hanime

I got a problem here with snapped rusted bolts on my 1997 Lexus ES300. These bolts go on the two bushing U-brackets that hold the rear sway bar to the chassis--two bolts on each bushing. They are 12mm hex design and have a dimple on the cap (concave in). I snapped all four of them and in need to drill them out. Where can I buy replacement bolts for these? What thread size or specifications? Thanks in advance.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Man that sucks, make sure you use penetrating fluid, such as PB Blaster or WD40, the next time you work on your car's chassis.

I would recommend getting the bolts from your dealership, just reference the part numbers on Sewell.

hanime

@MrBooby: Thank you for Sewell website. I was hoping there is a website with all the diagrams and part references and this did the trick. Looks like the part is #91651-60818 (equivalent Toyota part is #90080-11232) from the diagram. The problem is the dealership opens only during my work hours. I will have to check the weekends.

Cheapest I found online is 4 x $0.77 = $3.08. Plus $3.86 s/h is $6.94 from Mid Atlantic Toyota. :]

I did indeed put PB blasters on the bolts and let them soak in for 20 minutes before going to town with it. When I did it, I was very careful trying not to break the bolts too, but it seems the rust had eaten and seized the bolts pretty badly.

EDIT: It is funny, I searched Google for the parts and found your old thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...ket-bolts.html

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Yup, I had to deal with that two years ago. Luckily I was able to drill the bolt out without messing up the threads. I can't imagine what it would be like with all four of them broken inside. Good luck to you.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

worst comes to worst, drill them out... drill a slightly bigger hole and use a 11mm [generic] bolt with the approx. length.

Those carriers are impossible to find [clean and not rusty] when you do strip the threads... don't ask how I know...

hanime

Rather than waiting to ship, I went with the Toyota dealership and got all four bolts for around $4.50 this weekend.



Then I went to town with drilling the broken seized bolt ends. I used cobalt drill bits, starting with 1/16", then 1/8", then another size close to 1/4". Patience was key because you do not want to go too fast, and the bits get hot and worn easily that way. After making the largest hole possible, I used the bolt/screw extractor tool and tried spinning in reverse to take the threads out. However, this was harder than it look, and I did not have good luck with it. I ended up using a rethread tool and made new threads for it.





It took me about 3 hours to do because I am totally new to this. I spent more time scratching my head than actually doing the work. Now, I will have to repeat this process for the other side. I imagine I can do this in one hour for one side.

KLF

Those bolts are a common M8 fine thread, there are tons of them on your car. You can buy them at any hardware store for much cheaper, although they will not be JIS standard, so they will have a 13mm head.

Hope you put Anti-sieze on the new ones before you installed them.

Oro

My suggestion for you guys is two fold:

a) Kroil
b) Heat

When you run into a bolt you are doubtful about, you use the methods above. As long as it is not a crank bolt, propane will work for the "heat" element. Let the Kroil soak in, then hit it with heat until it is red. Let it cool until it is black/grey normal color. That expansion/contraction will break the spot welding the original torque and later heat will have enforced. "Kroil" is readily available in most auto shops and stands for "OIL that KReeps." Kroil. Orange-red can. Works twise as good as PB Blaster, 10x better than 10W40, etc. I have used it for 30 years on motorcycles, guns, cars, and for loosening stuck items it cannot be beat, especially with heat. (that rhymes, remember it)/

Then you can back it out without snapping it it. Also, this is a factor of muscle memory. When you find yourself cranking on a bolt head that hard, stop. Back off, think about it. "Has this been heat hardened?" Has it been salt effected/rusted in? Look at what you are working with and thin about it.

Also, don't forget LEVERAGE. Put an appropriate socket on it, use as few extensions as possibly, and if needed slip a piece of pipe, tube, your floor jack handle over the end of the wrench and move it SLOWLY.

Can work like magic. All of this is basic mechanics 101 but it's worth thinking about if you did not try these techniques or skipped past them.

hanime

@Oro: I've never heard of Kroil, surprisingly. I usually hear PB this , PB that online, and it never seems to work for me at all. I forgot about heat as well. When I broke the bolts using a long extension bar for leverage, it was already too late. I wish I had more patience at the time. I will keep your suggestions for next time. Thank you!


Ani-seize!






Moog's design is outstanding. You can see here that they got rid of the allen wrench design and went with the square wrench design behind the connection instead. These are very high quality grade metal as well!


And my work is done here. Thanks everyone!

KLF

I've also been using Kroil for many years, I find it superior to PB Blaster. I've never seen it in a parts store, I have always had to order it on-line direct from Kano Labs:

http://www.kanolabs.com/