Suspension bolt not threaded 100%

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PuddinsLiberty

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So I got the libby up on stands, planning to do the hubs. And I notice the bolt holding the (strut fork?) To the lower control arm isnt flush like the other side. Ive tried tightening it but it wont budge. Even past 100 ft lbs from my torque wrench. I dont have pneumatics or power tools.

Also, Im trying to remove the axle nut but cant do that while keeping the axle from turning. Can I SAFELY put it in 4 wheel drive to keep it from turning?
 

JeepinJarhead03

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put a pry bar or something similar between the wheel studs and brace against the ground, i use a 4' square tube piece of steel which is also what i use over the handle of my ratchets as a cheater bar/extension

as for the clevis to lca bolt i'd have to see it to say - cross threaded nut, wrong nut eg. a balljoint nut, etc?

as for putting it in 4x4 , works if the opposite side is still on the ground, doesn't if it's not - and even in park with the E-brake on the vehicle can still move enough to roll a jackstand over. and even using a brace through the wheel studs you still have to be careful - did a cv replacement for a guy out in the middle of the woods a few months ago and his cv axle nuts were so tight even with it braced, in 4x4, in park and the other side on the ground it still moved on the jackstand. ended up putting my bumper against his . just mind what the vehicles telling ya and if it decides to fall just move out of the way and let it. especially on dirt it isnt going to hurt anything
 

PuddinsLiberty

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Here is both sides. If I turn one side the other turns with it. So that kinda makes me think that it is crossed. That and it wouldnt budge even with over 100 ft lbs of force on it. I had the lift put on at a garage about a year ago. Along with control arms. So they caused it. Since it is so tight, should I really worry about it?
 

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JeepinJarhead03

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i think that bolts bent is what it is, the head of the bolt originally had a L shaped flange , what probably happened, is during assembly they tightened the bolt until the lock nut started to tighten, which then required either a wrench on the head of the bolt, or that L shaped flange, and the mechanic went to find the L shaped flange that had fallen off during removal, and then got sidetracked and never finished tightening it. so whats happened is the clevis spread some and in the process bent the bolt. a new bolt and nut shouldn't be more than about 5 bucks

that's about how far on those lock nuts will go before they start to grab and overpower the general friction of the bolt - then needing either a wrench on the other side, or the L shaped flange to prevent from turning.. so im pretty certain the above is exactly what happened to that bolt
 

JeepinJarhead03

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and you may end up having to cut the head of that bolt out and drive it out in the direction of the nut, they can be a tight fit even when the bolt isnt bent, might get lucky tho

as far as worrying about it.. well it hasn't exploded in the last year, but i'd get that bolt/nut replaced as soon as you can get a replacement , what could potentially happen is you hit a bad pot hole and enough force get put through the clevis that the clevis gets spread far enough to actually shatter since it's not being clamped by the bolt against the lca to a certain width

and that probably wouldnt be very kosher lol.
the ocd cautious (Tom mudd) would probably replace the clevis incase its been damaged or weakened - in that case id be asking the garage you had it done at for 20 bucks or a large pizza or a 6 pack of beer or something along those lines
 
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renegade 04

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Here is the trick for removing the axle nut. Get a long 2X4 and wedge it in between the lug nut studs. This will keep the hub from turning. Then to get the axle shaft out take the same 2X4 and place it on the end of the axle shaft then hit it a few times with a sledge hammer. Make sure you have 4 wheel drive disengaged while doing this as you could damage your drivetrain.
 

tjkj2002

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2 super easy ways to remove the front axle nuts without air tools.

1-Remove center cap in wheel(while still bolted to side you want to loosen),some 35mm sockets will fit through and with the weight on the tire it's easy to loosen or tighten.Now finding a 35mm socket that will fit through said hole is hard.

2-Have anybody you can find sit in drivers seat and press on the brake pedal,this method always works for loosening or torquing those hub nuts without air tools.
 

tommudd

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Here is both sides. If I turn one side the other turns with it. So that kinda makes me think that it is crossed. That and it wouldnt budge even with over 100 ft lbs of force on it. I had the lift put on at a garage about a year ago. Along with control arms. So they caused it. Since it is so tight, should I really worry about it?

That bolt doesn't look right but I'd say its cross threaded likes been mentioned , so more than likely cutting it off is the only way.
As far as the nut on the CV, little like TJKJ mentioned but I have had to remove wheel, put a socket on the bolt, reattach wheel and run extension through the center cap wheel on one.
Its was rusted almost solid so the only way.
Now that I have some battery powered toys ( NO not that kind JeepinJarhead:happy175: ) they come off lots easier
 

tommudd

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Sooo to replace the clevis and the bolt/nut I'd need a spring compressor right?

No, jack it up, remove all weight on jackstands , jack under lower control arm and remove the bolt

If anything is bad it would be the bushing.
As rusty as everything else is I'd say that is the least of your worries
 

mvnesq

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It's hard to tell if that is the original nut i the picture. Id bet either your right and it was cross threaded or, and I think this is moire likely, the bolt and/or nut were corroded pretty badly and either it wouldn't come off or go back on. Someone mentioned there being a tang in the shape of an L to keep the nut from spinning as you turn the bolt. My guess is the nut is a replacement since the tang is gone and its stuck in that position.

As for the axle nut, there are a few ways to do this. Since you have the wheel off already, Ill give 2 examples.
1. Insert a screwdriver down into the rotor through the caliper. The screwdriver will jam against the caliper and you can turn the nut. You can also tighten it like this. Use as hefty a screwdriver as you have that will fit. A flimsy one might break on you.

2. Have someone step on the brake while you break it free, or use a pryer(or anything long enough) to press against the break pedal and jam it against the seat.

Hope that is helpful.
 

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