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Removing LCA

Posted: September 15th, 2014, 3:28 pm
by Jforce
Need some help here, how do I remove this bolt?

The top one I can get lose, no sweat.

But these ones, I am not even able to spin them with the Impact.



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Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 15th, 2014, 5:40 pm
by SuperK
You may need more sweat.

maybe see if a shop can loosen it up for you.

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 16th, 2014, 3:00 pm
by crazycanadian
Best of luck. They always seize in the spindle, and sometimes seize to the sleeves for the control arms.

I have had luck soaking them for 3 of 4 days in Deep Creep (made by seafoam). I take the nut off. Using my heavy duty 1/2" impact gun I go back and forth trying to tighten and loosen the bolt in an attempt to make it spin. While I am doing that I get someone to help me hit the bolt with my heavy duty air hammer. Once you can get the bolt to spin it will come out pretty easy.

Usually when I have done this, I have removed the spindle from the car with the control arms still attached and done it on the bench in a vise.

If you do ruin the bolt, they are still available from mazda, I just don't have the part number

Cheapo air tools and compressor wont work. You need to buck up and spend good money on good quality stuff for this to work.

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 16th, 2014, 8:06 pm
by KLZEEscortGT
I've had to do them on 1 of my escorts. The only way I could get them out without breaking the bolt (cause you do not want to do that) was with a mac impact gun and a set of torches with a rose bud tip to get the spindle red hot and spin the bolt out. Even at that I still had to heat them up a few times to get them out in1 piece. Good luck with it and proper tools are a necessity in this case.

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 17th, 2014, 2:08 pm
by Jforce
Yeah, I'll already got replacement bolts. So no worries there.


More "sweat" didn't work, I've got an 1100 ft-lbs Milwaukee and it was actually more powerfull that the 10 bar (150 psi) air impact of the shop.

I'm taking off the subframe anyway.


Sooo cut?

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=70906

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 17th, 2014, 2:38 pm
by KLZEEscortGT
You can cut them, I'd just be careful that you don't destroy anything you need to put it back together. I don't know how you are going to push the bolt out of the spindle though. You can try an air hammer and see if that works, but if not your going to probably end up having to throw heat at it to get it to move ......unless you have some wicked drill bits to drill them out.

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 21st, 2014, 9:17 am
by Jforce
Cutted them,

Cutted middle part with a dremel.

Hammered (not with the one in the background btw) out the remaining 2 pieces, no heat or air tools where required.


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Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 21st, 2014, 10:07 am
by WhiteFinish
You'd have to be very careful. There are also the rubber bushings close to them. Heating will burn these.
Cutting the bolt/nut won't do you any good since it will still be stuck in the spindle itself (rust).

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 21st, 2014, 11:06 am
by Jforce
Its already out, burnt the bushing anyway.

That method works like a charm. xD


Replacing the bushings was the whole reason for this mess going full poly-utherane.

Must say this was not easy, took aprox. 10 hours I think.

The bolt afterwards:

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Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 25th, 2014, 4:20 pm
by davmac
Congrats. It must feel pretty good at the end of all the hammering and cutting to get the prize (even if it is in tiny and some burnt pieces).

Re: Removing LCA

Posted: September 26th, 2014, 12:57 am
by kulluminati777
lol wow im glad I opted for new hubs instead of 10 hours of work :D