Need advice on how to get a nut loose

[EniGmA1987]

So I have been trying to change a bunch of brake stuff on my car the past weekend: master cylinder, all new calipers on all 4 wheels, new stainless steel brake lines, new pads, new 660 degree rated DOT4 fluid. I got everything done easily except for 1 nut that connect the hardline to the old, squishy brake line on the rear passenger side wheel. I tried loosening it with a regular wrench which just started to strip the nut. Tried vise grips, and also a flare nut wrench for better grip. It is so stuck that the flare nut wrench I tried today snapped. I sprayed some WD40 on it a few times the first day, and then every morning since Saturday. So I am out of ideas on what to try next to get this nut loose so I can finish the last brake line change. Any ideas or special tricks that you have used in the past to un-stick a really tight nut or bolt?

[cruzad3r]

liquid wrench and invest yourself some new craftmans tool or go with MAC.

if all fail, take the bracket off to see what's what

[macgiver]

mac,Blaster is another amazing "Loosener" ,while still in "clip" , Blaster it , TAP with drift ALL around it do this morn ,noon ,night ,goto more medium taps - just short of heavy hits! Over 2 days , have can Freon(plain any old cheap freon) - SHOOT-it with hose from freon can , Blaster it quickly ,tap quickly,
Blaster again NOW GO NUTS WITH NEW WRENCH & VISE GRIPS - this combo eventually works. Other school of thought is HEAT - like Propane torch ! Many from that shcool get results - many more BURN DOWN THEIR CAR & HOUSE! Yeah ,if no result-THEN take out of the clip & see what the hell is going on with it.

[EdBwoy]

• Freeze off (works like PB blaster, but smells better...if you could play favorites )
• Can of compressed air upside down
• Vise grips - turned down so tight that you almost need other vise grips to clamp the jaw onto the flare nut
• Plenty of time

Idk what the Kobalt policy is, but Duralast (autozone) and the OReilly in-house brand tools have lifetime warranties, and are of pretty decent quality


If all else fails, take it to a shop. Use up their insurance policy if any vehicles or buildings have to be burned down while using a torch. Lol. Seriously though, a properly equipped business might just cut the hardline above the nut and chuck them all, then get you another nut (or reuse if OK), then flare the end again, reconnect everything and send you on your merry way.

I had to pay a shop $13 to remove my shattered locking lug nut - and I thought I made out like a bandit. Sometimes the nominal cost is worth the lack of frustration.

[EniGmA1987]

Alright. So I bought some Liquid Wrench, Blaster, and instead of some plain freon spray I got some CRC freezer spray that also has a penetrating liquid with the freeze spray. It sounded a bit better than just the freezing part for this job.
One of these will have to do the trick! lol


I did try the vise grips at an extremely tight setting a couple days ago. I used groove lock pliers to clamp them down it was so tight. They ended up rounding off a section of the nut rather than getting it loose
I have considered cutting the line and getting a new nut, but I was afraid I wouldnt be able to get the compression flare made right oin the newe end and didnt know how hard it would be to find a new nut somewhere that would fit right. The hard part is that the nut is like a compression fitting, but the threads are on the outside of the nut like a bolt would be. I havent seen any compression fittings with a male threaded nut before. Obviously they exist cause the car has them, but Im not sure whether I would be able to find a replacement myself or not.



Ill update this weekend if one of those 3 cans of stuff I bought does the trick.

[macgiver]

mac, don't go too crazy on it, I think Edbwoy's last suggestion - to cut & re-flare . If car not really driveable,have one of those "mobile mechanics " come over with brakeline , hoses,double-flare tool,whatever pay'em for doing a proper Splice! Just they be "vetted" on experience doing it proper.The tool (not harbor fright ) are very expensive, $60+?Take practice too!

[cruzad3r]

this is the rear brake line?

[EniGmA1987]

this is the rear brake line?

Yep, rear passenger side. The hard line from the engine bay that screws in to the soft line that connects the car body to the caliper. All others were pretty easy, but I noticed that this one has about half the threads showing on the nut as the others so someone at the factory tightened it about 2x as much as the other 3 wheels were.

[macgiver]

mac, either that(overtight) , or maybe wrong part , 1/2 the thread difference is A LOT!

[EniGmA1987]

Good news!
Finally got the nut off last night. The CRC Freeze-Off is what did the trick, though it could have been a combo of the Blaster I tried first and then moving to the Freeze Off. I expected the CRC stuff to actually make the nut colder than it did though. Sure it was pretty cold to the touch but it wasnt frozen or anything thats for sure. Not quite as cold as a real freon type spray would make things.
So thank you all for the advice on products to try. Glad I finally finished changing all my brake stuff. Ill post a couple pictures later today

Oh, and ya the nut was definitely in way further than all tyhe other wheels. And the bottom 2 threads were clearly crushed and flattened and not like a thread should be. So definitely in way tighter than it should have been.

[EniGmA1987]

So this is what it looks like now with the new line in. Had to tighten it just as much as before as it seems like the nut was crushed a bit and had to go this many threads deep to be tight at all. You can see about 3 threads on it:







This is the other side for comparison, you can see 5 threads on it:









The whole new SS line and caliper:








And with the wheel back on:

[Ilya]

Nice! I need to eventually do this to my car (upgrade all of the small suspension pieces like tie bars and brake stuff).