RUSTED BOLT/NUTS

[rich.]

why dont car manufacturers use copper grease during assembly... or would that be too easy?

[Cambronne]

Some tips that work, from the voice of experience...

Sometimes, flicking an air wrench from drive to reverse and back repeatedly will persuade a stubborn fastening.

If the spanner or socket isn't a good fit, it'll certainly slip and/or round off the hex. In dire cases, try dipping the spanner in grease then fine sand.

Never push the spanner, always pull it. If it slips, you hit yourself. If it slips when you're pushing, whatever you hit will be (a) sharp, (b) filthy. Even when pulling, consider where a slip would take your hand.

The legendary seized stud trick. This is for the dreaded steel stud in alloy casting scenario (e.g.Jaguar cylinder head). Take off the nuts and degrease the locations around the studs, where you used Plus Gas or whatever. Build a little dam out of Plasticene and pour Coke (works better than Pepsi) into it. Keep topping it up as necessary, then leave overnight. It'll be free by the next day.

This proves two things...

* Full fat Coke can't do your innards much good.

* Differential corrosion doesn't mean your back axle's about to fall off.

[jimtylee]

I use grinding paste if the socket/tool slips fine or course of course ho ho
jim

[harvey]

Never push the spanner, always pull it. If it slips, you hit yourself. If it slips when you're pushing, whatever you hit will be (a) sharp, (b) filthy.

I disagree, even though I've been pushing on a spanner in the past which slipped, breaking my hand, I'd prefer that to the opposite, because....

...Even when pulling, consider where a slip would take your hand....

....but you can never be sure, and in that scenario, the consequences are far worse, as with a bloke I worked with, who lost an eye....

[suffolkpete]

I use a nut splitter, if I can get access, my theory is that nuts are cheap, but break a stud off and you've got a struggle on your hands. Clean thread up with a die and reassemble with a new nut and plenty of coppaslip.

[Cambronne]

I suppose it's a tricky one, harvey, and I appreciate your point.

You could go all H&S and wear eye protection but few of us actually do this. That said, I maintain pull rather than push is the safer, provided you remember to plan for a slip. A self-inflicted punch in the ribs or the belly is probably infinitely preferable to a short, sharp trip to stitchville. And Broken Hand City in your case. I've also taken to wearing heavy work gloves when dealing with stuck heavy metal fasteners - sort of homemade Queensberry rules!

[zipgun]

Ribs , belly?? Nooo Cambronne , the crotch area... always think of the crotch area !!

[Cambronne]

Quite so, a brisk whack in the 'nads is an undesirable event.

[Fatbloke]

why dont car manufacturers use copper grease during assembly... or would that be too easy?

As supplier to the automotive industry I can tell you that it is because of cost and efficiency.

Manufacturers need to cut all the cost from the vehicle that they can. copper grease is not required to manufacture the car or for the opperation of the car. Therefore , they don't use it.

the cost of a smear of grease on a bolt may not seem much to us but imagine all the bolts on a car wher you would like to see this then realise that manufacturers make 100's of thousands of cars a year. the cost to them of the grease alone soon adds up without taking into account the extra labour time to apply it.

[kevin]

Quite so FB, surely some1 could have come up with a pre-greased nut though?
I swear by copper slip when rebuilding machinery, have done since I was a humble green laner and pre-65 motorcross rider (before it was classic racing!), made brake assemblies etc actually work right.
Actually, I have the same tin of copper slip that I bought many many years ago, been refilled a few times though, so its a bit like Triggers broom.

Kev