Nothing frustrates the new comer to auto repair than a bolt that won’t move. You’re in the middle of a simple repair and you hit a bolt that won’t turn and immediately you will want to make one of two mistakes. You’ll want to either force the bolt or you’ll want to quit. Do neither. Working with a seized bolt is a skill to be learned and a test of your patience. Learning to overcome a stuck fastener will mean the difference between saving a few threads, rounding out a bolt head, shearing a stud off or throwing your tool across the driveway.
The first thing you need to learn is that a bolt that won’t move may not necessarily be stuck. Some bolts are just over torqued. Some are stuck to their nuts with rust. Some are contaminated with dirt. Some have been heated and cooled to the point where the nut has tightened down on them. Before you apply extra force to a bolt you think is stuck, observe it first. Note the shape of the head, how much rust is built up around it and how much of the socket will fit on the bolt. If the socket will only fit on half way, don’t force it. Fix that problem first. One of the best games you can play as a newcomer to learn how to feel tools is to go around your car and place a socket on 3 or 4 bolts and see if it seats fully before you attempt to turn them. This little game will help you develop your sense of feel which is more important than strength.
Another mistake you will be tempted to make is to use the wrong tool for the job because it’s convenient. Reaching for an adjustable wrench to tighten a bolt that won’t move. Putting a loose fitting socket on a rusted bolt head. Using a short handled wrench where a long handled wrench would make the job easier. These are all common mistakes, but they can also lead to a rounded bolt head or a sheared stud. The solution is simple. Take an extra second to make sure you’re using the right tool for the job. Make sure the bolt head is clear of dirt so the tool will seat properly. Test the tool to make sure it’s seated properly before you apply extra force. If you still can’t get a bolt to turn, don’t keep pulling on it. Stop. Oil the bolt. Wait. Then try again. Don’t just yank on it. That’s just asking for trouble.
If you find a bolt that you think is stuck, first try tightening it a little, then loosen it. Often a bolt will loosen with a little tightening. If a bolt starts to loosen and then binds again, don’t force it. Instead back it off a little and work it back and forth. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They get a bolt moving and figure they’ve broken it loose. Then it binds and they force it and snap the bolt. Instead what you should do is use the partial movement as a gauge. You should feel how much the bolt will allow you to turn it and then back off a little.
Finally, here’s a simple exercise you can do anytime you want to practice to get a feel for how to turn a seized bolt. It should only take you about 15 minutes. Spend about 5 minutes going around your car and finding several bolts that you can practice on. Make sure they’re in a safe location and the area around the bolt is clear. Spend about 5 minutes cleaning one rusty bolt head with a wire brush and oil to see what a difference that will make. Then spend about 5 minutes practicing turning a non-critical bolt while paying close attention to the amount of force you’re using, the position of your hands and the angle of your tool. This exercise will teach you patience. And patience is one of the essential skills you will need to learn if you’re going to work on your car.
But I think the best benefit to learning this lesson is that you will learn to not react to a stuck bolt. You won’t see a seized bolt as a reason to panic. You will simply see it as one more thing to overcome as you work on your car. And when you learn to see a stuck bolt as normal, the rest of your repairs will become easier. You will learn to see that sometimes you just need to wait. Sometimes you need to prepare a little better. And sometimes you need to just stop before you do any damage. So learn to turn a seized bolt and you will find that working on your car isn’t so difficult after all.