Removing stubborn battery clamp bolts...

[Rob85]

I need to remove the battery from my Mk4 Escort to charge it as there are no power outlets where it's parked.  The two bolts on the battery clamp are refusing to budge with a socket set.  I've tried gentle and I've tried brute force but they're stuck fast.  I've also tried coating them in Coke for several hours to remove any rust and tapping them with a hammer but they still won't budge.  Any ideas?

[Ruiz123]

A bit of heat will help, but obviously you need to make sure no cables etc nearby.

I went to Toolstation and bought the small can and igniter (gas torch), works wonders on the tough nuts.

[Frembrit]

May need a really hard hit from a hammer. Used to have the same trouble with my dads old Orion. I even keep spare bolts.

[Luke4efc]

I've never heard of people using coke to remove rusty bolts, and I watch Roadkill!

I usually go ratchet > breaker bar > plusgas (I don't rate WD-40) > scaffold pole (obviously not for a 8mm screw) > heat > drill it out. If all that fails then pretend I don't need to do that job anymore.

Try plusgas, it will work far better than Coke. Works wounders on the stuff I use at work (m16 bolts untouched for 2 years outside on a steam main, usually without copper slip on them) and exhaust bolts.

Sadly due to new laws or whatever they had to change it and weaken it down. We still have a few old tins stashed away for emergency uses fortunately.

[stef123]

13 hours ago, Luke4efc said:

I've never heard of people using coke to remove rusty bolts, and I watch Roadkill!

I usually go ratchet > breaker bar > plusgas (I don't rate WD-40) > scaffold pole (obviously not for a 8mm screw) > heat > drill it out. If all that fails then pretend I don't need to do that job anymore.

Try plusgas, it will work far better than Coke. Works wounders on the stuff I use at work (m16 bolts untouched for 2 years outside on a steam main, usually without copper slip on them) and exhaust bolts.

Sadly due to new laws or whatever they had to change it and weaken it down. We still have a few old tins stashed away for emergency uses fortunately.

Are we talking the change from the purple to the black tins here?

I go through loads of the stuff working on all sorts and I have said a few times since the change that it isn’t as good as it used to be! At £3.70 or there abouts for a big tin of it now it’s no surprise. I’m sure I used to pay more for the old stuff. 

[Luke4efc]

4 hours ago, stef123 said:

Are we talking the change from the purple to the black tins here?

I go through loads of the stuff working on all sorts and I have said a few times since the change that it isn’t as good as it used to be! At £3.70 or there abouts for a big tin of it now it’s no surprise. I’m sure I used to pay more for the old stuff. 

We have some of the stuff before they changed it the other year left (see pic below) and a few from the the version before that (I was probably in primary school then).

I have no idea how much they cost, work just buys them in and drop them off at our stores. We can usually get the black tin stuff to work it's magic, but have to leave it to soak whilst we go for a brew, so I can't complain really 😂.

[stef123]

That’s the very tin I carry in the car, I also carry the aerosol version, albeit the aerosol one is the new stuff. 

Induction heater is the way forward. Out of most folks price range though lol. 

[Luke4efc]

4 hours ago, stef123 said:

That’s the very tin I carry in the car, I also carry the aerosol version, albeit the aerosol one is the new stuff. 

Induction heater is the way forward. Out of most folks price range though lol. 

Those things are awesome. Sadly an extension lead is like gold dust where I work, especially one where it could reach more than 10m to wherever we are outside. It would make too much sense for them to buy a battery version, they'd rather see us struggle than spend £500 (which is nothing compared to the cost of man hours lost wrestling with bolts everyday).

This is the plusgas I like. Tried researching about it and they stopped making it in 2002, so yeah I'd have been in primary school lol.

[stef123]

8 hours ago, Luke4efc said:

Those things are awesome. Sadly an extension lead is like gold dust where I work, especially one where it could reach more than 10m to wherever we are outside. It would make too much sense for them to buy a battery version, they'd rather see us struggle than spend £500 (which is nothing compared to the cost of man hours lost wrestling with bolts everyday).

This is the plusgas I like. Tried researching about it and they stopped making it in 2002, so yeah I'd have been in primary school lol.

I have never actually seen a tin like that. But then 2002 was a long time ago lol. 

Was it made by a different manufacturer back then, looking at the name on the tin it was? It’s hammerite who own them now?

whatever the case, it’s definitely not as good as it used to be. 

To the original poster, just to keep this on track. I think you need to get a bigger bar on that bolt. Doesn’t look over corroded on the top side.