hey there i was wondering if you can give me some advice about my car.
i need to replace the lower control arm on the front drivers side of my car due to a little run in with a curb, but in order to get the whole arm off i need to disconnect the sway bar link from the sway bar and the control arm. now its connected with a link with 2 connections via 14mm nuts. i got the nuts loosened but when i try to remove them they keep on spinning and i cant seem to get them off. i was doing some reading and there is supposed to be a 6mm hex bolt on the other side that i need to hold still to get the 14mm nut to come off. is that true? any info will be appreciated and pics would be amazingly helpful
__________________
If I seem clueless, it is because I am.
But whatever knowledge you impart upon me,
I will be grateful and know
That I can use it to benefit myself and society
--Some college kid (me)
If you look closer you will see poking just outside the joint boot is a hexagonal head. 10mm I think. Put a wrench on that to stop the whole thing from turning. If its corners are too rusted off use a small pair of vice grips.
will it damage the boot significantly if i just pull it back a bit to reveal the bolt head?
__________________
If I seem clueless, it is because I am.
But whatever knowledge you impart upon me,
I will be grateful and know
That I can use it to benefit myself and society
--Some college kid (me)
What your trying to remove, is the pitman arm. Those bolts fucking SUCK and often strip out on the hex side.
My advice is to get a pair of really good vice grips and clamp onto that thing.. otherwise.. your just gonna be cursing at yourself.
__________________ Corolla Number TWO OLD: Corolla 1- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 225k Miles orig. motor, 129k trans. - TOTALED. NEW: Corolla 2- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 161k Miles on motor and trans.
when you say that you are talking about clamping the bolt threads tight and then removing the nut with a wrench correct? i want to get as much info as i can as this thing is a PITA to work with and i dont wanna shell out cash to get a new one
__________________
If I seem clueless, it is because I am.
But whatever knowledge you impart upon me,
I will be grateful and know
That I can use it to benefit myself and society
--Some college kid (me)
Yes. Its gonna be a mofo. Power tools make it easier.
__________________ Corolla Number TWO OLD: Corolla 1- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 225k Miles orig. motor, 129k trans. - TOTALED. NEW: Corolla 2- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 161k Miles on motor and trans.
I have never gotten those off with any success. Just order a pair off ebay. I usually use a dremel or disc grinder and notch the nut, then pry it apart or split it off.
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20v, 6 spd lsd
Boost, may you RIP.
Pitman arm? There is no steering box on these cars!
-SP
wrong term. my bad. haha.
__________________ Corolla Number TWO OLD: Corolla 1- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 225k Miles orig. motor, 129k trans. - TOTALED. NEW: Corolla 2- 96 4AFE, AE101 w/ 161k Miles on motor and trans.
I can tell from experience that retaining the bolt from turning with the allen key is almost impossible. I used a vise grip to hold the bolt from turning. The rubber boot can be peeled back a bit to make room for the vise grips and therefore, no damage to the boot
heres a trick that worked for me at the junkyard. buy a metric 3/8 drive hex bit socket set at sears, fit the correct size hex bit onto a 3/8 drive sliding T-handle then get a long box end wrench and fit that over the link nut and loosen the nut with one hand while u hold the sway link stud with the sliding T-handle hex bit socket in the other hand. the reason i suggest a sliding t-handle is cuz u can move the handle up or down so u can get better leverage to hold the link stud rather than trying to hold it with just a ratchet or hex allen key.
Ooops ! I forgot that some of these have a hex key opening at the end. Usually you dont find it because its so full of rust. DONT use a cheap hex key in this since you will strip both the bolt AND the key.
I don't know if you had any success getting it off but I had the same problem with the rear sway links. Just take an angle grinder and grind one side of the nut down to the threads then the nut will work off using the allen wrench and 14mm (I think 14...) You will need a new nut but will save you the $10 a piece for new ones.
I didn't have any luck with vice grips and an impact wrench so there's no way that will work unless the rust isn't too bad.
It seems intimidating grinding and trying to save the threads if you've never done this but even if you take a little bit of thread away (don't go crazy and grind the threads off on one side) it doesn't really get in the way of the new bolt.
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