I found this post on another site. Thought it may be of interest. Some info from another forum that I found: Penetrating Oils Compared Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment. Penetrating oil .......... Average load None ..................... 516 pounds WD-40 .................... 238 pounds PB Blaster ............... 214 pounds Liquid Wrench ............ 127 pounds Kano Kroil ............... 106 pounds ATF-Acetone mix............ 53 pounds The Automatic Transmission fluid (ATF)-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. A local machinist group mixed up a batch and all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.
Good information The spraybox penetration Oils are very expensive. I have a question ; How is the ATF and aceton mixed together 50 % of each or ... ? Martinius.
Very Interesting... I've used ATF/Diesel fuel or K-1 for along time, I'll mix up some with acetone right away and give it a try. THANKS!
More searching found this. Penetrating Fluid effectiveness I'm doing a ground-up restoration on a total piece of junk 95 4Runner (because I'm stoopid, that's why) and it is rustier than you think a 95 could possibly be...like most of the lower A-arms are eaten away. Today's job was to pull out the torsion bars (4 feet long) that connect mid-frame and then bolt onto the upper A-arms as well as pull the junk inner and outer tie rod ends out of the spacer. Mixed up a 50-50 solution (far from it) of Autozone ATF fluid and Acetone. First, it doesn't mix just by pouring it together. Stir it, nope. Anyway, I poured it into my PB Blaster spritz can and decided I would just shake. First I hit the steering parts, then went out and hit the A-arm bolts, torsion bar connection bolts, and rear torsion bar adjuster bolt (big). Soaked them heavily. note that the spacer tube has 2 long slots on both sides and both ends. the tie-rod ends screw in and are clamped. With so much open thread exposed in the slots allowing any rust spray to easily penetrate, I thought these would be a great test. I had visions of doing it by hand! Went back in and prepped and POR15'd my new A-arms out of a CA salvage yard....total time 2hours. Then went to work on the tie rods. nothing. absolutely nothing. Spritzed some more, nothing. MAPP torch...5 minutes later they are done. Went outside to work on the truck. again, nothing. Cleaned the torsion bar to A-arm bolts with some break cleaner, hit them with PB Blaster...it worked. In the end, getting the bars out of the truck was a horrendous task. Unfortunately, I had to snap the rear adjust bolts to get the bars out, even a torch on the nuts wouldn't free them. It's a very bad design BTW with the torsion bars completely open to the elements. End result: lots of swearing, very very sore and as they say on Mythbusters...BUSTED.
