how i removed my rear differential bolts without a breaker bar or pneumatics or a lift. :eek4: yeah those bolts ^ drenched with liquid wrench for good luck pwning the bolts with the magic of mechanical gain. ^ it took about 20 times resetting the jack/wrench and an hour to loosen both bolts. Also when i started using the jack it lifted the car a bunch before it actually broke the bolt free for a 1/8th of a turn. So i have to ask, how would you have broken them free if you were in this situation? Side note, I filled the rear diff with 75w90 full synthetic oil from PX3, because this was all I could find after checking 3 stores for diff oil, I'm not happy with o'reilly auto parts to say the least.
I tried for 2 days to remove the bolt from my dads '04 Outback. Tried, a smack impact, 300ft lb impact gun, breaker bar, and a 1/2" drive socket wrench like you did. Was worried about the bolt rounding so bought a new one and had it taken into Morries Wish I would have tried the jack now, good thinkin, although I think Morries charged $30 for the drain fill and they have a lift which helps. Popped off my '02 wrx with a breaker bar and some brute force no problem.
Used an impact on my wifes 04 WRX and it came of easy as pie.... The impact I have is a POS I think it puts out maybe 120ft/lbs...
pretty good idea...when I did my rear diff I used all muscle baby, prolly why I'm always so sore after wrenching on my car haha.
I first tried with a pipe on the end of that wrench, but because the car is on the ground it's hard to get the room to put some serious leverage on it for anything more then an 8th of a turn. i guess the rust from 70k miles just cakes them on there.
i never had an issue either, they were tough but not enough where i had to get desperate to loosen them..
When I did the fluid on my 95 I didnt have a problem, just used the biggest ratchet I could find. However I have run into this situation on many other things. Strut bolts on GD seem to be an issue for me. In which case I have used the scissors jack or a floor jack to push up on a wrench. It does result in lifting the car off the jackstands when I do it, but just a little bounce down on the car at that point should get things going.... or break your box end wrench. I have seen both. I have had very good luck using the "wrench trick" I have a 2" wrench that will add about 24" of leverage to any decent size wrench or ratchet I am using or a 4' bar (jack handle). It seems I never have any PB Blaster or Impact guns around when I am working on things, so creativity comes into play. Ratchet straps can be handy.
Couple of light quick taps on the a small breaker bar (or the wrench if you must) with a 4lb sledge works pretty good
aw good thinking! last time i encountered those pesky bolts i couldnt get the bottom one undone after doing the top (best advice i got from ryan ever was, get the top undone first and do the bottom last incase you cant get the top undone, you will have no way of filling it). months later after squeezing in my trans fluid with a zip lock baggy (thanks to phi11 for the idea) i was down at toasterboy's shop where he used the biggest breaker bar i have ever seen and got the lower one undone. he was struggling and was using all his ~230lbs to get teh thing cracked. i was afraid of rounding it as well so this idea will be a great help for the noobs who have the same problems many of us have encountered. thanks.
I used to work as a mechanic at a farm equipment dealership and when we would come across a stubborn bolt that the impact wouldn't reach and you couldn't get good leverage on it we would put the wrench on it and use a rubber mallet to knock it loose. Works very well and that was on 3/4" + bolts.
That has to be the most redundant tool ever. Any 1/2 drive tool will fit the plug the way it is. I used a cordless impact to start loosening mine. Easy as pie.
