tips for busting extremely tight frame bolts?

[SportsterDoc]

Good on you, riggies.

+1
x2
ditto
amen!
MP
This could be a start on your tool collection.
Decent quality
Lifetime warranty
6 point

If not in a hurry, you might find on sale
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-11-Piece...et/3652536

[riggies_imp]

a mechanics tool set by craftsmen was the start to my tool collection when I was a teenager. Fixed a lot of broken machines with those tools and still a mainstay in my garage.

[peterbaron]

I just heard a big crack.....nut is loose, isn't it ??

[SportsterDoc]

a mechanics tool set by craftsmen was the start to my tool collection when I was a teenager. Fixed a lot of broken machines with those tools and still a mainstay in my garage.

Same here.
Son now has them, plus many additions.
Hopefully quality will be on the way back.

[Townie_imp]

I just ran up against the same wall yesterday. I bought frame sliders from another forum member, went to install them and discovered that those bolts are really on there tight! I didn’t feel like digging out my breaker bar at the moment, but I’ll do it tomorrow with confidence that it’s the right tool for the job.

I guess what I mean to say is you won’t regret owning a breaking bar if you want to spend more time wrenching. It’s practically required equipment and they’re worth their weight in gold when you need one. Consider it an investment.

The front engine mount bolts were very tight when I took them off my bike, partly due to the constant heat cycles that turn any condensation into a chalky white residue.
The 4 nuts are partly obscured by the header, but I was able to put a box end wrench in place and hit it sharply with a plastic mallet, easily breaking the nuts loose with a loud creak.
Trying to turn the bolt head is the wrong way - too much energy lost on the twisting bolt. Always turn the nut, not the bolt.

I figured the chalky white stuff was some dried up grease. Does the condensation react with the steel bolt & heat cycles to create this chalky stuff?

[pekingduck]

I just ran up against the same wall yesterday. I bought frame sliders from another forum member, went to install them and discovered that those bolts are really on there tight! I didn’t feel like digging out my breaker bar at the moment, but I’ll do it tomorrow with confidence that it’s the right tool for the job.

I guess what I mean to say is you won’t regret owning a breaking bar if you want to spend more time wrenching. It’s practically required equipment and they’re worth their weight in gold when you need one. Consider it an investment.

The front engine mount bolts were very tight when I took them off my bike, partly due to the constant heat cycles that turn any condensation into a chalky white residue.
The 4 nuts are partly obscured by the header, but I was able to put a box end wrench in place and hit it sharply with a plastic mallet, easily breaking the nuts loose with a loud creak.
Trying to turn the bolt head is the wrong way - too much energy lost on the twisting bolt. Always turn the nut, not the bolt.

I figured the chalky white stuff was some dried up grease. Does the condensation react with the steel bolt & heat cycles to create this chalky stuff?

I figured the chalky white stuff was some dried up grease. Does the condensation react with the steel bolt & heat cycles to create this chalky stuff? I'm not really sure of the actual chemical reaction, but only seem to see this on engine bolts and engine frame bolts. On occasion, have pulled bolts and seen the condensation moisture.

[jtopiso_imp]

Always buy high quality tools , I have a German socket set : Kampmann , bought 55 years ago and still perfect , also like the Gedore wrenches. Low quality tools will give busted knuckles , rounded nuts and bolts and LOTS of frustration. Buy tools ONCE !

I agree with some exceptions. I'm only going to use a torque wrench once or twice a year. For that I'm not going to spend a fortune.

With good tools, you can have an error of +/-20% in bolt tension when tightening a bolt. This is due to variations on thread friction, under-head friction, and the error of the tool itself.

With a cheap torque-wrench... I guess what you get is not much better than a "that seems tight enough" approach.

[KiowaEagle_imp]

In this case, with a $35 torque wrench I believe the error factor originally when it's new is similar if not the same. It is factory calibrated after all. The difference is that with usage it probably looses that calibration at a faster rate. But like I said I'm only going to use it once or twice a year. I'm 61, if I use it twice a year until I'm 75 that is only 28 uses. A mechanic could use one easily that much in a month. Plus I could buy another one in that time and still spend less and it's still better than using a standard wrench with your "that seems tight enough" idea.

[Cormanus]

I wonder how many mechanics use torque wrenches? I’ve had a couple look askance at me for suggesting it.

[dwcurton_imp]

They say you learn something new every day, so maybe today is my day. But I've been wrenching on old cars, old trucks, old bikes, old boats, and old tractors since the 70's and I've never seen "condensation" on the bolts. I'm not exactly sure what is being referred to here.

However, the frame bolts on my 2014 did have a chalky white substance on them when I removed them for installation of an engine guard. I initially thought it was some type of loc-tite material. Thinking on it some more, it was probably thread lubricant used during assembly to get a more consistent torque value. This lubricant then dried over time. From personal experience, old dried grease can be worse than glue and it probably functioned as a thread lock when dried.

Nevertheless, the technique described above worked well and I have no real issues removing them. One or two sharp raps with a 3 lb hammer on a breaker bar and they were loose.

I also second the general notion that quality tools are well worth the money.
Quote:I wonder how many mechanics use torque wrenches? I’ve had a couple look askance at me for suggesting it.
I think it's becoming more common as you see steel bolts in aluminum engine blocks. It's much better to use a torque wrench than pay to fix stripped out threads.

After much complaining, I also stand in the shop for every tire change and insist they use a torque wrench to tighten my rims to a specified value. Nothing like trying to change a flat in the rain with all the lug nuts torqued to over 120 ft-lbs by some idiot in the shop using an impact at the highest setting.

And, my son recently got hired to assemble high-end bicycles in a local shop and almost every bolt has to be torqued to a specific value due to the light weight and exotic materials.