RUSTIEST BOLTS EVER! I NEED HELP!

I have a 2000 Ford freakin Ranger with a leaking stinking rear differential. I want to replace the cover, gasket, and fluid but I can't get the bolts out cuz they're rusty as hell! I asked my dad for help and he was able to remove 3 with his electric impact. There's still 7 in there and my dad is done with it and thinks I should just part out the truck. I want to hold on to the beater cuz the engine runs good. Here's a pic of the rusty mess. I sprayed some rust penetrating stuff on it. Any ideas?

 

Heat won't work. There is too much cast iron and diff fluid to heat up.

Suggest PB Blaster (NOT WD-40), six point impact socket and a pneumatic impact gun.

Its gonna be a bugger.

You might try using a can of compressed air to "freeze" the bolt.

 

Have you tried a large pair of vise grips? You may be past bolt removal and more in terms of junkyard rear diff at this point too.

edit... the other thing to try is a large chisel point punch and hammer... hit the bolt in a CCW direction on the outside diameter to loosen it.

 

Take it to a shop with an acetalyne torch. Drill a hole in the cover to drain out the fluid. Heat up the bolt and knock it lose with an impact. If the bolt head gets rounded off, use an extractor socket. Worst case weld a more sustantial nut to each bolt head.

How's the 20-year old axle otherwise? Any leaks at the pinion seal or the axle shaft seals?

 

Find a donor axle

 

Suck it out of the fill. I wouldnt touch those.

Even with the bolts out the cover will likely get destroyed.

 

Hey y'all, thanks for all the replys. I haven't had time to mess with it much cuz I've been driving my Taco a lot, but it'll get fixed at some point. I painted this truck myself and I'm looking forward to getting him on the road!

 

First make sure you can get the fill plug out before you touch the cover. If you can get the plug out just keep topping it off or suck out and refill. Don't bother with the cover.

 

My dad had no trouble at all with the fill plug. I've been thinking of just adding fluid but it leaks, so maybe I should put something on it so it won't leak as bad.

 

I would just go straight to that. Looks like a serious challenge

 

You can localize heat right on the bolt head with a propane torch. Get it smoking hot and spray down with reeeeaaaallly cold ice water. Do this a few times to shock each bolt one at a time.

Then soak liberally with Knocker Loose (NAPA). Soak over night, and douse again in the morning.

Before you try to loosen any bolt, clean as much loose crap/rust etc off each bolt. Get a socket on each bolt with good purchase and give them a few knocks tighter with the impact to crack things. Then proceed to walk them out like normal.

 

Thanks, now I have the Ford effin' Ranger song in my head.

 

This along with a quick shot of cold water will shock the threads. Tighten first, then loosen.

 

I decided to just put the three bolts back in and spray it with flexseal and fill it up. It's slowly dripping out, but mainly from the bottom bolt I put back in. I'm gonna try to tighten it soon but for now I got a bucket under it. I've had my Ranger since November of last year but yesterday I took him for a joy ride for the first time. Sure turns heads lol!

 

I don't know how far you want to go with it, but what has worked for me in the past is welding a separate nut on a stuck bolt. If you weld the nut on and liberally apply PB Blaster, you should be able to get it out of there.