turns went OK. I believe I have left 2 or 3 more turns before they are fully removed.
Here I encounterd the problem. Using a magnifier + some good light I noticed tthat the screw thread at the very end of the screw has a blue color. I went yesterday at a dealer to get new bolts. The new bolts have been changed by MBUSA from an E-12 originally to an M-13. of the screw are also blue in color. Bottom line: out of the 4 E-12 bolts I almost stripped 3 of them and not able to remove them completly.
Does anyone has some advice for me what I should try? Since yesterday I soaked all the bolts with WD-40 with no luck so far.

__________________
pat201
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-11-2003, 02:14 PM
bjcsc's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 672
I may have a suggestion as I deal with stuck fasteners a good bit, however I do not understand your problem. Which of the following describes your problem?:

1) You have bolts that nearly come all the way out but the end, which you can see, is binding inside the nut. However, they can be turned back in.

2) The heads of the screws have stripped off and you cannot turn them any more

3) The bolts have stripped out the inside of the nut and spin without withdrawing

4) The bolt threads have stripped inside the nut and the bolts turns, but does not go in or out.
__________________
1982 Mercedes-Benz 300CD
1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D - stick
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-11-2003, 04:19 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kingsport, TN
Posts: 375
Hi pat201,

isn't the blue stuff just some loctite that MB puts already on the screws? When my MB partsguy was out of the screws for my rear swaybar bushings, he gave me regular bolts and told me to use loctite, as that was the blue stuff on those MB bolts (for 70 cents a piece, I believe)

As bjcsc says: can you screw them back in, as you say "almost stripped"?

regards

Reinhard Kreutzer
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-11-2003, 05:44 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 169
Thank you guys for your feedback.
I first address BJCSC:
1. some I can turn back - but only with a 1/2" break bar. The bolts are 85% or even 95% unscrewed- I can not really see -the end of the bolt is inside the mounting beam.
2. yes. it is true. 3 out of the 4 bolts (2 per side) are preatty much stripped. But not the thread is stripped but the head (E-12 socket).
Now RKreutzer:
some I could screw back but not a lot.

Since this morning I tried to take them out - so far unsuccessfully. I still have tomorrow. Is there anything else I could try?
__________________
pat201
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-11-2003, 06:42 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 75
pat201

See if you can find a can of Aero Kroil. It comes in an orange can. Its some of the best out there. I've used it with great success. The manufacture is Kano Laboratories in Nashville, Tn. They may have a web site Im not sure. I had a frozen 12 year old o2 sensor I sprayed and let sit overnight, and you could almost have loosened it by hand.

Its industrial grade stuff that reduces the surface tension so that the solvent creeps into openings as small as one millionth of an inch. Good luck.

K
__________________
1989 420SEL 105575 miles
Pearl Black/Grey

1990 Chevrolet E-Cab C-1500
293,000 miles

1989 Olds Toranado Trofeo'
132,000 miles
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-11-2003, 06:58 PM
engatwork's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Soperton, Ga. USA
Posts: 13,648
Without a doubt - some of the absolute stuff made for what it is made to do - Kroil. Read about all their products at:

http://www.kanolabs.com/
__________________
Jim
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-11-2003, 09:00 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kingsport, TN
Posts: 375
pat201,

I don't know how much room you have there, but I have used a file to make 2 parallel sides on a rounded bolt. Then one of those adjustable wrenches to turn it.

Good luck

Reinhard Kreutzer
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-11-2003, 11:45 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 169
Thank you guys.
Do you know where could I find Kroil in Michigan (60 miles from Detroit)?
__________________
pat201
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-12-2003, 12:08 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 75
pat201

Do you know anyone who works in a plant. Powerhouse or refinery etc. If any neighbors are construction workers they may have a can in their tool box. I did see it at a HVAC supply house one day on the counter. Not something your gonna find at the corner hardware store. Or even the big ones. The web site might supply you with a location near you that carrys it. Good luck

K
__________________
1989 420SEL 105575 miles
Pearl Black/Grey

1990 Chevrolet E-Cab C-1500
293,000 miles

1989 Olds Toranado Trofeo'
132,000 miles
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-12-2003, 06:33 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 218
Sears has a kit for removing bolts with stripped heads. I think it is called bolt out. I was replacing an engine om my ford f150 and stripped one of the motor mount bolts trying to remove it. This worked great and did the job easily. Well made and looks like they can take a lot of abuse. Good luck
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-12-2003, 07:25 AM
KenP's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Southern New Hampshire
Posts: 418
Try heat

Hi. If the bolts are "jammed" in their threads by the presence of Loctite, you should use some heat. Loctite melts under heat so you can take things apart. I think the different colors melt at different temps.
Not clear from your posts whether the problem is rust drawn down into the threads when you unscrewed them, or the Loctite on the ends prevents them from coming out all the way. I suspect a little of both.
Kroil is great stuff... but, there are many "rust busters" out there if you can't get your hands on a can of Kroil.
KenP
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-12-2003, 10:52 PM
bjcsc's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 672
In similar situations, I have used a combination of the suggestions posted here by others. If you have stripped the heads, file two sides flat so you can get a good grip on it with a set of vise-grips. Then, what I would do is heat it up to nearly red hot, being sure to shield anything that may be damaged. If you have a lot of room and the time, you can use a propane torch. Best results are obtained with a small brazing torch set up (O2 and MAPP gas - you can get it at Lowe's or Home Depot): super fast and super hot (note: buy an extra O2 cylinder while you're there - it goes fast). While it's still hot, hit it with some WD40, Kroil, whatever - I use WD40. It will smoke. Keep spraying it in 1 second bursts until it stops smoking. Grab it as tight as you can with the vise-grips, where it takes everything you've got to lock them, and see what you get. They should come right out. Good luck, and please post your outcome with whatever you choose to try.

PS.: The reason I use vise-grips is because they are short. Stay away from breaker bars and big wrenches. The last thing you want is to break off a Grade 5 or better bolt (major project then)
__________________
1982 Mercedes-Benz 300CD
1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D - stick
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-13-2003, 11:26 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Posts: 215
Alternatives

Alternative approaches:

1) Use plenty of oil/WD40/bear grease and work the bolts back and forth. I mean tighten and loosen. Do this gradually and try and loosen a little more each time. Take your time.

2) If you strip all the splines on the bolt head, get a slightly smaller socket, e.g. an inch size socket and hammer this on.

3) Get a big nut that will fit over the head of the bolt and MIG weld this on.

4) Cut off the bolt heads, remove the swaybar and bushes etc. Apply some serious heat and try with vise grips. Or lock two nuts together on the bolt shaft and try the heat.

Note: If these bolts are serious metal, heating and slow cooling will draw the hardening out. This can be bad as it will increase the chance of snapping, but good in that if you have to drill out the snapped off piece, at least it will be a little easier!

Get a swear box. By the time you have given up and called in the experts, you'll have enough money to pay the bill...
__________________
Cheers, Neil
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-13-2003, 12:26 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 169
I tried most suggestions (including heat) without success. This morning I went to the dealer. I guess they had a field day - I paid a whapping $390!! The new bushings are in place. Only one bolt head was stripped.
__________________
pat201
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-13-2003, 03:22 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kingsport, TN
Posts: 375
Well, if they charged so much, it must have been difficult for them too...Take some comfort in that. It will work better next time.
Regards
Reinhard Kreutzer

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Peach Parts or Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page