From another venue - penetrating oils

I don't know how accurate this is, but this is what was reported.

For All of you Mechanic's and Self doer’s out there.

This was in one of the Military Vehicle Club newsletters

Here is an interesting article submitted by Bob Muller for our members consideration

Penetrating Oils

Recently “Machinist Workshop Magazine” did a test on penetrating oils. Using nuts and bolts that they ‘scientifically rusted’ to a uniform degree by soaking in salt water, they then tested the break-out torque required to loosen the nuts. They treated the nuts with a variety of penetrants and measured the torque required to loosen them.

This is what they came up with:

                                                  Nothing: 516 lbs

                                                    WD-40: 238 lbs;

                                            PB Blaster: 214 lbs;

                                     Liquid Wrench: 127 lbs,

                                           Kano Kroil: 106 lbs

                  (ATF)/Acetone mix (50/50): 50 lbs.

This last “shop brew” of 50% automatic transmission fluid and 50% acetone appears to beat out the commercially prepared products costing far more.

Any comments?

I would say my experience is about the same as the test. ATF/acetone is referred to as weasel pee on other sites. I cannot say I have had good experience with it because I haven't really used it that much.

Looks like to me, antiseize is the answer.

The ATF / Acetone 50/50 mix is commonly referred to as "weasel piss".

I've used the ATF/Acetone mix but had no success with it. That having been said, though, I've never really had any success with any sort of penetrating oil.

Part of it might be the "scientifically rusted" bit. I find it hard to imagine a calculated corrosion that is as stubborn as 15 years of road salt and water exposure.

I use coleman fuel(I cant stand the smell of acetone) and various last ounces of oil bottles. The mix varies as I top the can off, probably 1/3 oil. I like to use at least a little gear oil, the EP additives help prevent the bolt/nut from seizing up halfway off and breaking the bolt/stud.

I've had all the suspension off a Michigan Yugo using this stuff and only broke one bolt.

Just after I posted this my SIL called to say he was finally replacing the plugs in his Xterra after 175,000 and he couldn't get one plug out. Guess what I told him to do.

I guess I'll know in a day or 2 when he's had time to try out the weasel piss to see how well it works.

I made up a spray bottle of weasel piss, but ended up handing it off to my brother in law for a project before I ever got to try it... His whole project was such a fiasco I don't think unsticking bolt results could be gleaned from the resulting experience...

The same tip can also be found in the "tech tips" section on the menu bar to the left of your screen.

I'll tell my weezlpee story here that no one (including myself) believes

sprayed it on a rusty part and it started releasing slight wisps of smoke/vapor and caused the part to warm probably 20* f. Stuff freaks me out, but it works good.

To be honest though I just use WD40 for all me penetrating oil needs. Stuff works fine and it's not really nasty

Taiden wrote: I'll tell my weezlpee story here that no one (including myself) believes sprayed it on a rusty part and it started releasing slight wisps of smoke/vapor and caused the part to warm probably 20* f. Stuff freaks me out, but it works good. To be honest though I just use WD40 for all me penetrating oil needs. Stuff works fine and it's not really nasty

you must not have very many penetrating oil needs. anything less than PB Blaster and heat won't get about 90% of any chassis bolt i'll run into up here in the frozen wastelands of west central MN..

Years old article, been discussed several times in this forum.

My own ATF/acetone experience is the stuff separates almost instantly when you stop shaking the container. Application therefore ment acetone only, with a bit of ATF afterwards.

Penetrating experiences with it were unimpressive, as was the freeing of the stuck fasteners.

In reply to foxtrapper:

same here

Kimball-Midwest. Makes PB Blaster look like WD-40. You can watch it melt rust, sometimes. It also does a number on undercoating

This stuff:

https://www.kimballmidwest.com/Catalog/CatalogIndex.aspx?p=2123&i=22080

The downsides are that it's a little more expensive than PB (meh, it WORKS) and you do NOT want to get it on any cuts on your skin, or breathe any of the vapors after spraying. Nasty stuff.

I had awesome luck with the Liquid Wrench working on my truck. It wasn't rusted like a MI truck would rust, but several bolts were stuck. The LW comes out foamy and sticks to the bolt/stud/nut and soaks in. I have yet to try the ATF/Acetone mix.

foxtrapper wrote: Years old article, been discussed several times in this forum. My own ATF/acetone experience is the stuff separates almost instantly when you stop shaking the container. Application therefore ment acetone only, with a bit of ATF afterwards. Penetrating experiences with it were unimpressive, as was the freeing of the stuck fasteners.

Clearly not thinking it all the way through, I put my ATF and acetone in a baby food jar to give it a good shake. Works for making dressing, why not that, right? I think I had about 15 seconds worth of shaking before it ate through the seal on the lid and started sprinkling everywhere. So, yeah, trying to keep the emulsion together is a huge challenge, which might be worth solving if it actually worked.

novaderrik wrote:

Taiden wrote: I'll tell my weezlpee story here that no one (including myself) believes sprayed it on a rusty part and it started releasing slight wisps of smoke/vapor and caused the part to warm probably 20* f. Stuff freaks me out, but it works good. To be honest though I just use WD40 for all me penetrating oil needs. Stuff works fine and it's not really nasty

you must not have very many penetrating oil needs. anything less than PB Blaster and heat won't get about 90% of any chassis bolt i'll run into up here in the frozen wastelands of west central MN..

you can put that theory to rest http://goo.gl/maps/1oQoZ