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Easy way to remove stubborn axle nuts.

Joined
5 February 2010
Messages
30
Location
New Zealand
Rather than strain my guts or tools when confronted with a rear axle nut that wouldn't come off
when fitting new CV boots (the kits come with a new nut) I did it this way:-
After using a pin punch to de stake the nut I loaded a 1/8" dia parallel carbide rotary file with a radius end in my die grinder (you could use a Dremel) and cut a slot into the hex and back flange of the nut being very careful not to go so deep as to touch the axle or axle thread - this took
about five minutes.
A very slight tap with a chisel to fractionally strain the slot open was all that was then required and the nut
virtually screwed off by hand.
 
No air tools I gather? Plan A for me has been a liberal over-night soaking in PB blaster (or other penetrating oil) and then a large impact gun. I've had to cut/chisel other nuts or bolts off of this car, but that hasn't been one of them.
 
I don't have a large impact wrench and perhaps having a toolmaking background helped me to know it would be really easy and quick to cut the old nut off using a rotary file as described.
 
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