Hello to all...IM in the need of some advice here.. I would appreciate it very much...well Im working on mother in laws 2002 escape...replacing wheel bearing and ball joints...I went with replacing control arm with ball joint already pressed in , I did try to press out old ball joint first but it wasn't budging...so I went on to the control and the back bolt came out fine...except threads at top of bolt look worn bad...anyways moved on to front and it was tight and moving along good...sprayed down with pb blast moved it back in sprayed again and waited a bit....as I went to bring it back out it snapped....I got the broken bolt out...it broke right at where the threads start...anyways Im having problem with gettting the control arm out while the rest of that bolt is still in there...I really appreciate some advice here cause Im syumped...thx in advance...

 

A good drill bit, a lot of PBblaster and one bada$$ extractor. But if the bolt extractor breaks your are in big trouble.

Or you could buy a good electric grinder and some metal cutting wheels and cut the old control arm out.

 

EdsF250 did you get it fixed?

 

Sorry ....I did end up getting it out...I did not need torch, grinder or even a drilll....After pushing twisting, pulling the control arm around with pry bar and several breaks in between it finallly made its way out....there was about 1/2 inch of bolt still in the welded nut in the frame...I soaked that down with pb blast over night ...got up in morning and soaked it again for about half hour...and twisted right out with vise grips....Got that job all done.... finally...now my truck has a rear axle seal gone bad....does it ever end...lol

 

cool glad you got it apart I did mine a year ago because the ball joints were worn.They are shot now so I am replaceing the control arms again!!The ones I installed last year are from Carquest.Bought the new ones from Ford there price is good and the old ones had 150,000 miles.

 

I have this same problem, but from tugging, pulling, and prying i loosensed the welded nut and now im stumped on what to do?!!!?? I cant get inside the sub-frame! Im almost temped to cut it open weld another nut then weld the sub-frame back together...
I know its not a good idea but whatelse can i do???
PLEASE HELP!
Mike

 

For whatever it might be worth, I snapped the rear bushing through bolt on a front lower control arm on an Escape. Usual story - snapped right where the threads start -- about 5/8 in inside the steel sleeve inside the rubber bushing. I was replacing the bushing anyway... so I sawzalled the end of the bushing assembly and bolt. Good quality metal cutting blade and you go right through. Control arm them comes out easily.

Stub of bolt is still rusted into the frame of the car. Attempts at "extraction" -- Snap-on bolt extractors -- to no avail. I centered up a hole and started drilling with a "right angle" drill (bit going through the opening on the other side of the frame bracket). Four diameters later, I re-threaded the 12mm x 1.25 where the stub had been, put in a high grade bolt w/ lock washer from local auto supply.

Had I to do it over again, I would first sawzall to the left (cut out that bit of bushing) to make more room, then wedge the control arm over that way, then sawzall to the right. Steel sleeve inside of bearing can still make drill bushing for trying to get a centered hole for extraction/ re-thread when you need one.

Whole thing gets the "not such a good design" award. The end of that bolt inside the frame wants to rust and expand and ruin the threads installed in the frame and and and ...

 

bumped for buddy

 

bumped for buddy 1

 

I am in need of the same kind

 

Hey- I just busted the same bolt and am not having any luck finding a lead on a replacement bolt. Where did you get yours for the 02 Escape? Or does anyone else know where I should go for the new control arm bolt? I am putting a new control arm on (which didn't come with bolts) so I cut through the old arm to get access, then vise-gripped the old stub out. (The thinner one that runs in front to back rather than down to up). Thanks

 

My memory is not perfect, and it was a while ago, but...

-- I am sure that I have used a "generic" (obtained from NAPA, or from the nuts and bolts aisle of a better hardware store) bolt to replace that control arm bolt.

-- I have a recollection that I was able, on one occasion (I've done a few, now) to get a generic bolt that was too long and had too long an unthreaded portion, and extend the thread and then cut the bolt to exact right size.

-- I have on one occasion put a "helicoil' into where the bolt goes. Not exactly recommended, but I know where the car now is, and it is still working / holding together.

-- My memory is that that is a 12 mm (???) fine thread metric bolt. Taps and dies and such are available (on Ebay if nowhere else). I DEFINITELY would use at least what is called a "Grade 8" or equivalent high grade steel bolt. (That kind of steel can be threaded, for example, with *high quality* high speed steel dies. Junky junk tooling may not work so well.

In sum, as long as you put a quality piece of round steel in there, exact right size, threaded only at the business end, I suggest you will do fine.

 

This has to do with solutions to having compromised the 'nut' (it is really a little lump of steel with threads in the middle welded inside the frame piece) into which the control arm through bolt goes (holds the control arm to the body of the car, goes through a rubber bushing with a metal sleeve)

Each person will cook his or her own 'soup', BUT my notions of the choices are....

a) If the 'nut' inside is still welded fine to the frame and the threads in it are just 'munged' to the point that you -- reasonably -- decide that you can't use them again, you can put a helicoil into that 'nut'. The steel is workable and this can be done. The usual procedure... drill (very carefully) helicoil tap, turn in helicoil. Proceed with bolt.

b) If the 'nut' is now disconnected from reality / the frame, AND yet you have a hole that is round enough and in the right place and you like it and trust it, you can use a long straight piece of something (probably round 12mm), and a sleeve (say 3 inches long), and tack weld that sleeve onto the OTHER side of the opening. Then get a high quality, and pretty thick/deep 12 mm fine nut, plasma cut / torch cut / cut / grind (a hexagonal-ish) hole where you need the nut, put it on a bolt through the sleeve, and weld the nut into a sufficiently well located place. (If you don't have at least decent talent with a mig welder, you may need someone who does).

c) If the 'nut' is disconnected and location has become uncertain, you are going to have to put that side back together and get it into alignment, and then you can, actually, slice into that other side body piece where the nut once was (and may still be flopping around) and you can put a nut in and weld a patch over your slice, or you can put a piece of flat steel in there with a hole in it that you will use for location, nut welding into place, etc.

 

could try the dealer or a junk yard.

 

Dealer - Sure. May be a little spendy. May not have part in stock, but great.

Junk Yard - Not so much. Even if I were offered one, I would not want one of these bolts that had been removed by a junk yard from a car that had come to the yard as its resting place.

Otherwise, the rest of what we are talking about is the frame of the car -- not really a replaceable part.