Torque wrench trick saved me on a seized bolt yesterday

I was doing a brake job on a 2012 F-150 and the caliper bracket bolt just would not budge. PB Blaster and a breaker bar did nothing for 20 minutes. I remembered an old guy at the shop in Tacoma telling me to try tightening it a hair first, like an eighth of a turn. Sure enough, it cracked loose right after. Does that trick work for everyone, or was I just lucky with this one?

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vera_green6919d ago

Have you tried the old "lefty loosey" while whispering sweet nothings to the bolt? That trick has saved my knuckles more times than I can count. I once spent an hour fighting a lug nut on my old Civic before trying the tighten-first move, and it popped free like it was never stuck at all. It works because the tiny bit of extra pressure breaks up the rust or corrosion that's holding it, even if it feels backwards at first. That said, I've also had bolts laugh in my face and snap clean off, so your mileage may vary. Did you hit it with a little heat too, or was the tightening move enough on its own?