Thread locker question

Try the heat gun and a 6 point wrench or socket, you may be surprised and all this cutting, nut splitting and replacing may just be wasted worry.

 

I wouldn't go thru all the anguish of trying to loosen uca nuts to grease them, if you cannot loosen the nuts with a socket or open end wrench I wouldn't destroy the UCA or nuts to do so

 

You have to grease the bushings as part of routine maintenance.

 

just start pumping grease through the nipple... don’t worry it will “egress” somewhere.

 

I believe the threads aren't damaged because the load placed on the nut by the splitter is evenly distributed across the peaks / valleys due to the nut/bolt engagement. The splitter is concentrating the load on the flat of the nut. I haven't used one but I wouldn't hesitate to try one. In the past, I've just cut bolts where a sleeved bushing was involved. I understand why you would rather avoid cutting the bolt.

 

Red thread locker is not permanent. It is designed to allow you to remove the bolt without damage. In fact, it prevents the parts from rusting/seizing/welding together by keeping out moisture. A red thread locked bolt is easier to remove than a rusted bolt any day.

Good luck OP!

 

this

 

Just talked to the guy who installed the UCAs. He said he usually doesn't have a problem just muscling thrugh even with red threadlocker.

 

I'll call Camburg tomorrow but I am pretty sure we are supposed to loosen to avoid damage to the bushings.

 

Have you tried just doing it with muscle yet? I can almost guarantee you'll get it off, use a breaker bar if you have to.

It's less about that and more about the possible damage to the bushings. Silicone based grease is very thick and sticky compared to most other greases and can deform the poly bushings if you don't loosen them first

 

Like other have said, red Loctite isn’t unbreakable, use some muscle and it should move. Try double-wrenches for leverage and a heat gun if it gives you trouble....

FYI- I’ve never once loosened anything before greasing a fitting and I’ve never had a problem.

 

Well, I thought about a breaker bar but I would have to use a deep socket for that and I don't think I can fit all that in the small space where the nut is, even if I bend back that lip of wheel well metal.

I was planning to use the breaker bar and socket to keep the bolt head steady and a wrench to then try to move the nut.

But now that I write this, I guess I should ask: force should be applied to the nut (because that has the thread locker), right?

 

I retorqued my UCA bolt on my 2nd gen I think I used a breaker bar with a short socket was barely able to fit it in but I did, also u got to connect the grease gun to the nipple properly to force the grease slowly inhttps://youtu.be/Sq9MNUHwUFY

 

I tried to see if there is any way to get a breaker bar in their with a short socket. No dice. Even if I could bend that inner fender enough to get it in there (and it was really starting to creak) there is something else there on the passenger side (only side I tried).

 

HUZZAH! I did it! Just used elbow grease. For the benefit of anyone with my question in the future:

My UCA bolts are reversed from OEM position, so the bolt head is at the bottom of the diagonal. I used a breaker bar to hold the bolt head steady and a combination wrench to loosen the nuts. The setup:


The tools I used:


A six point Gearwrench 19mm socket (

$27 GEARWRENCH 1/2" Drive Standard Impact Metric Socket 19mm, 6 Point - 84531N

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UM65HZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

A 24 inch 1/2 inch drive Tekton breaker bar (

TEKTON 15356 1/2" Drive by 24" Breaker Bar

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWVAUT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

The socket and breaker bar were on the bolt head.

A six point Gearwrench 19mm combination wrench (

$20 GEARWRENCH Combination Wrench 19mm, 6 Point - 81767

https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-8...+point+wrench&qid=1564942957&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

The wrench was on the nut. I used the circular end of the wrench.

I used the breaker bar and socket to hold the bolt head on the lower end of the UCA bolt diagonal steady and the wrench to then loosen the nut on the upper end of the UCA bolt diagonal.

I just moved slow and steady. After a second I felt it give a little. I had to use force but nowhere near the most I have ever used in my life.

I did have to jack the truck slightly to get slightly more room to maneuver that half inch drive breaker bar on the driver side.

While I can offer no guarantees that this will work for you it did work for me.

Thanks for all the help with this. I am a big (6'3" tall, well over 200 lbs) and strong (at age 47 I can still bench over 300lbs) guy. That sounds like a boorish brag but actually it is a really bad thing and bitter experience has taught me that I can apply enough force to really fuck things up. I also tend to be a cautiuous, evidence driven type. So I was very hesitant to brute force it.

I thank all of you for your help and, to pay it backward, if you are ever in central NC and can't get the nut to budge on the UCA bolt message me. I'll try it or we'll tag team it with you holding the breaker bar.

 

Glad you were successful. (adding this only because I didn't see anyone else answer your question: Yes, you should always work the nut end if possible. Always torque the nut, not the bolt; and always loosen the nut, not the bolt. "Always" is subjective here. Some arrangements actually have the nut welded in place; and some are just so recessed / hidden that there is no way to get a torque wrench (or adapter) on it. So always - when you can.)

 

i dont get it. if the grease and bushing are such a tight fit that you can damage the bushing, why would you need to add grease. if its that tight you asentualy have a sealed bushing, and it would not lose grease or alow any debry in. i understand why the manufacturer wants you to grease it ( so when the bushing fails they have somthing to blame) but mechanicaly i cant figure out why it actualy needs to be done.

 

I just don't know whether that tight a fit equals a sealed bushing.

 

Heat gun from harbor freight works like a charm. 20 bucks and have used it quite a bit.