[pandrson]

I'm, trying, to replace my stabilizer bar end links. One is bad, the other isn't. I thought as long as I'm doing it, I might as well do both.

I started with the passenger side. I can't get the nut off of the top bolt. I tried an impact wrench. That loosened it, but it will only come off so far. I tried using a socket, that's not doing any good. Tried using my hand, not working. It's like the thing is stripped. All it does is turn and turn but the nut isn't coming out any further. I thought about penetrating oil, but all I have is 3 in 1. Any ideas?

 

[pandrson]

I skipped all these heating steps and just cut off the nut. The opposite side went well. Knowing the age of your car, cutting will be your favorite method of removing parts.

I have thought of that. I have a Dremel tool somewhere. I haven't used it in years.

 

[pandrson]

I decided to try and get the bottom one off first. If that works, then I can cut the top one. Now I can't get the bottom one to budge. My big socket wrench won't fit into the small space, my mid sized...3/8 inch...socket I can't get enough leverage. I'm about to give up on it.

 

[pandrson]

I've watched that one, even tried the wrench for leverage.

I put penetrating oil on all 4...drivers side/passenger side...this morning about 2 hours ago.

 

[pandrson]

Get a set of decent ratcheting wrenches (flex head or not). I got the HF Ikon ones, though a bit more costly, HF will honor the warranty when the ratchet fails. These are long and provide great leverage with vice grips they will come off. Or, as others suggested, cut the nut off.

I've got several wrenches, including the Ikon...IIRC. The top ones on both sides will come part of the way off with no problem, then just turn but not move another millimeter. It's the bottom ones that are the problem, they won't budge at all. I even used a 18 inch...IIRC...ratchet and that won't do it. It's too the point I'm afraid I'll strip the bolts.

Would it work if I cut the bolt on the outer side? The side with all the blue dots on it.

 

[pandrson]

Well, yes. I'm not sure if cutting it on the outside would accomplish the task.

 

[pandrson]

The more I look at it, cutting off the bottom two bolts isn't going to work. I thought I could use my Dremel tool to cut through on the side where the blue things are...the outer side...then just push the bolt through to the other side. That's not going to work. There's a metal/washer part built into the blue thing side. Just cutting through it between that part and the end would probably only make matters worse. That leaves me having to cut straight through that metal washer part. No Dremel tool cutting attachment is big enough to cut through that part...and that's assuming I could put a round Dremel disk into that small of a space, which doesn't appear likely. That means using something like a Sawzall. But those things, near as I can tell, are too long to fit into the wheel well. All the Sawzall, and equivalent tools, I come across are at least 18 inches long, not counting the blade...so that's not going to work. I have found a few Sawzall type tools that are small enough to fit into the wheel well, but those don't have enough power to cut through that bolt. The only other thing I can think of is to try an old fashioned hacksaw and hack through the nut. Now assuming there's enough room in there to work a hacksaw, that would be one heck of an undertaking.

I have sprayed half a can of penetrating oil to no avail. I soaked both down before I quit. I will wait until tomorrow, let it sit overnight, and hope it works. If not, I give up.

 

[pandrson]

Dremel tool works. If I used it to remove this part, then you can do it, too. You'll need either a few "diamond-sprinkled" disks, or lots of "regular" cutting disks.

I have one. I even tried, without it plugged in, to see if the Dremel tool would fit into that small of an area, it won't. Even if I could get it in there, I don't think it will cut through both the nut and the bolt. The bolt is nothing, yeah, I could cut through that. It's the nut that is the problem...cutting wise.

 

[pandrson]

The only right tools in my arsenal to get them off (if you have a chance at all)

View attachment 172856

I tried the Allen key on the top one, didn't do squat...the nut just spun and spun. I don't see how it would make a difference on the lower one if it didn't make a difference on the top one.

 

[pandrson]

I managed to get it off. I had to cut through it with a hacksaw. It took probably close to an hour. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the bolt. I looked for it and couldn't find it. If you look at the bolt, I had sprayed darn near half a bottle of penetrating oil on the two bottom bolts, and it's still that rusted. After I got the top on off, I noticed the entire bolt was covered in something white. I assume that is some sort of loctite, or something like it. Assuming the bottom bolt had the same stuff on it, between the rust and the loctite, I'm guessing that's why I couldn't get it to budge. BTW, the top part had little to no rust on it.

 

[pandrson]

What I originally thought would an hour or twos job, turned into a three day job. I finally got the other one off and new one on. Had to hack through both screws on the passenger side. I know that's not the best of pics...my hands were too unsteady from the cold, it's 38 and misting, wind chill is about 32...to get a good pic. If you look at the one on the bottom of the pic, that's the bolt from the top. That white stuff...which I assume is some kind of loctite...was all over both bolts. It almost looked like plumbers tape to me, but probably isn't. Between that and the rust, those bolts wouldn't move even a tiny bit. Look at the one on top...that's the bolt from the bottom side...I almost stripped it trying to get it off. I bet I watched a half dozen videos on how to do the job. In every single one they just took a ratchet and socket to it and took it right off...no Allen wrench, nothing else. That's how I assumed it was done. I could get an Allen wrench into it, hold it solid, and still couldn't get the nuts to turn

 

[pandrson]

One of the videos I watched, probably the first one I watched, is that MrRangerZ1...or something like that...that I've seen post on here. He just whipped that thing off with an impact wrench for the top nut/bolt, ratchet and socket for the bottom...without using an Allen key. How, I don't know. Worst part really is, after fighting it for the better part of two days, I resorted to old fashioned hacksaw. If I had used that from the beginning, I would've gotten it done the first day.

 

[pandrson]

Every time I watch his video, it AMAZES me how clean his engine compartment and under the car suspension parts are.
Also, how his bolts just magically just comes right off.
Don't get me wrong, yes, his videos are very informative, but I SWEAR that he regularly takes all the bolts off and clean them up and put them back on with some anti-seize.

But he wasn't the only one that didn't use an Allen wrench. None of the videos I watched did. I know several were taking off the OEM end links because I could see the blue dots on them. Still don't know how they did it.

The ones I put on it are MOOG...no Allen wrench needed for installation or removal.