Hey,
I am trying to remove a spindle nut on the driveaxle of my 1991 Toyota Celica.
Using a breaker bar, and still cannot move the spindle nut. Actually broke the prybar I was using as a wedge. Wd-40, all day, and still no results. Don’t have access to an impact wrench, only elbow grease.
Any ideas? Was just removed several months ago, and it came off easily. Why is it frozen now? Thanks.
On my old 93 civic there was a keyway on the end of the half shaft, and when you were done installing a nut you took a chisel and bent the flange of the nut int the keyway so it wouldn’t loosen. See if yours has this, and then bent it back with a few hammer blows. NOTE: these types of spindle nuts are not reusable. If that doesn’t work go get a long piece of pipe and put it on the ned of your breaker bar and use your weight.
could be whoever put it back on messed up the threads somehow. would not suspect rust to be a major concern if had just been taken off not all that long ago. however if it was just rust you may as well throw the wd-40 in the trash as it is only good for electrical applications and squeaks in my opinion. get you a can of pb blasters and let it soak for awhile maybe even overnight. if the threads are messed up you may need to take it somewhere they can use an impact on it. if the shaft breaks you need to be prepared to put in a new axle. have you tried to heat it up with a torch?
If you dont have at least a 1/2in impact wrench…then you need to go to Harbor Freight and buy yourself a 3/4in wratchet or breaker bar…and you need a lenght of gas pipe for added leverage…Im sure you could figure out what to do next once those items are in your hands…
The last time I was trying that my impact wouldn’t move it (simple, home version compressor and impact, though) and I broke a 1/2" breaker bar on it.
I drove it to a shop I use sometimes and asked them to break it loose and just leave it back on tight enough to get me home. They didn’t even charge me.
If the hardware will not move, the threads are probably messed up. Any reasonably strong person can make more torque with a breaker bar and cheater pipe than a 1/2" impact wrench, so if you have tried these a 1/2" impact will not help you. I hope you intend to replace this axle, and that is why you are disassembling it, because it will need replaced by the time you are done removing it. Your next step will be to try heat, then more breaker bar and cheater pipe action. If that doesn’t work, cut the nut in half with a cutting disc and Dremel tool. Install new parts with anti-seize to avoid future problems.
Try heating the axle nut up. Applied heat with a propane torch for ten minutes might be enough to get the nut to break loose.
Tester
Put the tire back on, set the car on the ground, and use the breaker bar with a pipe cheater. I have a 4-foot rigid steel pipe I bought at the hardware store cheap as a cheater. I’ve stood and hopped on the end of the breaker bar before to get it to break loose.
I hope your going to replace the half-shaft. All this work is probably due to thread damage, or will result in it.
Thanks for all the advice. I see several comments on here refering to heating up the nut with a propane torch, but will that not dissolve the grease inside the bearing housing, making it essentially worthless? Also, what about lowering the car enough to use the ground as a wedge for my breaker bar, and putting it in reverse and slowly giving it some clutch? Is that crazy? I’ve used the same method to remove a harmonic balancer before, and it works.
Since you already have the nut off…I will answer your propane torch question…the answer is NO…propane wont get hot enough to cause damage…or it will take an awful LONG time for you to heat it to mess the grease up. An Oxy/Acetelyne on the other hand can melt the nut…
And yes using the engine and trans to loosen it will work as well… I use this method on stubborn Harmonic balancers sometimes…but usually only need to use the starters power