Help! Anyone got a good way to remove a rusty nut from a screw?
 

The problem is not on the TL, it's on my other car, but I figured someone here might have a good way to deal with this. I just registered the other car and I need to change the license plates. Virginia unfortunately requires a front plate, and the plate attaches on one of those brackets that some automakers use when they didn't design the car for a front plate. Unlike the TL, where the bracket is flush on the bumper, this one is the type that is attached below the bumper, meaning that the mounting screws are exposed. After eleven years, they've rusted and I can't get the nuts to loosen at all.

Can anyone help by suggesting a way to do this? I've read various things on the Internet about heating the nut, but I don't want to mess up the bumper if I can avoid it.

Had this happen to an old Toyota. In the end we just ended up snapping off the old ones and using new screws into right near to the old ones. For an old car it was about the best we could do and we soon got over it.

Otherwise put some penetrating oil on them and wait it out. Once the oil has sat for overnight you may want to put a screwdriver on it and pop it with a hammer as if you were using the scredriver like a nail set on the screw. Impacts might free things better than just bearing down on it. Things tend to shear off more when you bear down. Impacts tend to "crack" things free.

Heat is tricky. You may just melt something.

Oil, but sometimes those bolts just round off, they are a PITA.

PB Blaster
 

Like the gent above said, penetrating oil... BUT... Go to Pep Boys and get something called:

PB Blaster

This is the KING of P.O. It breaks damn near anything loose after a few minutes of soaking. Can looks hokey but trust me, it's good stuff.

http://www.pbblaster.com/store/morei...m?Product_ID=1

I run an aircraft component overhaul shop. We use an aviation product called Mouse Milk. Works very well.

Jeff

Thanks, folks. I picked up some Liquid Wrench at a hardware store near my house (Pep Boys is way out of the way on a weeknight) and so far it hasn't done the job. I may have to try PB Blaster this weekend, or else I might just ask the guy at the local Mobil to have a go at it when I take it in for the emissions inspection.

Also tried attaching a nutdriver bit to a drill, but even that didn't help--the whole screw just spun around. Gave up quickly because I had to bend the whole plate bracket forward and I didn't want to break it off.

Small nut driver on an impact wrench??? :dunno:

I'm beginning to think HACKSAW

Yup!
An old friend of mine who'd seen it all would call that "appropriate technology"

Lesser technologies become more appropriate as the car gets older. That is assuming they are cars that don't appreciate.

No good, your going to have to get a whole new car. Attempting to take off the rusty nut is going to make the engine fall out of the car.