Not sure what to do at this point. I have gone through two breakers bars that snapped at the head. I rented the Auto Zone 5 foot torque wrench that was 3/4 inch drive that I got a reducer to 1/2 inch - it snapped.

I don't own a air impact wrench and my Ryoibi impact wrench does not have enough juice.


What can I do?

Would a Automotive place loosen just the axle ut if I drove over with the cover removed?

You need an impact gun, and a decent one, to bust the axle nut loose. It's fastened at around 171 ft/lb plus time and wear, so it's not supposed to come off easy. Alternative is a jack stand under the breaker bar so you can stand on the handle and try to break it under your body weight. Not the best idea to drive it anywhere with the nut popped loose

A impact helps but its not a must-have to get it off... ... but you do need a decent breaker bar. Not sure what a torque wrench is supposed to be able to do. 5' is not enough leverage. What brand breaker bars are you breaking?

I doubt any shop would break loose an axel nut and let you drive home with it loose for liability reasons but who knows..

My two cents... get a decent 3/4" or 1/2" breaker car/socket and if you have a a nice long pipe to slip over it (I'm using a 6-8 foot DOM tubing) that is the way to go unless you have access to a really nice, heavy duty impact gun (my 700 ft-lb ingersoll rand also didn't have any issues zipping off the axle nut)

Apply some heat.

My Ryobi also doesn't have the power to break that nut. But my plug in harbor freight one does. Its only like $50 bucks and it takes it off no problem.

Something sounds very wrong here.

Has the nut ever been removed before? If so, could you be dealing with a crossthreaded situation?

From the factory install, I removed mine with a standard 18" long 1/2" drive Harbor Freight breaker bar w/o any extra leverage added. Nearly threw myself across the garage because I turned green and went full full sumo on my first pull based on everyone's description of how tight it was supposed to be...didn't seem that bad at all.

There's a Youtube video about replacing the C-V axle that shows a smaller sized gentleman using his bodyweight to loose the axle nut.

I wouldn't expect this to be a rusted area, but maybe spray Liquid Wrench type product in there to try to help?

And just to cover all of the bases...are you sure you're turning the nut CCW to loosen?

Good luck!

Helped a friend with this problem on his Civic. Chocked both sides of the wheels, he stood on the brakes, and I jumped up and down on the 3/4" breaker bar* with a 4' steel pipe on the end. I really had to reef on it to get it break loose, I swear I thought the nut would strip or the threaded section break off.

*not your average breaker bar: It's a "T-Handle Socket Breaker Bar"; The head is a solid piece of tool steel with a hole drilled through it, and a 3/4" solid rod as the bar, through the hole. There's no articulation joint or ratcheting action to break. The risk of using The Negotiator is that the bolt/nut snaps off. I don't foresee the circumstances on the 4Runner where the Negotiator loses; there's no fasteners that are big enough to break it. I always think carefully before I bring it out to negotiate a problem as that the results can be worse than the stuck bolt.

A very important aspect of such a tool is using it properly. To get maximum leverage, the mounting must be as short as possible, keeping the bar as close to the bolt as you can. So you'll need a 3/4" socket that fits perfectly, preferably a shorty socket. The further the bar is from the nut, the more leverage it'll have to bend the fastener, rather than rotate it... thus increasing the force required to remove, or encouraging to strip the fastener's shoulders off. It goes without saying to use a 6pt socket on a 6pt fastener, of course.

As others have said, a shop with a heavy duty impact could zip it off for you. Then just retorque it to spec to drive home to do what you need to do.

Use a cutting disc and split the nut. If its that tough to remove, its probably cross threaded. Just cut it off

Do you know the model/brand?

7 Amp 1/2 in. Variable Speed Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch

Its this one.

My 1 inch Milwaukee had no issues with those. SOMETHING will come loose or break but it wont be the drill. See if you can borrow one.

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I second a plug in electric impact. That things a tank on the cheap

I have the bauer version: 8.5 Amp 1/2 in. Variable Speed Impact Wrench with Rocker Switch

My Dodge Diesel is torqued to around 250lb ft tq. Breaker bar will amplify sweat and frustration. Recommend extensive use of penetration fluid and impact gun. I use air powered impact. Takes the diesel axle nut off within a few seconds. My off-road Jeep is around 140ft lb tq. Impact gun doesn't brake a sweat during removal. If electric impact works better for you get the bigger one.



Which Penetrating Oil is Best? Let's find out! - YouTube

Man up

I'd cut the nut to get it off. A dremel with a cutoff wheel should work fine. You'll probably end up cutting into the shaft while doing so but that shaft gets replaced with the new axle anyhow. Make sure the new axle comes with the nut. Not all of them do.