How to get a rusted suspension part unstuck
Stubborn suspension components and tie rods lock up tightly due to rust and wear, requiring intense heat cycles, penetrating oil, and exhausting physical effort. This leaves mechanics spending hours fighting a single bolt or castle nut, turning a quick repair into an exhausting ordeal.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 11.4× more often in r/MechanicAdvice than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using penetrating oil like PB BlasterDid this help you?
- 2Applying heat with a torch or MAPP gasDid this help you?
- 3Using a butane refill can to freeze the partDid this help you?
- 4Applying heavy physical force and taking breaksDid this help you?
- 5trying to spin the bolt counterclockwise to loosen itDid this help you?
- 6taking the screw all the way out using a magnetic bit or grabber toolDid this help you?
- 7Jiggling the backrest and applying pressure to force it to playDid this help you?
- 8Re-insert a bolt partially and tap it with a hammer and extension to unseat the component.Did this help you?
- 9Use a pry bar or screwdriver between the alternator and the bracket or block to apply force.Did this help you?
- 10putting gas in slowly with frequent stopsDid this help you?
- 11turning the fuel nozzle to the side or upside downDid this help you?
- 12taking the hose off to put fuel directly into the tankDid this help you?
- 13putting one lug stud back in a few threads and hitting the tire with a rubber mallet from different anglesDid this help you?
- 14hitting the tire harderDid this help you?
- 15getting a gym membership for leg trainingDid this help you?
- 16Pulling the camshafts to see if the engine breaks freeDid this help you?
- 17Checking for bent valves and figuring out what is locked upDid this help you?
- 18Hunting for a replacement motor or donor carDid this help you?
- 19hitting it with an impact wrenchDid this help you?
- 20pushing down on the plastic to ease tensionDid this help you?
- 21using an air chiselDid this help you?
- 22Calling a mobile mechanicDid this help you?
- 23Using a ball joint pressDid this help you?
- 24Kicking the top of the wheel or tireDid this help you?
- 25Hitting the rear of the rim with a rubber or plastic malletDid this help you?
- 26Leaving a lug nut threaded loosely and driving the car backwards and forwards to break the rust sealDid this help you?
- 27Lowering the vehicle off the jack stands with loose lug nuts to use vehicle weightDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Vw polo 1.2 2008 9n, scared to pull too much as car might fall off stands. Please help”source ↗
“Lol I took the nuts off yes. Im scared to damage something”source ↗
“I replaced a tie rod end on a 2003 Audi A6 today. 4 hours, 2 cans of pb, a few mapp heat cycles, freezing with a butane refill can, ALL my elbow grease, and a little patience.”source ↗
“welcome to the club of people who have yelled at a castle nut for 20 minutes”source ↗
“My route was always heat, more heat, even more heat!!! Then sobbing in a corner before more heat with hopes and prayers.”source ↗
“Front passenger seat wont lock in place in my 3 door 2012 peugeot 208. Whats my next move? 🙏”source ↗
“Thats the thing - it doesnt lock into place. I’m not able to put the seat back upright either”source ↗
“I can wiggle and pull it all day but it wont budge.”source ↗
“Both 14mm tension screws are out and its stuck from the lower part.”source ↗
“Cant fit flathead screw driver in there to try prying it out. Im at a loss here”source ↗
“If you read the original post, I already did, been here for about 30 min doing the same shit lol”source ↗
“When I was driving home yesterday, the car just shut down while i was at a stop. It didnt make any unusual noises or grinding, just shut down. I towed it home, and when i tried to turn the motor by hand it was locked up.”source ↗
“Is there any chance with how all of this looks i could get the motor broken free and retime it with a new chain? I know thats a crackpot idea, but im trying to do this as cheaply as possible.”source ↗
“still need to check for bent valves and figure out exactly what is locked up right now.”source ↗
“I got it to here but it wouldn’t budge anymore.”source ↗
“Is it still supposed to go further? It wouldn’t budge anymore and I was giving it it the Uggas with a big ass breaker bar.”source ↗
“I’m just having trouble putting it back in I guess”source ↗
“Cant get the hub or knuckle off because im using hand tools and the screws are seized.”source ↗
“Boyfriend used a ball joint press but pressed out the wrong way leaving the race in the knuckle.”source ↗
“This is the biggest job ive ever done and im at a loss .”source ↗
“Honesty im a mechanic I see this all the time, put the lug nut in a few thread on one hole then keep spinning and hit the shit out of it on the rear side of rim or tyre with rubber mallet. Lug nut is to stop you hitting rim off to the moon.”source ↗
“I have not been able to find this issue anywhere else online, from the many videos I've seen it should be as simple as loosening that screw and pulling the lock out.”source ↗
“I realized late I was turning it the wrong way for the video, but even turning it the right way the screw just spins infinitely and won't come out. Even the the tech at autozone tried and couldn't get it to come out”source ↗
“Issue is, it’s not venting air/vapor out at all, so now I’m stuck putting gas in for a second, then stopping to wait for it to go down, then starting again for a second. It’s infuriating and takes so much longer as a result.”source ↗
“I feel like the throttle is a bit sticky. When i drive and i remove my foot from the speeder and clutch out, the revs goes up by at least 500 rpm. The faster i do it, the more it goes up.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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