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Got stuck on a ford focus wheel bearing swap, found a 12mm socket trick

I was fighting a seized axle nut on a 2012 Focus in the shop parking lot. Tried breaker bar, heat, even my impact wrench just hummed at it. Then an old guy walking by said try a 12mm socket with a long extension to get a better angle on the sway bar link bolt. Loosened that up and the weight came off the bearing, nut spun right off with a pipe wrench. Anyone else had luck with weird shortcuts like that on stubborn suspension work?
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2 Comments
aaron197
aaron19718d ago
Snapped my breaker bar in half trying to get a lower ball joint loose on a old Explorer once. Had to use a 2 foot pipe wrench and a cinder block to get any leverage. Found out later if I'd just loosened the two control arm bolts first the whole thing would have popped right out. Now I always double check for hidden bolts before grabbing the big tools.
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emma_hart
emma_hart18d agoMost Upvoted
That hidden bolt trick saves a lot of smashed knuckles for sure.
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