Releasing a seized bolt in a bushing 

If manufacturers would use $1 worth of grease or anti seize when assembling none of this would be necessary

Cut with reciprocating saw blade and get a new bolt. It doesn't take long if you just go straight to that as soon as you discover the bushing is seized to the bolt. The service manual may specify replacing the bolt anyways, so a new bolt is necessary to begin with if you like to do the job literally "by the book".

Hats off to you sir! Your composure is remarkable let alone having the patience to show us how you worked through your PITA seized bushing bolt. Thanks for taking the time to share as they say, misery loves company and it's heartening to know you're not the only one wasting an afternoon on a cold concrete floor battling such a crusty competitor as a rusted bolt-bushing-sleeve.

I went through each and every frustrating step that you did. Our logic lined up exactly. After the battle? Success ! It builds (or exercises ) patience and endurance. It pays dividends in the long game,friend!

Great idea on cutting the sleeve lengthwise. I have been working on cars and doing other maintenance things on buildings for about 20 years and my hands look like a models vs yours. You definitely have put some time in. Cheers!!!

Had same issue with a shock bolt and bushing on my 81 Oldsmobile Omega, split the sleeve like you said worked great.

I ended up trying this and it worked lol thank you!

Wow! what a pain. I have one that is jammed up like that right now on my jeep grand cherokee. Thanks for sharing this.

Good video. Nice to see how slowly the rubber burns.

Re assemble all parts always with anti-seize.

Bravo. Persistence paid off.

thanks, did the same thing with the leaf spring bushing on my old 4 runner. Was about to just cut it off before I saw this!

Just ran in to this on the rear shocks of a 13 silverado. Wisconsin winters cause havoc on everything.

the use of an impact hammer could do your job really good And help the process. Also, drill a small hole into the head of the leave and add penetrating fluid and let it set into the sleeve then use the impact hammer. Most times the nut breaks off the bolt!

Yeah sadly I am the mechanic. No metal sleeve just rubber holding on to a bolt in a bent bracket . Still burning out the rubber was not the idea I wanted to do but sounds like to one I need to.

Listen to this man. Particularly at 1:20 , where he says "don't do this, and call your mechanic". trust me

Hey so im doing my rear strut and the bottom bolt that goes thru the control arm is surrounded by a sleeve and rubber bushing or garment i snapped the head of the bolt used a sawzall to cut the strut not i got a 8th of a inch on one end and about 2inches on the nut end i got the nut off but the bolt is stuck in the rubber and it is not budging any ideas?

I'm struggling with a 7th gen accord lower control arm bolt, I'm going to try this method without the fire, thanks for the video man! 👍

How tight should the sleeve be on the bolt. If the bolt is new

Hey there. That happened to me two years ago while changing the rear shocks of my 07 Niss Alt. One gave me trouble. The other the bolt head broke off. That’s seized!!! Ended up taking it to a mechanic. $200 later, I had me working shocks. So much for saving money as a DIY.

the Trick... tighten the Nut.. fairly tight.. loosen the bolt. now.. before you call me crazy.. with the Nut tight.. you have clamped the sleeve inside the bushing between the bracket faces.. turning the bolt slightly will usually bust it loose.. you may have to play with the tightness of the nut.. but eventually you will get it..

Would be cool, but on mine I cant find a cut on the sleeve.

PEOPLE WRITE A LOT BS WITHOUT KNOWING THE SCENARIO. I had the same issue and it is the bolt seized to the middle metal part of the bushing IT is very hard to get that off

I burned all the rubber out of it and the sleeve is still rusted to the bolt. Ready to cut the bolt and put a new one in.

Great video!!! I'm in the process now of trying to free a bolt from a bushing on my truck. It's the strut to lower control arm bolt that won't budge. I have the nut off and tried pounding it out, heating it up, and finally using a ball joint C clamp tool to push it out and it's fighting me every step of the way. I don't want to cut the struts fork cause the struts are still good but I'm losing patience cause it's been days of messing with this bolt. So much time wasted on this and thankfully I have my motorcycle to ride and go where I need to go. Thanks for this video and I'm gonna try melting that bushing out to get to that sleeve. For the life of me, why wouldn't the manufacturer use a dab of anti seize on these bolts-bushings??? Grrrrrrrr

I have an old sds hammer drill that the drive failed in, it has a hell of a hammer but no rotation so I ground one of the bits to a flat round end that could be used to drive out bolts like this. I've seen it kick a seized bolt I couldn't flog out, out of the workshop into the street.

I’m facing the same problem with a seized driver’s side, forward pivot bolt in the bushing of the lower control arm of my 1999 rear wheel drive Ford F-150 pickup. I’ve sprayed nearly a whole bottle of PB Blaster on both ends of the bolt (the nut came off easily), worked the bolt head with a 21 mm socket on a 3-foot, 1/2 inch-drive bar, threaded a stock metal rod through the empty rear pivot holes of the control arm (the rear bolt came out easily), held the end of the rod against the end of the seized bolt and swung a 2-pound hammer against the other end of the rod ‘til exhausted, bought an electric impact hammer from Harbor Freight and attached a 21 mm impact socket to the hammer and the head of the seized bolt and ran the impact hammer forward and reversed with generous additions of PB Blaster until it was obvious this wasn’t going to work. Unless I can cut away the outer metal sleeve of the bushing and cut and pry out the rubber, I may have to make the rubber go away with the heat wrench too. I think others who have posted on RU-vid that impact and hammering aren’t successful because the rubber in the bushing is absorbing the impact are correct. The bolt is seized in the “anti-crush” sleeve, and that rubber just has to be gotten out of there to allow impact and penetrating fluid to do their good work. I enjoy the Canadian videos with their careful and articulate phrasing.

You could cut the bolt or try an impact if you can get it in there.

Would heating the bolt work? I have the same situation. How would a mechanic fix this?

Was that gap in the metal bushing part already there? Or did you make that using tools?

I cut both sides with a sawzall and be done the bolt is no good replace it

That takes alot of patience.

I fthis was the 1880' all bush inserts would be brass, so no seizing possible!

Man dealing with a siezed bolt in sleeve on my front strut lower mount bolt. The bolt head is also seized on the attachment plate of the lower control arm. I can’t heat it because it’s too close to the CV boot. My sawzall doesn’t fit in the area I need. I soaked it with PB blaster for days. I’m thinking my only option is to get a Dremel cutting wheel and just cut the bolt out… I already bought a replacement bolt in preparation for this anyway because the threaded end of the bolt and the nut are starting to mushroom and strip the threads from me hitting it so hard. It should have been a 30 minute job. Good riddance.

2 minute job with a 1mm cutting disc and a new bolt.

Am...New 5.00 Bolt and A cut off wheel. Done....

Yes this is why we make these videos and say clearly before you start this job have the new bolts available .and that's all you got to do is just cut it with saw don't waste your time for five dollar bolt ,specially on a Windstar

Trying to salvage the bolt is not the way to go since if it's rust welded together it's probably not a safe bolt any more. Much better is to just sawzall out the bolt on the sides with a carbide blade and use a new bolt.

I tried to negotiate this at home and spent a couple of hours heating, torching, hammering, cursing, cutting with angle grinder, and couldn't figure out also why it wouldn't come off. In the end I found it was cheaper to undo the whole rest of suspension and replace the subframe and buy new bolts and track arm.. what a bitch of a job.. If only there was an easy way to reach in and break that collar sleeve that prevents that damn bolt to come out.

I hope you didn't breath all those fumes

I was just helping my neighbor with a bushing with a seized bolt in it, it was hell getting out, had to beat it out and then punch it the rest of the way, it ruined the bolt though, so it has to be replaced

215k people watching this and hating the life. I just spent 4hrs on one bolt it’s F&@$ pain in the a$$ Great video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Cape Bretoner?

*His hands are worse than the bushings* 🤔🤔😠

Pretty clean shirt you got there, sir. Is it Versace?

Milwaukee hackzall will cut through that bolt ez, just get a new bolt.

I burned mine oat with no problem withoat burning the hoase down

Happened same thing to me, I think I will just cut the bushing in a Half with the seized screw, and Hammer the rest of the screw Out.

why not not just use a grinder ?

"poison job" indeed. I went to remove my gfs rear strut and was like.. "holy shit only 3 bolts?! This is too good to be true"... Yep.. 400 bucks in an impact wrench and other nonsense and all I did was make some metal shavings and cause my ears to ring.

I’m at the chisel and screwdriver point at the moment.

so wats the words ‘seized’ mEn?, does that mean this sleeve shrank or something?🤔

Why u saying it u should take it to a mechanic as if he won’t do the same exact thing lol (I’m a mechanic)

cut it out, then easier to remove whats left when you have it on the bench.

I see what you did, and you did a good job. That’s a lot of work to save a bolt. Why didn’t you just cut the bolt on both sides of the bushing with a sawzall? Then replace the hardware.

Thanks for the advise. I will warn ⚠️ anyone that torching a rubber bushing is extremely TOXIC and can cause serious health issues if you breath it in. But definitely a good video on how to effectively release a bolt from a seized bushing sleeve. I'm honestly trying to find a way to get the bolt out on my rear shocks without a torch, cutting tool or welder.

Next time just use a grinder to cut each side of the bolt off. Make sure and wear heavy duty long gloves and safety goggles! 1/2hr Of work vs half a day!

Drill the ends off the bolt also is an option if you have cobalt drill bits ( tougher than HSS drill bits ) . Women and cars always are trouble.

PB Blaster is your friend

Day two of trying to remove a bolt from a bushing on a golf cart A-Arm. What a nightmare. Going to buy a slide hammer and pry bars and a shim kit. Wish me luck.

You can also try a ball joint press.

i what t save bushing.

Afterburning through several bushings, I now lite them as incense when I meditate next to my bhudda statue.

Personally, I would have welded it back together where it broke, much easier if a welder is available.

Think I'm just going to cut mine out.....I fucking hate seized bolts

Too funny indeed maybe because the whole underneath is rust or the whole car is . That cars is completely fucked bin it

Ueue