I TRIED (and failed) to replace my passenger side axle today. The axle nut has now claimed two 1/2 in craftsman ratchets and one torque wrench. I am actually breaking the part that goes into the socket off of the ratchet. The ratcheting mechanism is not failing. So if I go and buy a breaker bar, will the same thing not happen? I am trying to decide what to do now to get the damn nut off. Please give me any advice you've got!!

 

get a breaker bar and one of those heavy duty sockets, it wont break on you, not the socket anyways, I broke 1 breaker bar but that socket was a MONSTER...

Borrowed it from a friend, there huge and black.

 

impact gun....

 

Impact gun only! It took me three! broken breaker bars to learn it. I did manage to brake nut loose on one side though....

 

I used a breaker bar with a 5 foot pipe slid over the handle. Then I stood on the end.

That broke it loose.

Don't use ratchets for that kind of work.

 

Replace passenger side wheel temporarily with the one with large enough hole in the center (like spare tires) so you can attach a 36mm socket without removing the wheel, and try to loosen it while the car is still on the ground.

That is, of course, if you still haven't tried this method yet.

 

Another thought......

First stick a screwdriver in the brake rotor to prevent it from spinning.

Next set up the breaker bar so you can get a jack under it and start jacking

 

Torque wrenches are definitely NOT recommended for use as breaker bars.

 

I just bought a breaker bar from Pepboys and a 1/2" drive 36mm socket from Sears. Standing or jumping on the bar isnt enough to get it loose so I use my Craftsman jack and jack the end of the bar up and it works all the time. The socket fits fine through the stock 5 star wheels with the center cap removed.

 

use a breaker bar and get some leverage. it will come off. mine came off easily.

 

I gave up, went to Big 10, and paid a tech $10 to get it loosened. It took him all of 3 minutes to get the wheel off, loosen the nut, and put the wheel back on. If I had only thought to do this yesterday...

 

thats what I did. I got a 2 ft long breaker bar from home depot for $19 and a 6 ft pipe for $5.

 

Yep same thing happend to me last night when i put on my new mud flaps. so i just took a 1\2 drive craftsman ratchet and put on a 5 foot pipe at the end, i came off no problem. kinda neanderthalish but it works.

 

yeah man! thats what i did, sept i bought 2 pipes, cut them down, so i have a 4 foot pipe as well, a 6 foot pipe will do ANYTHING, including benting the bolt itself :-D