Seized Steering Tube Bolt

**DangerNewb** · 02-24-2021, 01:14 PM

Any master mechanic tips and tricks to get the bolt out of the steering/tilt tube? Bought a used ROS mid and the bolt is stuck. Any advice other than penetrating oil and/or heat? I was told to just leave it there and mount to it. I'm not seeing how hydraulic steering can be mounted without the bolt being able to slide back and forth?

I'm referring to the long stainless bolt that goes through the entire clamp.

**Aaronhl** · 02-24-2021, 01:23 PM

Grab it with a big set of vice grips use some cheater bars to really clamp down on the vise grips and then a cheater to give you leverage to try and spin it after heating??

**XstreamVking** · 02-24-2021, 01:55 PM

Heat it and it will come out. Put a couple of nuts on one end (to protect the threads) and hit it with a hammer. Get it to the end of the tube and go to the other end and do the same again. Squirt some lube each time. Back and forth. When out, slot a dowl rod and slip some 80 grit into it and sand the tube clean. Done it many times. Only heat the rod, not the clamp. Propane torch or very careful with an oxycet torch set.

**DangerNewb** · 02-24-2021, 02:49 PM

Thanks guys. I've tried PB Blaster and a hammer with a nut on the end so far. Hasn't budged. Have it sitting on its side so oil can seep in maybe. Will try again this eve. So it's better to heat the bolt, not the surrounding material?

**Aaronhl** · 02-24-2021, 03:23 PM

That hammer in the picture on the ground is not big enough lol

As far as the heat, I would think heating the bolt would mean all the calcium surrounding the bolt would also get hot...you may not get all of that by heating a part that is separate from the bolt...

Since you got it on it's side, heat it up and use an air hammer to try an shake the calcium loose, when you see it snowing down you know you are making some progress..

**Aaronhl** · 02-24-2021, 03:29 PM

I have had some luck on stuck bolts without using PB baster because you want the corrosion to dry out not get wetter to have to then dry it again...

**DangerNewb** · 02-24-2021, 03:33 PM

Yeah, I'll get my bigger hammer out and try some heat on each end of the bolt. At this point I've been letting the PB soak in for several hours so sort of hard to turn back now.

**25two.stroke** · 02-24-2021, 06:55 PM

You can mount a seastar modern ram to it without removing it. That is true. If you wanna take it out you could take out the entire tilt tube and replace it...thats the easy cheat. Buy a new tilt tube and ditch that one. I may have one you could have...would have to look on Saturday.

Ive always been able to get them out with lots of MAP gas heat and putting 2 jamb nuts on the thread and twisting it. But that typically melts the bushings in the tilt tube and then you are back to my first recommendation of taking out the tube.

**DangerNewb** · 02-24-2021, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by 25two.stroke

You can mount a seastar modern ram to it without removing it. That is true. If you wanna take it out you could take out the entire tilt tube and replace it...thats the easy cheat. Buy a new tilt tube and ditch that one. I may have one you could have...would have to look on Saturday.

Ive always been able to get them out with lots of MAP gas heat and putting 2 jamb nuts on the thread and twisting it. But that typically melts the bushings in the tilt tube and then you are back to my first recommendation of taking out the tube.

Don't see how i can get the nut off the tube to get it out. They are recessed in the clamp so can't get a wrench on them? Don't have sockets deep enough to reach over the bolt all the way to the large nuts on either end.

Didn't heat and bang on it this eve. Got sidetracked on some other stuff.

**25two.stroke** · 02-24-2021, 07:21 PM

You gotta put a socket on it. Sometimes one side sits in locking tabs while other side is free to turn with a socket.

**DangerNewb** · 02-24-2021, 07:45 PM

I'll try heat and hammer first. Then move on to trying to find a 3 or 4 inch deep socket.

**WaterZebra** · 02-24-2021, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by DangerNewb

Thanks guys. I've tried PB Blaster and a hammer with a nut on the end so far. Hasn't budged. Have it sitting on its side so oil can seep in maybe. Will try again this eve. So it's better to heat the bolt, not the surrounding material?

Try some Keno Labs AeroKroil and a slide hammer.............

**FUJIMO** · 02-24-2021, 09:36 PM

**Glastron1987** · 02-24-2021, 10:28 PM

Maybe heat and cool it a few times, then try banging on it when it is cool so it doesn't get too distorted. Use oxy-acetylene, I doubt a regular propane torch would be enough.

**NZ Sidewinder** · 02-25-2021, 04:22 AM

Ive had one of these issues and in my case the the motor was not much good anyway so I dumped it.
However, if that wasn't an option Id have found a piece of fuel line that would fit over the tube thread and filled it with WD 40 or CRC with a gravity head on it for a week.
Probably thread tape the tube thread so it sealed on the fuel tube.
Then find a couple of really good nuts to wind onto the rod thread right to the shoulder and proud of the thread end.
Probably warm the lot up also to let the penetrating oil get in there and hammer it out as carefully as possible.