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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

DIY car repair is sometimes really disheartening. For every great success, sometimes there is an equally great failure. Working on cars professionally is an art form that takes a great deal of experience to perfect and understand.

Occasionally a simple shade tree service can turn nasty. In my experience rust has been the biggest contributor to this type of issue. Most of the time the smaller the part is the more likely i'm going to break it. But there are things to look for and ways to prevent this type of thing from happening that will not only help you with repairs but save you money and time in the long run.

Know the signs

A stuck fastener can most easily occur in an area of heavy contamination, such as the under body or within the wheel well. Steel to Aluminum has been alright in my experience but steel to steel has a tendency to lock up over time. Heavy rust around a bolt head may indicate similar corrosion down below. Having no socket fit just right is another thing that should jump out at you. The oxidation builds up on the top of a fitting and requires you to tap on a socket with a hammer. Heavy resistance is a fine line between just being stuck and snapping right off. I once broke a bolt that holds the exhaust/drive shaft to the underside of the car with a small breaker bar because I didn't take the proper steps to prepare it.

Penetrating Oil

For the majority of my DIY career I was not aware such a miracle fluid existed. Penetrating oil, is a very low viscosity oil that is used to free rusted bolts. The idea here is that the fluid is so tiny it can seep into the very small spaces in between threads in stuck bolts. This becomes very useful when combating the corrosion prone areas of our old cars. Places I've found this particularly useful are:

  • Brake bracket bolts
  • Bleeder screws
  • Hose clamps
  • Retaining hardware in the engine bay (bolts that hold on the alternator and power steering pump)

...The list goes on and on. Some car shows use WD-40 for this purpose but my understanding this is actually meant as a lubricant and not a penetrating oil. Liquid wrench or the lesser known Kroil are good options for this must have tool.

Impact wrench

Another sure fire way to get those stubborn bolts moving is an impact wrench. Again, a tool I held out on for a very long time. I always figured, "Well, I don't want to break things with it and it's too expensive." The impact wrench works by storing force into a hammer. It then incrementally hits the hammer against the end bit transferring that force all at once to the poor bolt underneath. In the past I've broken many things with breaker bars and even the bars themselves. I have yet to see a bolt suffer the same fate while using and impact gun. Additionally some units come with multiple modes and can double as a normal socket driver. This saves you many minutes and sore for arms from cranking away at even the smallest fasteners.
Impact wrenches can be had for a wide variety of prices. My personal tool was $450.00 and manages to deliver 1150 ft-lb of torque in reverse. DO make sure to use the correct impact sockets when going hard with a powerful tool like this. Normal sockets can shatter and cause injury.

Prevention

Part of avoiding broken bolts is proper torque, check out my previous article on why torque matters.
You can also use an anti seize coating or even go to the length of fitting corrosion resistant bolts. Cleaning threads of bolts and their associated fittings is not very difficult. A wire brush can free a great deal of stuck on corrosion as well.

Replacing Broken Bolts

Most hardware on a Volvo is Grade 8.8 steel.  This is a grading system used by manufactures and and set in place by the SAE. It is a description of what it's made of, how its made, and its relative strength.  For example 8.8 is "Medium Carbon Steel, Quenched and Tempered." Replacing these fasteners doesn't always need to be a dealer part either. Knowing the thread pitch and size of your Volvo's bolt will let you order from any online catalogue or even source parts from auto or hardware store.

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About the Author: Anthony Peacock

Anthony Peacock Head ShotAnthony Peacock is a small business owner and Volvo DIY enthusiast. He is an experienced videographer and editor with a long running reputation for owning and promoting Volvo cars and their many excellent qualities.

 


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Written by :
Anthony Peacock

Anthony Peacock is a small business owner and Volvo DIY enthusiast. He is an experienced videographer and editor with a long running reputation for owning and promoting Volvo cars and their many excellent qualities.


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