How to free siezed aluminum lugs ?

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weather77

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What can i do to try and free stuck aluminum meter lugs and terminals?

I have some that setup due to weather exposure
 
You probably do not want to use the lug again, but if your intent is to remove the conductor without having to cut it - try applying some heat - small propane torch or even an electric heat gun is probably sufficient to get the job done.
 
Oil of Wintergreen (methyl salicylate) and some light tapping so that the vibration works it in. It's OK to get it on your skin, it metabolizes as aspirin (salicylic acid) but DO NOT get it in your eyes! It stings like all get out for a long time (still not really that dangerous though) and washing with water doesn't help because it's an oil.

Put it on, tap it in with something like the back of a screwdriver, wait about a half hour and it should free it up nicely. It's an old trick I learned in High School when I had a job at a junk yard for antique cars. Later as an electrician, I tried it on seized aluminum lugs and it worked great. Smells good too.
 
Jraef said:
Oil of Wintergreen (methyl salicylate) and some light tapping so that the vibration works it in. It's OK to get it on your skin, it metabolizes as aspirin (salicylic acid) but DO NOT get it in your eyes! It stings like all get out for a long time (still not really that dangerous though) and washing with water doesn't help because it's an oil.

Put it on, tap it in with something like the back of a screwdriver, wait about a half hour and it should free it up nicely. It's an old trick I learned in High School when I had a job at a junk yard for antique cars. Later as an electrician, I tried it on seized aluminum lugs and it worked great. Smells good too.
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So do you use it as cologne?:cool:
 
I'd try Kroil also, I have a can on the truck that I talked a mechanic out of it when I did some work for him a while back. It's definitely a special order item but it works well. I wish I had a picture of the nasty old Eaton 3R disconnect with completely rusted hinges that I worked on a week ago. I sprayed the hinges with Kroil, they were stuck solid. I ended up mostly bending the door open at the hinges, they didn't give at all from the rust. By the time I had done my work inside the disconnect and was ready to close the door again, I noticed the hinges had actually started to rotate instead of just bending the door again. Another spray of Kroil and a few more back and forths and they were working pretty well.

Another quick easy to make solution is mixing half and half acetone with ATF. You have to shake it up every once in a while to keep it from separating out, we put it in a little squirt bottle when we tried it. A mustard/ketchup bottle like you'd find at a hot dog stand would probably work well. With the acetone in the mix, it'll wick through most anything while it carries the ATF in to lube the parts you're trying to break free.
 
If you can achieve "red hot" with the aluminum - you won't have to worry about getting out your wrench to turn it.:happyyes:
 
Cow said:
I'd try Kroil also, I have a can on the truck that I talked a mechanic out of it when I did some work for him a while back. It's definitely a special order item but it works well. I wish I had a picture of the nasty old Eaton 3R disconnect with completely rusted hinges that I worked on a week ago. I sprayed the hinges with Kroil, they were stuck solid. I ended up mostly bending the door open at the hinges, they didn't give at all from the rust. By the time I had done my work inside the disconnect and was ready to close the door again, I noticed the hinges had actually started to rotate instead of just bending the door again. Another spray of Kroil and a few more back and forths and they were working pretty well.

Another quick easy to make solution is mixing half and half acetone with ATF. You have to shake it up every once in a while to keep it from separating out, we put it in a little squirt bottle when we tried it. A mustard/ketchup bottle like you'd find at a hot dog stand would probably work well. With the acetone in the mix, it'll wick through most anything while it carries the ATF in to lube the parts you're trying to break free.
Click to expand...

Call around for KROIL--We get it in aerosol form here from Tacoma Screw. Some automotive places have it also--It's all I use--even use it for cleaning guns when there is a lotr of leading or copper fouling--works better than ammonia and is safer too
 
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