So in order to change the RTA bushing, the compensator arm has to be dropped so there’s clearance for the bushing extractor tool to fit… but I ran into a major problem.
The bolt that goes into the frame where you do the adjustment has seized to shit. It’s completely seized onto the metal bushing sleeve so now it’s spinning freely.
I only managed to back the bolt out three full turns and it just stops and spins. What do I do now, I tried to fit a cutting wheel in there to cut the bolt but it’s too tight of a space for the cutting wheel to reach the bolt.
Is it safe to drive with the toe adjustment bolt to be backed out three turns?
Ran into the same problem. What I did was go inside of the car and cut a square piece to bend so I could get access to the bolt and what I found is the reason it is spinning is because the nut that hold the bolt came off the track so u have to unscrew the bolt and pound out the bolt. Will take u 115 to 30 minutues.
Damn are you serious? Would you happen to have a pic of where to cut? I was afraid of this…
For my problem, I think the bolt already came off of the nut… it’s just seized inside the metal sleeve of the bushings… that’s why I can’t pull it out anymore since the metal sleeve is too big to slide through the mounting hole…
Fcuk… this is approximately my 4th seized bolt ever since working on my DA’s suspension! Total pain in the ass and a big waste of time.
first of all you should of read the TEG TIP, when dropping the trailing arm you DO NOT take the adjuster out from the car you unbolt the arm from the trailing arm, taking out the compensator adjuster will seriously fuck up your rear suspension and now that its frozen your in a world of shit. i really don’t have a solution but just wanted to mention it so others doing this job won’t do the same thing DO NOT REMOVE FROM CAR, UNBOLT FROM TRAILING ARM
Well if he is replacing those bushings(compensator arm) then he does half to take them out.
Did you try spraying the shit out of it with pb blaster? or maybe heat might help? I dont know just throw out ideas for you good luck
you’ll need heat, my friend. oxy/acetylene.
you have 2 choices here; heat the sleeve red hot. this will cause it to expand slightly. maybe enough to get it out.
or, heat the bolt red hot and allow it to cool. the expansion of the bolt against the sleeve, then contraction, will shrink it slightly. i’d probably try that first
regardless, you will need to get the torches out. that is, if you cant just get a cut off wheel in there, which you should be able to do. that would be ideal
Actually I wanted to replace the compensator arm as well cuz I already have a replacement set with fairly good bushings plus the bolt that’s connected to the trailing arm was seized also so either way… replacing the whole compensator arm was more ideal.
The driver’s side came out with no problems at all but the passenger side is a royal pain in the ass.
Guess I’ll have at it again next week with a torch… but isn’t the gas tank and the return line kinda right next to that bolt? I’ve tried fitting a cutting wheel up there but it was too cramped… gotta see if I can get a zawsaw in there…
This is your best option. As he mentioned, you’ve probably broken the nut free of the track. Peel back your carpet, drill a hole to see if you’re in a good spot and unbolt it… If your bolt can spin inside the metal collar then it’s not seized, the nut is still hanging on. If the collar spins with it, try using an air hammer with a chisel attachment and beat it. You might luck out and free the bolt up from the collar. Last resort use the torch. Remember, gasoline doesn’t ignite, the fumes do. A full tank is safer than a near empty tank.
If it only backed out 3 turns then it’s not off the adjuster nut. If it’s seized in the sleeve ( can you see the sleeve spinning?) then what it did was push the adjuster nut off the track. Now the nut has nothing to stop against to loosen. If there’s room in the track stick a long screwdriver in where the bolt goes and whack it. Where the dent that the screwdriver left is where you have to cut inside the car.
This is exactly what happened to me, and the only way to get to that nut is by cutting a hole. Also heat wouldn’t get the bolt out of the arm, I had to cut both sides with a reciprocating saw and bang the peices out. But it’ll be all brand new soon so it’s worth it.
A good cold chisel is your friend too. A recip and a 90 degree Die drinder with a cutting wheel helps too. But thats where you find out where to cut inside… stick a philips screwdriver in where the bolt came out of and whack it with a mallet. Cut a 3 sided box around the dent and bend the metal out, fix the nut and seal the cut back up. You can also replace the compensator arms with SPC toe adjusters if theyre easier/cheaper for you to get.
Argh, im in the same boat. After reading all of the ideas, i think drilling then cutting a hole might be my best bet. I regreted emidietly changing those.
i wouldn’t be surprised if it’s both seized in the sleeve and adjusting nut off the rail. IMO, as mentioned, cutting the bolt on both sides of the comp arm is your best bet. then you’ll see if it’s seized in the nut
End up cutting the bolt with a zawsall but come to find out that adjusting nut fell off the track… something I didn’t want to expect.
So to fix this… like others have said… I took off my rear seat and cut a square right on top of the adjusting nut’s location and put in back on track. Duct tape the hole back up (temporary for now till I get it welded/silicone back) and screw in a new bolt onto the adjust nut and everything is gravy now.
It took me about an hour or so for all this mess… not as bad as I thought it would be. I’ll upload pics of the cut I made inside the car tomorrow…
Haha thats jokes dude, i did the exact same thing today. The nut was fallen off inside. Sucks that i had to cut a whole but no one will ever see it anyways.