Not on my Fiero, but I ran into a problem on my son's Dart that may help others, if there is a solution.
We tried getting the front hub off, but I cannot break the nut loose on the axle. I used heat, cold, penetrating oil, and a 6ft tube on my 1/2" breaker bar. Would not budge. Any thoughts on braking it loose?
If it has vented discs, put a screwdriver in the disc so when it butts up against the caliper the axle can not move. Then use a breaker bar with a pipe extender.
If it is rusted on try the PB Blaster after a day or two of spraying it every few hours. Then shock the nut with a hammer a few times in various places to loosen the rust a bit. Hit the nut by using a chisel in the direction of loosening. After a few minutes of that give it another go.
4. Install socket, breaker bar + tube assembly on the axle nut. Have the end of the tube touch the ground. The tube should be at the 4 o'clock position relative to the center of the wheel (12 o'clock is at the top).
5. Start the car, put it in gear (1st or Reverse, direction selected to force the tube into the ground), and give it some gas.
It's a bit of a sketchy idea; I've never tried this. YMMV
[This message has been edited by pmbrunelle (edited 04-06-2019).]
Start the car, put it in gear (1st or Reverse, direction selected to force the tube into the ground), and give it some gas.
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Geez, I don't know about that idea. The problem is... not only is the tire/wheel turning (which is fine), but the car is also moving forward or backward (which is not so fine).
The nut is shrouded by the hub. It would be difficult to get access to the sides. It's been soaking overnight. We'll see if it gives up today. Otherwise I need to find a bigger impact wrench.
Jamming the rotor etc can damage the parts regardless how FSM etc books said. Same for wheel off and "beating up" the suspension w/ impact tools and big wrenches.
Use wheel on to loosen or full torque the nut.
You need NEW axle nuts every time they are removed. See my Cave, Axle
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Hey......Why are you bringing me into this? Shock the nut with MY face....?.......Geez.....
I actually have a 6 foot breaker PIPE that I use...and then, I use a floor jack to lift the end of the pipe to rotate the socket...Also may be helpful to throw a french dictionary at it......
Try some of this stuff. A few weeks ago a friend of mine spent hours trying to get an O2 sensor out doing all the things you did to the axle nut except heat. I told him to let me give a try. I sprayed this magic formula on the sensor and timed it for 90 seconds like the instruction said, maybe a little longer. Grabbed a Harbor Freight breaker bar and a socket and it came free using 1 hand. I know an axle nut is torqued much higher than an O2 but rust is the common problem with both.
I got my Freeze online at Amazon.
Spoon
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
[This message has been edited by Spoon (edited 04-07-2019).]
There are stands that bolt to the lug bolts. I bolted one on, then used a 3/4 inch breaker bar, with a floor jack setting on the steel base plate of the stand. Several sockets broke, but the nut came loose.
On my ATV, the axle nuts were basically welded on. An angle grinder did the trick, but that won't work for you.
If it has vented discs, put a screwdriver in the disc so when it butts up against the caliper the axle can not move. Then use a breaker bar with a pipe extender.
That's how I usually have to do it in the junkyard. That's also how I found out I'm stronger than a lot of screwdrivers....
I used a screwdriver in the disc brake of my Honda Civic wagon to bust the axle nut loose last week and it worked great. Whether the screwdriver breaks or not would probably depend on how well the disc holds the screwdriver straight. I was about to weld up a fixture to bolt to the disc when I thought I would check what youtube said about it. First video I watched the guy used a screwdriver. Saved me a bit of work.
I'm also in olejoedad corner. A super big impact wrench with an unlimited air supply and plenty of time and she'll come loose. Bring dinner and Tag-team if you have to. Trust me!!
Spoon
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
I had a Honda where I could not get the nut off. I had a "pretty big" 400 or something lb ft air impact and it wouldn't come loose. I put it back together, drove down the street to a shop and offered $50 if they'd just loosen it for me. They had a good chuckle over the easy $50. After about 30 minutes of HAMMERING at it they got on the phone to another shop. A while later a guy with the biggest impact wrench I'd ever seen shows up and he hammers away for about 3 minutes before it finally spun off. I asked the guy what he had - it was a 1" drive 1400 lb ft IR wrench. I've never in my life seen another fastener that stuck!
Regardless, big ol air impact is always the right answer.
Depends on the year of the Dart. Used to work at the Tire and Lube department of the box box store, and this one guy with a mid-60's Dart came in every other week for a tire rotation. Left-hand thread studs/nuts on the left side of the car. My '67 Power Wagon was the same way. New Darts are prolly right-hand-thread all around.
Re-read original post and, um, yeah, old Darts didn't have CV shafts retained in the hub by a nut. Such Darts are more likely using right-hand-thread nuts on the axle. Never mind the rest. +1 for big impact with huge foot-pounds in counter-clockwise, upwards of 400.
Big impact wrench was the way to go, but not everyone has a big compressor to drive a big pneumatic gun. I don't. My impact is rather wimpy. Glad I had the electric one at work.
I was NOT turning the wrong way. 
The problem is... not only is the tire/wheel turning (which is fine), but the car is also moving forward or backward (which is not so fine).
