Captured nut for lower control arm spinning.
October 28th, 2018 | 12:03 PM
#1
Thread Starter
CF Active Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 138
Likes: 3
From: Genesee, MI.
Captured nut for lower control arm spinning.
I am looking for a thread in the forum with regard to how to get access to the captured nut which secures the lower control arm bolt on the drive side . In the process of replacing a lower control arm, with a worn bushing, the captured nut is froze to the bolt and spins within the small cage that is suppose to hold it in place so the bolt can be removed. Prior to attempting to remove the bolt, the usual practice of hitting the top of the bolt with a hammer was done to loosen accumulated rust. Also, PB blaster was shot up into the top of the nut as best could be done. There is very little room to get anykind of tool up to the captured nut.
All the above taken into account, has there been a plan devised to get access to the captured nut to allow for removal of the bolt? The options are not all that obvious. At the moment, the only way to get to the bolt is to cut an access hole in the floor board. Has this been done before? Or is there a marked punch out in the frame or floor that allows access when removed? Any help here would be deeply appreciated other than saying to take it to a shop. The car is on jack stands and everything undone except the bolt that secures the control arm to the frame/body.
Thanks
All the above taken into account, has there been a plan devised to get access to the captured nut to allow for removal of the bolt? The options are not all that obvious. At the moment, the only way to get to the bolt is to cut an access hole in the floor board. Has this been done before? Or is there a marked punch out in the frame or floor that allows access when removed? Any help here would be deeply appreciated other than saying to take it to a shop. The car is on jack stands and everything undone except the bolt that secures the control arm to the frame/body.
Thanks
December 30th, 2018 | 9:43 PM
#3
CF Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 6
I found this info on a diff website. Cut and paste. In case anyone else has this problem. Fortunately I did not. And I put grease on the threads of all the bolts that went back in.
Watch out for these, guys. The rearward one that goes through the Lower Control Arm, subframe, and on up into the body.
Wife's HHR flunked state inspection for busted rubber bushings back there. Put my impact on the bolt, no go. Put a 5 foot cheater & pipe, criick, criick, the captive nut broke out of its cage and was spinning up there.
Access is nasty. Pop the tie rod ends and turn the wheel to suck as much into the rack as possible. Loosen the swaybar and bust its end links. (Removing the sway bar requires lowering the subframe, something that can't be done with stuck bolts
)
This will buy enough space to get in with a sawzall and 9" blade. 6" blades are just a hair too short. I burnt through eight blades on this project. YMMV. Cut yourself an access flap through the "box" that holds the captive nut. It's just spot welded in there and "not that structural". Feel with your fingers to get a feel for how high the nut is; it's around 1.25 inches up from the top of the subframe.
On my driver's side (which is worse for access) the LCA bushing seized to the bolt. So I cut through the bolt at the bottom and top of said bushing. It was also stuck to the captive nut, and the whole shebang was too tall to pop up, over, and out. There's an extra inch of bolt thread above the captive nut; get in there and sawzall that off as well as what's left of the stamped steel "cage". You should have your bolt in enough small pieces to get them out.
Passenger side stewed in PB blaster, a new squirt a day for a week. No dice, it still spun the nut the same way. At least this has gobs of space to work in.
Unrelated: the ball joint pinch bolt is steel inside an aluminum knuckle. Lots of white corrosion on the threads. Got slathered in anti-sieze. New LCA bolts, of course, got tons of antisieze.
Would it be prudent to pull these bolts on your Cobalt/ HHR/ whatever and antisieze them up ahead of time? If they don't come loose with a 2-foot breaker bar, I say nope, nope, nope!
And if you have any front end work planned on these heaps, plan some extra time.
Watch out for these, guys. The rearward one that goes through the Lower Control Arm, subframe, and on up into the body.
Wife's HHR flunked state inspection for busted rubber bushings back there. Put my impact on the bolt, no go. Put a 5 foot cheater & pipe, criick, criick, the captive nut broke out of its cage and was spinning up there.
Access is nasty. Pop the tie rod ends and turn the wheel to suck as much into the rack as possible. Loosen the swaybar and bust its end links. (Removing the sway bar requires lowering the subframe, something that can't be done with stuck bolts
)This will buy enough space to get in with a sawzall and 9" blade. 6" blades are just a hair too short. I burnt through eight blades on this project. YMMV. Cut yourself an access flap through the "box" that holds the captive nut. It's just spot welded in there and "not that structural". Feel with your fingers to get a feel for how high the nut is; it's around 1.25 inches up from the top of the subframe.
On my driver's side (which is worse for access) the LCA bushing seized to the bolt. So I cut through the bolt at the bottom and top of said bushing. It was also stuck to the captive nut, and the whole shebang was too tall to pop up, over, and out. There's an extra inch of bolt thread above the captive nut; get in there and sawzall that off as well as what's left of the stamped steel "cage". You should have your bolt in enough small pieces to get them out.
Passenger side stewed in PB blaster, a new squirt a day for a week. No dice, it still spun the nut the same way. At least this has gobs of space to work in.
Unrelated: the ball joint pinch bolt is steel inside an aluminum knuckle. Lots of white corrosion on the threads. Got slathered in anti-sieze. New LCA bolts, of course, got tons of antisieze.
Would it be prudent to pull these bolts on your Cobalt/ HHR/ whatever and antisieze them up ahead of time? If they don't come loose with a 2-foot breaker bar, I say nope, nope, nope!
And if you have any front end work planned on these heaps, plan some extra time.
