Pro tip: soaking rusted bolts in ATF and acetone actually works

Had a manway cover on a 30 year old boiler I couldn't budge with a 4ft cheater bar. Tried penetrating oil for two days, nothing. Mixed a 50/50 blend of automatic transmission fluid and acetone in a spray bottle, let it soak overnight. Next morning the bolts came loose with just a standard wrench. Has anyone else tried this mix on stubborn fittings in the field?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_thompson20d ago

My boss showed me that trick on a seized hydraulic fitting a few years back. Worked way better than any spray can stuff I'd tried before. That acetone really gets in there.

christopher71320d ago

My buddy Mike had an old tractor that was basically a rust farm on wheels, every fitting seized up tighter than a drum. He tried heat, he tried cussing at it (which is its own kind of penetrating fluid, I guess), nothing worked. Then his neighbor came over with a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone in a squirt bottle, let it sit for maybe ten minutes. That fitting turned loose like it was buttered, no joke. I still can't believe how good that combo works, it's like magic in a bottle.