Not sure if you mentioned it in the video but it's important to emphasize for a bolt like that to use a class 10.9 or grade 8 nut and bolt. The usual grade 2 or 5 bolts from the hardware store are not made for a critical application like that where if it stretches even a tiny bit it can cause a wreck.
Dealing with the same situation. You have made an extremely valid point and is what I will put on my Outback, a higher grade bolt. That's why we are all in this situation... because Subaru decided to use cheap bolts on their production line of these vehicles it seems. Why Subaru, why?!?!
No problem buddy! It's a pretty common issue on all Subarus once they get older. Especially if you live in the Rust Belt. Honestly, I'm not sure why they don't just nut them all at the factory. It would probably only be a few bucks extra per unit.
I had the exact thing happen but I drill out most of the broken pinch bolt then pulled it out with an RBRT FOR remover. Tapped/cleaned the threads and used a new oem pinch bolt.
From what I've seen of the Subaru ball joint, it has a groove all the way around the socket which is locked in place by the shaft of the pinch bolt. So even with the broken bolt, it was not being held just by rust.
What a pain, good job. A quick way to center your drill when the bolt is recessed is to start with a drill diameter that is exactly the same size as the bolt, and drill down about a millimeter. That produces a little cavity exactly in the center, so the first pilot bit will easily self center. It works even if the bolt surface is irregular from snapping off. From there it's just a matter of being exactly true.
Excellent! This achieves the exact desired result and its a DYI project without fancy tools and with an inexpensive bolt and nut... Come on, how much easier does it get! Great job! 37lb torque and done!
This is a great fix, what length bolt did you use for the threw bolt. I'm about to do mine and want to have a bolt on hand just in case things go wrong.
I’m spraying my pinche bolts with penetrant weeks before I even try to remove them. Maybe this way the oil will creep into the threads further. Plus don’t just try to sent it home and take it out in one shot. Loosen it a little then tighten it a little etc.
If you want to try and fix it, better to fix it than leave it broken. But that bolt is completely rusted in and will hold your ball joint in for at least a while.
it is measured in light years. i am mustering up courage to go ahead and try my luck before the universum collapses on its self. if you feel the earth shake in a few moments. its just me banging my head on that devilish bolt so dont worry. just call an ambulance.
i wish i had seen this 2 years ago when i broke the pinch bolt on my 2010 impreza. when attempting to change my control arms. just said screw it, used my aaa to tow it to the shop and let them do it. had i known i could of just used a nut and bolt i would of gone through with this. ive never tapped anything and something this important i didnt want to mess with. Still ended up being cheaper than what i was quoted for control arm replacement. but i learned my lesson.
You might want to turn the bolt around. You’ll risk gumming up the threads from road debris or whatever is out there. Btw what was your approximate time for drilling?
I mean, it's going to go through a Wisconsin winter, so it's going to get gummed up with slush and salt either way. Definitely something to try though! Took me a couple of days to get the old bolt drilled out. Not that I'm the best at drilling through hardened steel by any means haha! Although, it is significantly more difficult to drill out bolts when they are still on the vehicle, and I might have also been a bit overly cautious trying to avoid snapping off any bits. If you were to remove the hub assembly and drill it on a bench (or better yet, a drill press), the drilling would go a lot faster/smoother. Of course, the risk of breaking other fasteners when removing the hub assembly, may or may not be worth it. The joys of working on vehicles in the rust belt!
Hey fellas if you had a 2015 Legacy and both bolts broke regardless of what you tried to keep that from happening You really need to step back and wonder why would any Designer would utilize this weak link Over the many years I've seen plenty cars use a thru bolt with nut combo and it never failed..a simple lower control arm replacement ends up being a huge Monkey fuck for no good reason. I'm drilling it out and using grade 8 with locking nut..end of story.
I used a M10x1.25 Thread Bolt with a 14mm head. Nut was 15mm. Depending on how large the hole is you drill you could need a bigger size. Key things to remember is you want to make sure you are using Grade 8 rated hardware or higher, and the Bolt needs to be long enough to come out the other end for the Nut (anywhere from 60-75mm for Length should be fine, I used 60mm). If you want to be doubly sure you can measure the width of the pinch joint and add the length of the nut you plan to use.
best way to protect threads is to not use a bit too close to threads... (get a small fire blanket for a propane torch wrap around axle boot) Heat up the bolt then quick spray it with penetrant fluid... tap in an easy out and remove.... when it comes to mf'rs to remove, go with heat (just be careful of what's around what you're heating. Better yet, if you have the money buy an induction tool. They are magic.
my stealership changed the lower arms on a recall on my 05 forrester. well they used induction heaters but only managed to snap the pinch bolt head off. welded a nut on there and called it my problem as the ball joint was not on the recall.. They gave me the new balljoints and wished me luck :(
Yeah, if you look closely in some of my newer videos, you can see that the calipers are brand new. Had the dealer deal with that one though, so unfortunately no video. Seeing how rusted everything was down there, and how long it took to drill out just this bolt, I figured it was better for someone with shop insurance to take care of it. Sometimes my time is worth the expense haha!
