Convinced myself WD-40 fixed everything until a seized lawnmower bolt at my dad's place proved me wrong

My dad's been telling me for years that WD-40 is a penetrating oil. I never believed him, thought it was just multi-purpose magic. Last Saturday, I was trying to loosen a 15-year-old rusted bolt on his riding mower deck, sprayed it on, waited 10 minutes, and it didn't budge at all. He handed me a $6 can of PB Blaster from his shelf, I let it sit for 20 minutes, and that bolt came out with one turn of the socket. Now I keep both in my truck, but only use the PB for stuck metal parts. Has anyone else found a specific brand that works way better than WD-40 for certain repairs?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_mitchell834d agoMost Upvoted

Used to swear by WD-40 for everything, then I tried Kroil on a seized exhaust manifold bolt and never looked back. That PB Blaster is solid too, but Kroil soaked overnight broke a bolt loose that I'd been fighting for two days. Guess we all learn the hard way that different jobs need different tools.

charlie2693d ago

Ever try mixing them? I've been doing a 50/50 blend of ATF and acetone in a little oil can for really stubborn rusted fasteners. Let it sit overnight and it creeps into the threads like nothing else. WD-40 is basically just a water displacer with a little light oil in it, so it's great for drying out ignition parts or loosening door hinges, but it doesn't have the chemical bite for heavy rust. Once I learned that, I stopped expecting it to do everything and my toolbox got a lot more honest.