Lexus RX 12yr old stabiliser link removal help!

[Chris]

Hi all,

This is my first post so please be gentle! 🙂

I’m after some advice from mechs/techs regarding removing a stabiliser link that is 12 yrs old on my Lexus RX.
In order to remove the link, there is a 17mm nut over the thread that goes into the stabiliser bar’s ball joint, just turning the nut also turns the thread on the ball joint which just spins so you can’t get it off!

Now some evil engineer 😉 thought it would be a great idea to put a 5.5/6mm hex/Allen socket on the end of the thread to allow you to stop the thread from spinning when undoing the nut with a spanner! That would have been great maybe 7 yrs ago before road salt and the environment took its toll on this part.

Unfortunately, the hex/Allen hole is now stripped on the top part of the stabiliser link, and I started to cut this off with an angle grinder before being rained off earlier! The problem I have is with the bottom of the link as I don’t have space to get a grinder in there (hex/Allen hole is NOT stripped on this thread… Yet!)

I have checked if I could get a spanner on the ‘other side’ of the link bar behind the mounting point to the suspension strut but the part is totally round (about 14mm) with no way to fit a spanner and get it to grip.

Please, anyone have any ideas from previous experience they could share?

Thank you!
Chris.[IMG]http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/28/2251e5fe224ea923f9765a09b27ad809.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/28/e0489bc724cdee4208a21f4e65bbef19.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/28/d0d578a31617401464cd1d66f6177f2b.jpg[/IMG]

Topic

[Its me]

Done this dozens of times… Put a vice grip on the rubber part of the stud… It WILL need to be super tight (hands may hurt when you lock it down)… Then hit the nut with an impact…. Easy-breezy…

Karl

[Chris]

Thanks for the advice, Karl.

I only have a small vice grips (same size I think as Eric’s brake hose clamp set in the vids). What size would you recommend as I think would be a useful purchase for the tool box!

My air impact gun is crap, was really cheap and at 90psi with 3/8″ air line, can’t shift lug bolts, so will be using trusty breaker bar with an extension going from underneath the engine to the towards the back side of the rotor…

Oh the joys! Let’s hope the weather stays dry!

Chris.

[Its me]

Ironically, I am in the garage now and right next to my vice grips… Here is a pic of the exact vice grips I use for this job (really)… This type has always worked for these stuck on links..

Also, I would try to use your impact…get the vice grips on so tight they hurt your hands then spray the nut and threads with penetrating oil (I prefer PB Blaster) and hit it with the impact… The nut will spin off faster than you can say “Fish and Chips” 😛

Karl

[Its me]

[Chris]

Fantastic, thanks Karl.

I used a brass wire brush, penetrating fluid & compressed air to clean the threads, as I *hate* breaking bolts!

Strangely (as this is only the second strut I’ve ever removed) the big bolts thru the lower strut into the knuckle were the ones that scared me off this sort of jobs in the past… Now I know a bit better, it’s the little buggers you’ve gotta be weary off! 🙂

Chris.

[Chris]

Hi Karl,

Strut changed successfully today thanks to your tip with the grips!

Unfortunately before I put the grips on the lower stabiliser bar link, I managed to smash the back of my right hand against the strut.
This made it fun trying to get the grips on good and tight!

Luckily, I spent a bit more on the vice grips I bought (Irwin 10″ Quick Release) and it had a 5mm Hex hole on the tightening screw that allowed me to lock them as best I could with my damaged hand, before tightening to an evil death grip with the Hex bit in a 1/4″ wrench!

Needless to say it all went smoothly from that point, and I have a home-refurbed air-strut and new stabiliser link fitted and looking good, thanks to your help! 🙂

Chris.

[Justin]

If I can’t get it within a few minutes of soaking with penetrant, heat and my impact/vise grips. I always make sure they match up first but I usually will take my cut off wheel and make quick work of that problem.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Its me]

Chris,

Glad you got it…

There is also another way of doing it, but since you boogered the top one, I figured this was the best way to get the job done…

If you remove the top link first, you can remove the strut without doing the bottom one, but since you have done a number on the top one it was the best way… Also, by removing the strut, that will give you more access to take out the bottom nut (since the strut is out of the way)

In the future, you may try this trick…

Get a 14 mm box end on the nut and get an impact with the proper sized hex for the stud and set your impact gun to tighten (to the right)… sounds counter intuitive right? Then lube the hell out of the threads…. Then hold the box end wrench and hit the impact…. What you will do is spin the stud to the right and the box end wrench will hold the nut to the same position and by turning the stud to the right, it will back out the nut…. Just another trick… since you don’t care about the link, it doesn’t matter….

P.S. if you are replacing the strut, the only nut you have to take out is the bottom one…

Cheers

-Karl

[Chris]

Hi Karl,

Really like your other “trick”… Great idea!

I was fortunate to have a spare stabiliser link, so I wasn’t that fussed but I did try to get the top one off and that’s where the problems began and the last resort was the angle grinder as Cammed mentioned.

With the new vice grips, I was even able to unscrew the half cut top bolt with finishing cutting it in half 🙂

Space really is tight for the bottom nut, with limited tool access even with the strut removed, in the end, I used a 17mm wrench with a 19mm hooked over the open end for extra leverage to undo it.
We couldn’t figure how we would have been able to get an impact in the limited space, as there is only a few inches between the nut, LCA and power steering pump/belt on the engine… Might be a different story on the front left strut for space tho!

I think I’ll be next back in to do bushes soon, they don’t look bad but I suspect there is play after 12yrs and 110k miles.

Thanks again everyone!

[Author]

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