Went to replace my front shocks on my VRS & got to the point where I needed to remove the spline bolt from the wheel bearing housing. However, after removing the nut I found that the bolt wouldnt shift, I applied WD40 & gave it a few (many) good whacks with a hammer but the damn thing wouldnt budge.

The problem I had was at the time I didnt realise that it was a spline head & didnt had a M14 spline drive to hand so I couldnt turn the bolt. (in my defense the picture below does show a hex head bolt & not a spline one).

But my question is this: is the spline bolt screwed into the housing & the nut is there to prevent the bolt from working loose or should the bolt come straight out once the nut is removed? If its the latter then I will probably need to take the car to a garage to get some oxy-acetylene applied to the housing in order to take the bolt out as that bugger aint shifting!

 

 

Thanks.

Edited 9 October, 201411 yr by Chris Berry

The hub isn't threaded where the bolt goes through. Take the nut off and the bolt should come out with a bit of persuasion. Have you got a hub splitter as well to remove the suspension strut from the hub once you've got this bolt out?

sent from my Galaxy Note 3

The hub isn't threaded where the bolt goes through. Take the nut off and the bolt should come out with a bit of persuasion. Have you got a hub splitter as well to remove the suspension strut from the hub once you've got this bolt out?

sent from my Galaxy Note 3

 

Damn, the bolt has proper cold welded itself in!

 

I havent got a hub splitter, but in the past, on a similar job, I've used an old large allen key that has been ground down, just push it into the gap, twisted & the hub opens up.

Edited 9 October, 201411 yr by Chris Berry

Have you tried a blow torch on it? If you're replacing the strut then it doesn't matter if you heat up the strut as well.

It's a gash job that. When Ross fitted my coilovers he made it look easy lol. But when I put standard stuff back on I never wanted to go near my car again hated it for days lol. I just put mole grips on the head then just undid the nut. The bolt was stuck in there well but I do remember using tickling stick alot to get it out lol. Heat will prob help you out!

Cheers for the info guys.

Probably gonna take the car to a local garage and ask them nicely if they can apply some oxy to the hub and get the bolt out. I have a set of new bolts ready to go on.

Try penertrating oil instead of wd 40. Plus gas or similar. Apply it a few times preferable before work starts.

Got the bolts off with an air gun, damn things were properly stuck in; there was rust and dirt all in the bolt thread, properly corroded.

Try penertrating oil instead of wd 40. Plus gas or similar. Apply it a few times preferable before work starts.

 

I think that this is where a lot of people fall down, once the area is doused with WD-40, the proper release oil does not find its way in where it is needed, keep it dry and add release oil as Bassets4eva said BEFORE WORK STARTS. The last one I did, was a repeat visit five years down the line, the bolt came out easily, needed to be held to get the nut off, but I could not split the hub using the proper (Laser) tool, doused the hub/strut area in release oil, waited 4 hours, still tight, repeated the process and left it overnight, hub opened up easily.

"The problem I had was at the time I didnt realise that it was a spline head & didnt had a M14 spline drive to hand so I couldnt turn the bolt. (in my defense the picture below does show a hex head bolt & not a spline one)."

 

I seem to remember, just to compound this issue, my proper VAG parts catalogue described the bolt as having a Torx head, which I had a "good" range off - I too was a bit annoyed to find it was spline and my set stopped at M12 - and this was over the Christmas/New Year holiday period so getting the right tool was not too easy!!