Dinghy Outboard Clamps Stuck - help ideas?

[JPA Cate]

@argalax:

Try the "weasel piss", with the outboard laid down so that gravity will help the wp flow into the threads. thomm225's suggestion of grabbing with a wrench might work for you, or even, protect the threads, but vice grips.

However, anything that jars or momentarily loosens will help.



Ann

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Break the handles and toss in the trash then use a crescent wrench...

^^ And what everyone else said about penetrating oil (I like PB Blaster for aluminum) and heat. You can either replace the handles or make better ones from aluminum strip.


And then vow to exercise and grease frequently in the future.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by steamgoat

Two hammers may work,hit both sides of a clamp at the same time,several times.

Yup, saturate in a real penetrating oil, let it sit for a few hours, then firm taps with a hammer to break the galled oxide. When you put the wrench to it, try in both directions a little bit as this will help the oxide break. You may have to repeat this several times but I've rarely seen it fail.

I once did this over three days and then they unscrewed by hand (no wrench).

[thomm225]

Usually when you use an 8" crescent wrench instead of the 2"-3" plastic handles there's no need for any oils etc due to the amount of extra leverage.

After you break them free you can oil the threads etc

I used to beat on my outboards with hammers when I was 16 or so but not these day in my 60's.

There are usually better ways......

Still used hammer and chisel on plow blade bolts though

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Usually when you use an 8" crescent wrench instead of the 2"-3" plastic handles there's no need for any oils etc due to the amount of extra leverage.

After you break them free you can oil the threads etc

I used to beat on my outboards with hammers when I was 16 or so but not these day in my 60's.

There are usually better ways......

Extra leverage, brute force ... breaks things.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Extra leverage, brute force ... breaks things.

Not with experience......

as I said I used hammers etc on my outboards at age 16 ........but now 50 years later there's usually no need

Actually from my 20's on....by age 24 I was on my 8th outboard.

Have had just 2 more since then due to switching over to sailboats. Most of which were engineless.

Plus if my bolts came off easily with the wrench most everyone else's should as mine are always in a salt water environment without as rinse except once a year

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Not with experience......

as I said I used hammers etc on my outboards at age 16 ........but now 50 years later there's usually no need

Actually from my 20's on....by age 24 I was on my 8th outboard.

Have had just 2 more since then due to switching over to sailboats. Most of which were engineless.

Plus if my bolts came off easily with the wrench most everyone else's should as mine are always in a salt water environment without as rinse except once a year

Guess you are just better than most.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Guess you are just better than most.

Probably......

I have lots of experience with boats and outboards having grown up 4 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and about 5 miles from the Chesapeake Bay.

I first steered a boat 10 miles at age 7 I think it was. The adults were in the back drinking beer and the owner had the boat just above idle and told me what to steer towards in the distance.

I believe it was an old Whirlwind 16' wooden boat

It was a great experience for a kid......

I bought my first boat at age 16. Chincoteague Scow with 40 hp Johnson

Then add in the maintenance on farm equipment, lawn mowers , and cars and there you have it

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Probably......

I have lots of experience with boats and outboards having grown up 4 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and about 5 miles from the Chesapeake Bay.

I first steered a boat 10 miles at age 7 I think it was. The adults were in the back drinking beer and the owner had the boat just above idle and told me what to steer towards in the distance.

I believe it was an old Whirlwind 16' wooden boat

It was a great experience for a kid......

I bought my first boat at age 16. Chincoteague Scow with 40 hp Johnson

Then add in the maintenance on farm equipment, lawn mowers , and cars and there you have it

You are amazing !

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

You are amazing !

Thank you!

The tractor I drove most was similar to this one except my uncle's plow was a 7 bottom plow.

It was a bitch to replace the lower blade sections of the plow as you had to cut of the bolts with hammer and chisel as the nuts had been sheered off most of the way by the dirt.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133016119814

This while getting eaten alive by bugs

Lots of bloody fingers as a teen

Similar to this but no GPS or cabs on most tractors in the 70's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzlQN7RiPFw

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Thank you!

The tractor I drove most was similar to this one except my uncle's plow was a 7 bottom plow.

It was a bitch to replace the lower blade section of the plow as you had to cut of the bolts with hammer and chisel and thje nut had been sheered off most of the way by the dirt.

Lots of bloody fingers as a teen

Wow ! Tell us more.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Wow ! Tell us more.

Okay. Here's some tractor and plow porn.

In your dreams you could maintain equipment like this......

Only thing missing are the seagulls. (and a view of the water since many of our farms were near the bay creeks or seaside creeks)

When I plowed there'd be hundreds of them getting the worms from the freshly turned dirt. 2nd video similar but no radio

The diesel engine on my Oliver was only like a 6 cylinder but still strong enough to pull a 7 bottom plow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRkBnX55BwE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-qTDSLFiw

[Chotu]

I had this happen to me and it was not pretty. I tried all of the standard stuff in this thread. I tried heating them, I tried penetrating oils, patience.

After the handles broke off which were aluminum, I took a big wrench to it just like somebody said above.

And I went hard. The bolts actually bent/twisted like a twizzler and then broke off.


This is a post about how not to do it. Ha ha.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I had this happen to me and it was not pretty. I tried all of the standard stuff in this thread. I tried heating them, I tried penetrating oil‘s, patience.

After the handles broke off which were metal, I took a big wrench to it just like somebody said above.

And they went hard. The bolts actually bent and broke off. Sheered.

Geez.

You have to have a little bit of feel for it and know when to say when.

If you bent a bolt you must have really tried hard.

Must have been your first stuck bolt adventure.

Mine was on a white colored late 1950's Mercury Outboard when I was 16 .....trying to get the lower unit off

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Geez.

You have to have a little bit a feel for it and know when to say when.

If you bent a bolt you must have really tried hard.

Must have been your first stuck bolt adventure.

Mine was on a white colored late 1950's Mercury Outboard plus various lawn mower blade bolts....

Yeah, but there wasn’t much to lose at that point. I mean, I could either cut them off and drill them out give it a good try first and still drill them out.

Lesson: grease these