Penetrating Oils and Rusted Nuts Torque Test Results

I worked for a major corp. who repaired gas and steam turbines used in electrical power plants. We used Kroil exclusively. And YES it is expensive.

 

If this is the same test that's been floating around the internet, I once read the details of that test. Due to how the test was done, the rust-busting properties of the various alternatives aren't accurately determined. ATF and lacquer thinner are way better than nothing. I have done that myself. But, based on personal experience it appears to me that a good product like Kroil works better.

 

There is no greater snake oil product than penetrating oil. Everybody has their own stories of how great one product is and how much the others suck.

My opinion is ..... if you're down to relying on penetrating oil, you're off the deep end anyway so you should expect random results. I prefer a bit of heat and a good milling machine.

The other product I hate to see come up for discussion is 'spark plugs'. Like penetrating oil, people seem willing to pay a million dollars for a miracle spark plug that will deliver 50% greater gas mileage and 500 more HP.

 

Inch pounds - 500 foot punds would twist any auto bolt right off.

I like the ones that stay gelled - I did get the Darts door latches and hinges to work with that type -but none really do much for a rusted frozen fastener - and Kroil stinks too much.

 

I love the smell of Kroil Oil in the morning

http://www.kanolabs.com/

 

"I love the smell of Kroil Oil in the morning"

Me too. All my women wear Kroil, or they wear nothing at all...

 

We all know how hard it is to remove brake lines, always rounding the nutted end and having to replace it. Just tried the 50/50 mix atf and acetone on my OT 72 Jeep. Couldn't believe they came loose with out screwing up the fittings. Let it sit over night just to see if it would work.

 

Up here in Canada we have "MOOVIT" available. This is the VERY best I've ever used. Spray on, wait about 5 minutes, and loosen whatever. I was refitting a drain pipe in the house. The clean out cap was last removed in 1946. NO way was it going to move even with a 4 foot piece of pipe on the pipe wrench. Remembered the Moovit and 5 minutes later it unscrewed like it was just been put on. If you can get it try it. I've tried PB Blaster and it's not bad but no match.

 

I think everyone is forgetting the best rust penetrant of them all... WATER!

I had a kid I show stuff to working at my house and I grabbed a couple of rusted up pairs of wire cutters that I got at a garage sale. They looked like they were sitting in the bottom of an open bucket and got rained on. They wouldn't budge. I threw one in a pan with ATF and acetone and the other one in a pan of water. Literally less than 30 seconds passed and I pulled the water soaked one out and it moved. In less than a minute I got all the rust in the joint worked out and they moved smoothly. Sprayed the joint with WD-40 (water displacement), wiped them off, sprayed them with light oil and they still work fine.

By the time I finished with the first pair, I went to the other pair... still stuck. I pulled them out, dipped them in lacquer thinner to get the oil off and threw them in the water pan but added some dish soap to get past the ATF residue. They were moving in about a minute as well. I did the same treatment to them and they are just as good as new as well.