Can anyone tell me the best penetrating fluid for rusty exhaust bolts? Search didnt work for me. Ive got WD40 but no doubt there is a better one out there.

Cheers ears

I have a bottle of ATF mixed 50/50 with paraffin.

I haven't found anything better, once things start moving keep laraping it on, and work the nuts back and forward so it works into the threads.

wd40 is not a penetrating oil, it is for Water Displacement (and about their 40th attempt at that ;-)

Plusgas has always been the stuff for me!

Screwfix sell it Link

Plus-Gas has always been good.
Q10 (as supplied until recently by pif on here) is very good.
Spanner-in-a-can is astonishingly good.

http://www.q20oil.com/ProdQ10.aspx

https://www.envirotec-industries.co.uk/torsion-plus

Plusgas

Its got me out of the s**t many times

Inotec Deblock , way better than Plus Gas. 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF is supposed to work well

A blow torch works way better though, especially on rusty exhausts. Heat is your friend when dealing with rust. Get it red hot and the rust is gone, then soke it with oil and it will just come apart with no hassle or damage. Another trick is to tap the spanner holding the nut by the ring end, lightly trapping with a hammer, tap tap tap keep going and no snapped bolts or brake bleed screws. Some of the things you learn when restoring old cars...

KY Jelly.
Sorry I couldn't resist

ATF/Acetone 50:50 mix is my option.

By the way KY jelly is great for rubber seal applications as it is rubber safe and widely available and cheap.


[Edited on 30/3/21 by spiderman]

Mouse milk. The best I've ever used, but very £££

More commonly available plusgas is good stuff.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mr Whippy
A blow torch works way better though, especially on rusty exhausts. Heat is your friend when dealing with rust. Get it red hot and the rust is gone, then soke it with oil and it will just come apart with no hassle or damage. Another trick is to tap the spanner holding the nut by the ring end, lightly trapping with a hammer, tap tap tap keep going and no snapped bolts or brake bleed screws. Some of the things you learn when restoring old cars...

---

Before I retired I always had a ready supply of Ambersil penetrating oil in aerosol form which worked very well:

http://www.ambersil.com/ambersil/AMBproductdetail.csp?product=PENETRATING%20OIL%20(AMB)

I've also used a "Shock" release product which wasn't this actual one but very similar:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/arctic-products-crack-it-shock-release-spray-400ml/83415

John.

Plusgas has worked for me before, but above that (as recommended already) a bit of heat wins hands down. Just be careful of the surroundings!

I've used a blow torch before on a rusty seized nut and heard it ping as the heat makes it release.

[Edited on 31/3/21 by nick205]

Ref the ky jelly suggestion. I was trying to push in my suspension bushes late on a Sunday. I was failing. Sainsbury's was still open so in a flash of inspiration I went and bought a larger tube on KY whilst still stressed in my garage scruff clothes.

KY wasn't that effective. The next day I bought some proper rubber and nylon lubricant. Sprayed it in the kitchen to test and the bushes slipped 50% in by hand. So much more effective. Went into the garage and completed the job. Came in and slipped on the floor from the earlier over spray.

Moral of the story - dunno but I've never sprayed lubricant in the kitchen again.

NB was single at the time before you wonder how I want murdered by the other half & no I've never tried rubber and nylon lubricant for anything else!

always heard good things about Plusgas, but never used it myself

the best stuff I've ever used was metaflux's rust solvent spray: (but it's not cheap either )
https://metateconline.com/collections/the-lubrication-station




these ones are ok too, not the best I've used but not bad for the money:

https://eshop.wurth.co.uk/Product-categories/Rust-remover/310830080501.cyid/3108.cgid/en/GB/GBP/?NativeSearch=*%253A*%2540%2540+%252B%2528CategoryUUID LevelMulti%253A3108+%2529+AND+%252Bvisibility%253A3108+%252B%2528CategoryUUIDLevelMulti%253A310830080501+OR+additionalFamilyPaths%253A310830080501%252 9&SelectedFilterValues=%5B%5D&DisplaySequence=%5B%22AT_QuantityOfTradingUnit%22,%22AT_Containers%22,%22AT_TemperatureApplicationAreaMin%22,%22 AT_TemperatureApplicationAreaMax%22,%22AT_OilViscosityKinematic%22,%22AT_OilViscosityCondition%22,%22AT_TypeOfSprayHead%22,%22AT_SiliconFree%22,%22AT_ LifeTime%22,%22AT_AOXFree%22,%22AT_ResinFree%22%5D&CategoryRef=310830080501@WuerthGroup-Wuerth-3108

[Edited on 30/3/2021 by mcerd1]

quote:

---

Originally posted by John P
Before I retired I always had a ready supply of Ambersil penetrating oil in aerosol form which worked very well:

http://www.ambersil.com/ambersil/AMBproductdetail.csp?product=PENETRATING%20OIL%20(AMB)

I've also used a "Shock" release product which wasn't this actual one but very similar:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/arctic-products-crack-it-shock-release-spray-400ml/83415

John.

---

Seafoam Deep Creep.

A couple of years ago, Plusgas sent Guy Martin a case of Plusgas with a view to him endorsing it.
It was returned a week or so later, and a phonecall with him revealed "it isn't any better than WD40"
In all honesty, I have tried a variety of rust penetrating oils over the years, and I am not convinced there is much difference. There are tests all over Youtube, all getting different results. ANd some show that heat is king when it comes to difficult fasteners.

I have a couple of friends who run commercial garages. One v=bought an induction heater, raved about it so much the other has bought one. Not cheap, but they reckon they are the dogs danglies, and the knuckle dragging staff have realised hoe easy it makes difficult jobs. Downside is they are not cheap....

ATF mixed with acetone was always regarded as excellent. Me, I have a few cans of WD40 and plusgas around the garage....

I've tried wd40 and plusgas. I use plusgas.

Would love to try heat, but don't trust myself to not burn things I shouldn't.

The induction heater does seem to be the dogs danglies.

I just used the cheap stuff from Toolstation and my wacky wacky impact cordless drill.

Never been beaten and I owned a Jeep. (Got close once but a blast with the blow torch told it who's boss).