That moment I realized I'd been using WD-40 wrong for 10 years

I always sprayed it on rusty bolts and let it sit, but a guy at the auto parts store told me to give it 10 minutes and tap the bolt first. Since when did that become a step, and has anyone else been doing basic stuff wrong without knowing?

3 comments

3 Comments

anderson.david2d agoMost Upvoted

My neighbor's a mechanic who's been doing this since the 80s. He showed me once with a seized caliper bracket bolt. Light tap with a ball peen hammer, wait ten minutes, then it came out with a normal ratchet. No breaker bar needed. The tap sends vibrations through the rust, breaks the bond a bit so the penetrating oil can actually get down into the threads instead of just sitting on top. It's not a magic fix every time but it's saved me stripping bolts on my truck.

lauras833d ago

Not sure a light tap really changes the game that much honestly.

brown.gavin3d ago

Yeah I feel you, a light tap barely changes anything in my experience either.