Which brands are best?

[280plus]

I need to get the best of two items.

1. Penetrating oil to loosen the bolts to the starter on my P/U. Steel into aluminum. I already broke one off, I'd rather not break the other one if I can avoid it. Flimsy GD bolts, I'll say that much. Just one size up and they might break loose instead of just breaking

and

2. Car Battery. I used to love Diehards but I'm hearing they are junk these days so I am at a loss for what to buy. I want a good one.

Thanks!

[Gewehr98]

See car battery thread.  I can sticky it to the top of the forum for you if you can't find it. 

[Nick1911]

1. Penetrating oil to loosen the bolts to the starter on my P/U. Steel into aluminum. I already broke one off, I'd rather not break the other one if I can avoid it. Flimsy GD bolts, I'll say that much. Just one size up and they might break loose instead of just breaking

Ugh, good luck.  I've used various things like Kroil and PB Blaster, but the only thing that's ever had a notable effect was application of lots of heat.  And, that may not be a great idea on a big aluminum casting...

[280plus]

Found it G, thatnks! I think I'll try the autozone.

YEa, Nick, I hear you, I'm trying to avoid pulling the tranny because that's what this will lead to. Hows this for triple bogey. The P/U 1995 F-150XLT just started leaking oil from a pinhole in the pan AND the starter crapped out pretty much simultaneously. THEN the battery in The '91 Lexus went too. I did clean the terminals and charge it but it's not holding.

Good thing for bad luck or I wouldn't have any luck at all. 

 

[BobR]

leaking oil from a pinhole in the pan

JB Weld will take care of that.  

As far as loosening steel bolts in aluminum oil of wintergreen in some pretty amazing stuff, and it smells good.

Another method is the "candle trick". Heat the bolt with a propane torch. It does not have to be real hot. Shove the old candle against the fastener letting the wax melt into the joints. Repeat this process a couple more times. When cool enough remove the bolt or nut. I have never had to resort to using a candle, but an older mechanic I used to work with swore by the method. If possible I would try to get the candle wax working on both the bolt head and the bolt body from behind if it is accessible.

YMMV

[AZRedhawk44]

+1 to JB Weld on auto fluid pans.


I ripped an oil pan open on a car in college.  There's a type of epoxy putty similar to JB Weld I used to seal the gash, let it dry, fill the engine with oil again and drive it home to replace the oil pan.

[280plus]

I'd go with the JB weld if I didn't know there had to be other pinholes in progress and lurking to strike at the most inopportune of moments. 

[Harold Tuttle]

Coca-Cola eats galvanic corrosion

[Perd Hapley]

Try Ubuntu.

[Nick1911]

Try Ubuntu.

Winner!
 

[charby]

Coca-Cola eats galvanic corrosion

or just get some phosphoric acid (navel jelly) and drink the coke while it does its work.

[MechAg94]

I have several cans of Loosey Goosey.  I'd give you one if you were closer. 

It is left over from an incident at a plant I used to work at.  A safety inspection highlighted a few cases of penetrating oil under some stairs that should go in an aerosol cabinet.  The plant manager looked around and found a few more cases, and a few more, and a few more.  They ended up with 16 forklift pallets each piled with many cases of penetrating oil (8 or 12 cans each case).  The warehouse guy was fired soon after.  This plant might use one case each year.  Since it costs money to dispose of this stuff and the vendor refused to return it, it was shipped to all the plants in the area and everyone was encouraged to take as much as they wanted. 

[brimic]

 Aluminum+steel might equal machine shop work, the best you might hope for is for the bolt to strip out so you can heli-coil the aluminum like it should have been made in the first place.

I've heard of the candle wax method too- be worth a try.
 

Oil pan- might as well buy one from a junk yard and replace. I had a pinhole leak in my old truck- the metal around the leak turned out to be corroded to the point that it was paper thin in an area about the size of a quarter. JB weld might fix it temporarily, but you really don't need that repair letting go on you when you are 100 miles from home.

[Tuco]

WD40 = Poor
WD40 is NOT PENETRANT.  It is a decent lubricant/Water Dispersant.

PB Blaster = Good
Kroil = Excellent

The secret is apply early and apply often.  Smack the bolt heads with a hammer (if you can reach them) apply heat until the penetrant boils and burns away.
Apply more, let it sit, smack it again.

I've used an air hammer (chisel) on a bolt head - just enough (and not enough to deform the flats) to move the penetrant through the threads.

[BReilley]

http://www.omegaindustrialsupply.com/Catalog/Catalog_Lubricants.htm

"Numb Nuts".

'nuff said.

[280plus]

Thanks all. I think I'll try the "Numb Nuts" mostly cause I like the name.  

if that doesn't work I'll try the Ubuntu

Talked to a Ford dealer yesterday. They want $1000 to do the pan. The wouldn't give me a number for the starter but I'm sure it'll be just as scary. They did say if they had to pull the tranny it would be $1500. Sigh...

[Nick1911]

Nota Bene: Every penetrating oil I've used is to some degree flammable.  Do keep this in mind when using both oil and heat!

And wear some safety glasses!

Don't run with scissors!

<-- Safety police 

[280plus]

I only run with scissors when I'm feeling like living life on the edge for a while... 

 

[Nick1911]

I only run with scissors when I'm feeling like living life on the edge for a while... 

 

Oh a dare devil, huh?  You probably don't wait 30 minutes to swim after eating either!   

[280plus]

Never!!  

I play with matches once in a while too but they're getting harder to find.  

 

[HankB]

Nota Bene: Every penetrating oil I've used is to some degree flammable.

Most oils are petroleum distillates, and penetrating oils are the same with a solvent added to reduce viscosity and make them, well, penetrating. Are you saying that the combination may be flammable? 

Anyway, other penetrants to consider are "Liquid Wrench" and "Corrosion-X."  The latter is very good at preventing rust formation on tools in my garage, and I used it to free up a seized mechanical sending unit on the spedometer of my exercise bike.

[cfabe]

The best bolt un-sticking method I've used is plenty of heat followed by a good douse of PB Blaster, repeat a few times. If you get the part hot enough that the PB self-ignites when you spray it, even better. Another approach if you have time on your side, is to spray the bolt once or twice a day for a week or so. This has worked well for me on things like exhaust manifold bolts where you don't really want to be torching too much.

[280plus]

Thanks all. Tried to procure some numb nuts but the smallest they would sell me was 6 cans @ $120 plus shipping so that's pretty well out. I want to avoid the torch thing so soaking a couple times a day for a week may be the last resort. I'll look through all the suggestions again but I may actually have some Liquid Wrench around. At least I did a while ago.

[brimic]

Is it the oil pan or trannny pan that's leaking?

Do you have a chilton or Haynes  manual? That should give you an idea of how difficult/easy the job will be.

[French G.]

I use Kroil and cycles of mild heat if it really has to come loose. Heat, spray, heat, spray, whack head of bolt, usually breaks any internal corrosion bond. Then go kill person who assembled without anti-seize.