Dealing with frozen nuts

JFENG

JFENG

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,226
Reaction score
1,434
Location
Bahston (Boston)
I had the pleasure of stopping by a local E9 owner's place this weekend to smirk at him trying to loosen a thoroughly seized brake line union (he was replacing his flex lines). I need to do this someday and thought I'd watch/learn from one of the most resourceful shade-tree guys around.

When I got there, the 11mm nut on the hard-line was essentially completely rounded off. His flare-nut (brake-line) wrenches are the same as mine (older USA made Craftsman), and I've never liked how loosely they fit. Wurth flarenut wrenches are supposed to be more precisely made for a tighter fit.

Since I'd been warned about his predicament, I brought over a couple of self-adjusting self-tightening wrenches that I keep in my travel kit. These are basically small plumber's wrenches, but made for automotive applications. Mine have a super low profile 3/8 (or 1/2) ratchet drive on the opposite end so I leave my good ratchet handles at home when on tours. These are available in full length and a stubby with a female 3/8 drive receptacle (latter is more flexible as you can stick an extension or ratchet handle into them for weird clearance situations). Here is a picture of one such wrench head.

1724081018147.png

Anyway, with the 2 of us squeezed inside a wheel well we managed to get his frozen nut loose. IDK if he is going to cut off the bubble flare so he can install a new brake nut on the hard-line or not. Installing a new nut is the best way, but ...

Anyway, I highly recommend having one of these in the bottom of your toolbox for when you've already buggered up a nut or bolt head. I have a pair that cover sizes from 8mm to 21mm.

For those of you who haven't been made paupers by spending all your $ on vintage racing (well, it's the crashing not the racing that's really expensive), I recommend you get a HAZET 612N11 for about $35. German language reviews of this wrench sound more like reviews of penicillin for STD than just another tool that you use once every now and then. It's sold by numerous popular BMW/Euro parts vendors. I'll likely get one the next time I'm in Europe (I have parts shipped to the hotel I'm staying at).

BGS-1760 looks like a knockoff of the Hazet for 1/3 of the price. IDK if it’s as good as the Hazet wrench.
1724080783141.png
 
Last edited:
Don't copy my crude welding effort but feel free to use the idea. (I'd still get the Hazet)
In an effort to preserve the rusty fitting and get a squeeze fit at same time, cut an 11mm socket in half and welded to jaws of locking pliers.
Gap from cutting socket just enough to provide a great adjustable fit, stay in place and even reform a deformed hex to slight degree.
1724083500703.png
 
I have to thank John for his help publicly as this was on my 88 M6, pass side wheel and to replace that line or even splice into it would have been a major PIA.

Some use a vice grip on the flarenut wrench to tighten it up (same idea as above post) but there was no room here for that. I actually thought that a small plumber's type wrench would have been perfect to use but had no idea they even existed. I have the large one for my faucets but ....

Working with others on this forum is always synergistic. I thought I had a tool for everything and John always seems to come up with one I have never seen.
 
Last edited:
brake line wrenches are very worthwhile tools. you don't need them often, but when you do they are life savers. decades ago i bought a set of Matco brake line wrenches and the few times i used them, they were so great to have.
 
2000CS said:
Don't copy my crude welding effort but feel free to use the idea. (I'd still get the Hazet)
In an effort to preserve the rusty fitting and get a squeeze fit at same time, cut an 11mm socket in half and welded to jaws of locking pliers.
Gap from cutting socket just enough to provide a great adjustable fit, stay in place and even reform a deformed hex to slight degree.
View attachment 187889
Click to expand...
This is a great idea, and you can buy vice-grip type flare nut pliers in metric and SAE sizes. In this car, I don’t think there was space for this, but maybe this one pictured below might have fit.


IMG_7503.jpeg
 
JFENG said:
I had the pleasure of stopping by a local E9 owner's place this weekend to smirk at him trying to loosen a thoroughly seized brake line union (he was replacing his flex lines). I need to do this someday and thought I'd watch/learn from one of the most resourceful shade-tree guys around.

When I got there, the 11mm nut on the hard-line was essentially completely rounded off. His flare-nut (brake-line) wrenches are the same as mine (older USA made Craftsman), and I've never liked how loosely they fit. Wurth flarenut wrenches are supposed to be more precisely made for a tighter fit.

Since I'd been warned about his predicament, I brought over a couple of self-adjusting self-tightening wrenches that I keep in my travel kit. These are basically small plumber's wrenches, but made for automotive applications. Mine have a super low profile 3/8 (or 1/2) ratchet drive on the opposite end so I leave my good ratchet handles at home when on tours. These are available in full length and a stubby with a female 3/8 drive receptacle (latter is more flexible as you can stick an extension or ratchet handle into them for weird clearance situations). Here is a picture of one such wrench head.

View attachment 187887
Anyway, with the 2 of us squeezed inside a wheel well we managed to get his frozen nut loose. IDK if he is going to cut off the bubble flare so he can install a new brake nut on the hard-line or not. Installing a new nut is the best way, but ...

Anyway, I highly recommend having one of these in the bottom of your toolbox for when you've already buggered up a nut or bolt head. I have a pair that cover sizes from 8mm to 21mm.

For those of you who haven't been made paupers by spending all your $ on vintage racing (well, it's the crashing not the racing that's really expensive), I recommend you get a HAZET 612N11 for about $35. German language reviews of this wrench sound more like reviews of penicillin for STD than just another tool that you use once every now and then. It's sold by numerous popular BMW/Euro parts vendors. I'll likely get one the next time I'm in Europe (I have parts shipped to the hotel I'm staying at).

BGS-1760 looks like a knockoff of the Hazet for 1/3 of the price. IDK if it’s as good as the Hazet wrench.
View attachment 187885
Click to expand...
It's not nearly as good.
 
bimmerboy73 said:
It's not nearly as good.
Click to expand...

I just bought a 12-point wrap around flare nut wrench for $8.50 (Armstrong/Proto/Wright/SK --- all same wrench). See the pic below. For less than $10, I hope it serves as my primary brake line wrench. The only drawback is that it's a 12-point so while fine for steel, I don't yet know if it's going to work on a seized brass/copper nut.

1724358301369.png

There are other types of self locking flarenut wrenches that are 6-point, which is better. These are an example, but I'm not ready to spend $120 for just the 11mm size.

1724359879209.png


This looks like a good design, but it doesn't come in 11mm or 7/16"
1724360659568.png


In the cases where a flarenut is already rounded off I've got my mini pipe-wrench-ish tool which grabs the fastener on three flats and which BavBob has proven effective on seized and totally rounded over nuts.
 
I have a tendency to regularly spray down all sorts of undercarriage nuts and bolts with PB blaster every time I change oil or when I get under the cars. I pay special attention to brake lines. It’s partly my way of getting ready to not have to use the special operating tools like those pictured in the thread. I’m going to try and keep my nuts out of the vice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top