The efficacy of penetrating oil

[Yellow Saddle]

This forum is full of pleas for help with stuck this or stuck that. Pedals, seatposts, stems etc. The advice invariably includes a suggestion to use X or Y penetrating oil. I think the stuff just doesn't work. I've never had a satisfactory result from using the stuff. Success always came after other methods were used - usually better technique and tools.

I've seen plenty of tests on the internet that suggests that applying penetrating oil to a rusted bolt reduces the torque to break the bolt loose, by half. Yet, I'm still to see the mysterious original study by "Machinist Workshop" or see it confirmed by a reliable source. It all seems like one of those Internet chain mails that's repeated often but never verified.

Penetrating oil on aluminium products can't work - the interface between aluminium and steel (like in the pedal stuck to crank example) is sealed with aluminium oxide and the oil cannot penetrate. Yet, the advice is always, spray oil.

I've also seen claims that a mixture of acetone and auto transmission fluid works five times better than a leading brand of penetrating oil. Has anyone tried this?

Fire away, but remember that anecdotes are not helpful in this debate.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Alloy and steel just weld togeather over time ..and the trick is plan ahead and apply grease to start with.
steel bolts and steel thteads are where plus gas etc work best.

cheap tools are the biggest reason for fail..quality always gives the best chance .

ive had some really intresting stuff requiring work round approach with motorbike restorations ..and years of cars and van repairs..
manual says Undo bolt LOL yer just undo bolt !!!..
all good fun..

i like the autofluid acetone idea YS

 

[Drago]

Fire away, but remember that anecdotes are not helpful in this debate.

May as well lock the thread now then if that's your attitude.

What about stuff like Rost Off Ice, which as well as the traditional capillary properties also used thermal expansion and contraction to break the seal. Using stuff like that you can often hear the crack as the corrosion interface fails.

A Google search brings back hundreds of results ranging from highly scientific to the level of kids in the classroom, and while the rest!rd differs in details the trend is invariably that corrosion seized fasteners trrated3 with the various ungents require less torque - sometimes radically less - to release than without.

I'm presuming you know how to use Google, so I stead of taking what you doubtless perceive as some kind of engineering moral high ground to make yourself look clever as you start an argument, perhaps you could see for yourself and shout and the screen instead?

 

[outlash]

Fire away, but remember that anecdotes are not helpful in this debate.

Yet..

I think the stuff just doesn't work. I've never had a satisfactory result from using the stuff

 

[Citius]

Yet..

Bit of a difference between an anecdote - and an opinion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I tend to agree with User9609 (above). I've never successfully used a penetrating fluid for the purpose it was advertised for. Some of them make pretty good chain lubes though..

 

[Yellow Saddle]

ranging from highly scientific

That's the one I'm after. Link please.

 

[gbb]

Bit pointless joining this one. I could perhaps trawl the net for some scientific evidence that may or may not support its use ..or not...but then, you could do that yourself.
This is no more than a thinly veiled attempt to draw people in for an arguement.

 

[jonny jeez]

A friend of my hairdressers baby sitter had a collision and he swears that penetrating oil saved him from serious head injury.

Kind of thing...

 

[dan_bo]

I find a mixture of sodium chlorate and sugar to be very efficient at shifting stubborn seatposts.

Try it.

 

[ayceejay]

Quite obviously prevention is the most effective way to deal with the above mentioned problems but this is not always an option. If your pedals are seized due to your own negligence then perhaps there is a lesson to be learned but if you buy the bike used or are helping a friend then this is another story. Pedals and modern stems (quill stems are different) can be replaced and this is a decision to be made based on cost and time but a stuck seat post is a major problem that can be avoided if the seat post is removed periodically and an appropriate grease added. If rust is involved than maybe penetrating oil would be the first thing to try then work through the various methods people have anecdotally described on this forum.

 

[sidevalve]

If you have time bung it in a bucket of diesel and leave it a week - yes it works. If ally/steel in real bad condition bin and renew - it's f----d anyhow.

 

[subaqua]

heat. well change in temperatures really .you would be surprised what a ice pack applied to a stubborn bolt can do.

as always prevention is better than cure so if you CAN apply grease/lube at assembly then do so. can means that you take into account any hydraulic effect in a blind thread or any lube effects when applying a known torque.

plus gas , WD40 and GT85 are ones i have used with varying degrees of success. sadly no science

 

[JMAG]

I have a little portable soldering iron that can be used as a torch and it has saved me many a time. Most metals will expand with heat so if you direct the heat at the nut rather than the bolt, you might get a result. Last time I needed to do this was with a seized pedal. A bit of heat on the crank arm around the thread did the job. I've had more success with heat than penetrating oil.

 

[I like Skol]

I have a 20yr old Landrover that I am expecting to need a new chassis in about 4-5yrs time, so I am busy snapping and stripping all the threads now to save me having too much trouble when the time comes....

 

[wisdom]

I have a 20yr old Landrover that I am expecting to need a new chassis in about 4-5yrs time, so I am busy snapping and stripping all the threads now to save me having too much trouble when the time comes....

Thats the joy of owning a landrover.Regardless of age best vehicle ever made