How do you loosen a rounded nut?!

[JTR]

Help!! I'm trying to change my anti-roll bar brackets but cant get the bloody old ones off!! One of the nuts has become rounded now and I cant get any purchase on it whatsoever!

Any ideas?

Thanks,
JTR

[ChrisEm]

PM sent!

[Colin Lambert]

Buy a nut splitter from a tool shop such as Machine Mart. This will split the nut in half and you can then remove the bits. Or you can hack-saw down the side if the nut if there is room (sorry, don't know the situation of these nuts) and then knock it off with a hammer and cold chisel. You may bugger the bolt as well so be prepared to replace both nut & bolt.
There are also various implements designed to chew into a nut and remove it. If you have a Machine Mart near you go and have a chat and see what they have to offer.
I am assuming you DO mean nut and not bolt head (sorry to be pedantic but people often get the two confused. If it is in fact the bolt then I'm afraid the problem is worse.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.

[waycar8]

do you own a grinder?.............if i round a nut off, (and i have on many occasions when i used to work for a sign company) i just used to grind a flat peice on the top and then on the bottom or on the sides deppending the location then put a spanner on and turn, the heat from the grinder generally loosens the seall between the nut and the bolt. just make sure the spanners a tight fit on the nut if not grind abit more and use a smaller spanner.

[dandywarhol]

Have you tried a hex socket - most sockets are bihex which have 12 points and chew up boltheads by looking at them

[Vanmanerik]

ChrisEm - why send a PM, the info you have may be useful to all of us?

[antique]

try small gas torch and mole grips, heat is the cure for all nuts and bolts ?

[ChrisEm]

Vanmanerik, nothing personal but had been in conversation with JTR previously and the information was just questions relating to what tools JTR had etc. I would never with hold useful information from the forum, what I sent in a PM would have been of no real benefit to forum users. just trying to prevent non informative posting!

[Lewy]

Did exactly the same thing trying to replace the anti-roll bar bracket. Have you taken the wheel off - makes it much easier to get to the nut?

I tried everything and eventually got it off using a freeze spray from a pumbling job earier fix. Freezes the nut and then worked it lose with mole grips.

I got the idea when I went to the motor factors and saw that they sold freeze sprays for locked up nuts - ooer missus.

Put axle stand on if you're taking off the wheel too.

What ..........rather than a pair of overalls

[Vanmanerik]

ChrisEm - thanks for that info, I really like the way Bongo Forum works, you can learn something new every day and you can sometimes offer your own advice to help others and I was worried something really useful was going to be 'private' - I have smacked my wrist for being so untrustwothy.

[Matt&JoyBongling]

If it is in fact the bolt then I'm afraid the problem is worse.

Some times there is space to use a hack-saw or small grinder to cut a slot into the rounded bolt head (or trashed screw head) and then use a screwdriver to unscrew the bolt or screw.