Tension Strut Removal

MrKevinRosales · 02-22-2023, 07:56 AM

I'm trying to get to my center support bearing and am stuck at square 1.
I can't get the tension strut off, unlike the other posts here I had no issue getting the T50 torx screws it's the 18 mm bolts that I can't get off
Looking at the attached images, it's item #1 that I can't get off. The bolt is spinning with the nut on the inside of the bar and I don't have anything that fits in there to hold the nut in place.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

AshwinLB · 04-29-2024, 11:35 AM

You probably already figured this out but in case anyone else is looking for a solution, this is what I ended up doing when the same thing happened to me.

I ended up buying a small sacrificial pair of vise grips that I jammed one side into the nut, so as I zapped the bolt with an impact, the nut pulled the vise grip in deeper until the nut couldn't spin anymore, which allowed the bolt the break loose. This method caused the vise grips to get stuck with no way to take it back out, so I just cut the vise grips and left the little end in there. After, I filled the rest of the void with JB weld putty, just to ensure that the nut doesn't start spinning again in the future. I also put anti-seize on the bolt so that it can't really get seized into the nut either.

It's kinda a ghetto fix but it worked and beats buying a brand new bracket.

02-22-2023, 07:56 AM	#1
MrKevinRosales Private First Class 84 Rep 199 Posts Drives: '11 135i Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Connecticut iTrader: (0)	Tension Strut Removal I'm trying to get to my center support bearing and am stuck at square 1. I can't get the tension strut off, unlike the other posts here I had no issue getting the T50 torx screws it's the 18 mm bolts that I can't get off Looking at the attached images, it's item #1 that I can't get off. The bolt is spinning with the nut on the inside of the bar and I don't have anything that fits in there to hold the nut in place. Any help would be greatly appreciated Attached Images __________________ 2011 E82 N55 135i ///M Sport • 6MT • Crimson Red/Black Boston Leather BMW PPK• BMW PE • BMW Aero Kit • Blacklines • Arc 8's • VRSF Charge Pipe • B12 Pro-kit
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04-29-2024, 11:35 AM	#2
AshwinLB Private First Class 63 Rep 104 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 135i 6MT Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	You probably already figured this out but in case anyone else is looking for a solution, this is what I ended up doing when the same thing happened to me. I ended up buying a small sacrificial pair of vise grips that I jammed one side into the nut, so as I zapped the bolt with an impact, the nut pulled the vise grip in deeper until the nut couldn't spin anymore, which allowed the bolt the break loose. This method caused the vise grips to get stuck with no way to take it back out, so I just cut the vise grips and left the little end in there. After, I filled the rest of the void with JB weld putty, just to ensure that the nut doesn't start spinning again in the future. I also put anti-seize on the bolt so that it can't really get seized into the nut either. It's kinda a ghetto fix but it worked and beats buying a brand new bracket.
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