Appreciation post: a trick for stuck turbo bolts on a 6.7 Powerstroke

I was fighting a turbo swap on a 2015 F-250 last week, and the two lower bolts were just frozen. I was about to break out the torch, but a guy at the parts counter said to try a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF. Let it soak for an hour, hit it with an impact, and they came right out. Saved me a ton of time and a possible snapped bolt. Anyone have a different go-to for really stubborn exhaust hardware?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee_grant971mo ago

Barbarahill, I had a buddy try the acetone and ATF mix on a seized lawnmower blade bolt once and it still stripped out, so he ended up welding a nut onto it and that finally did the trick.

barbarahill2mo ago

That acetone and ATF trick is a classic! Did you heat the bolts at all before you applied the mix, or just let it soak cold? I've heard warming the metal first can really help that stuff crawl into the threads.

the_julia2mo ago

Yeah, that "crawl into the threads" part is the real trick. I've never tried heating it first, but that makes total sense.