First off, hi everyone. I've used the site many times and it has helped me out on many occasions. This time, however, I can't find an solution to my specific issue. I bought a 2002 Sebring LXI convertible that was making the car shake horribly when put into drive or reverse. Figured it would need a transmission at the worst. Took the driver side wheel off and found the problem. Turns out they hit something and broke the front bolt off of the control arm and it pulled away from the car. This separated the CV joint at the top and it was hitting but not engaging. I confirmed this by taking the control arm off and putting it in drive with just the end of the CV joint and it didn't shake at all in reverse or drive. I went to Pull-a-Part and got all of the bolts out except for the back two with the slots. The bolts turn freely and it seems like there is a nut in there that I can see with one flat on it. My question is how do I hold that "nut" to keep it from turning so I can get the one off of my car. Its only $50 and the old one is bent with a broken bolt in it so I'd rather not mess with that.
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Sorry, but your question is very confusing. The title makes reference to the engine cradle/rear crossmember but the question seems to ask about the "control arm."

There is an upper and a lower control arm on the front suspension. Removal of the upper control arm requires removal of the shock/strut and then you disassemble the strut to get the control arm off.

Removal of the lower control arm requires separating the lower ball joint, disconnecting the sway bar and unbolting the control arm.

Usually, when there's a nut with one flat on it, the purpose of the one flat is to prevent the nut from turning while it's up against a mating part. Are you saying the part is bent badly enough that the flat no longer engages with what it's supposed to be against? If so, you are going to have to find another way to keep it from turning, like jamming a screwdriver against it or grabbing it with vise grips.

 

Sorry, let me clarify. The control arm came off fine. I just took the bottom control arms off of the junk yard car and was going to drop the crossmember, the piece that has the five or so bolts coming from the bottom and the sway bar bracket bolted to it. I didn't try to take the crossmember off of my car, I attempted to take it off of the car at the junk yard. Its ready to drop down but the bolts on both sides right in front of where the sway bar bolts on. The bolts on both sides came loose but they both just turn in the hole. I can see the "nut" turning inside the 3 inch or so long slot. It seems like there's supposed to be a special tool or something that I'm supposed to hold it with. I can take pictures tomorrow if it'll help. The slots are right under the 2-bolt bracket that holds the sway bar on.

 

Sorry for the part I left out. I fixed it here.

First off, hi everyone. I've used the site many times and it has helped me out on many occasions. This time, however, I can't find an solution to my specific issue. I bought a 2002 Sebring LXI convertible that was making the car shake horribly when put into drive or reverse. Figured it would need a transmission at the worst. Took the driver side wheel off and found the problem. Turns out they hit something and broke the front bolt off of the control arm and it pulled away from the car. This separated the CV joint at the joint on the transmission side and it was hitting but not engaging. I confirmed this by taking the control arm off and putting it in drive with just the end of the CV joint and it didn't shake at all in reverse or drive. --My plan was to replace the crossmember that the power steering rack bolts to. This way, I wouldn't have to get the broken bolt out and try to bend the old one back into shape. This didn't seem like a good idea to me. -- I went to Pull-a-Part and got all of the bolts out except for the back two with the slots. The bolts turn freely and it seems like there is a nut in there that I can see with one flat on it. My question is how do I hold that "nut" to keep it from turning so I can get the one off of my car. Its only $50 and the old one is bent with a broken bolt in it so I'd rather not mess with that.
Thanks in advance for the help.

Update-Cut the bolts off at the junk yard because It didn't matter. Figured I couldn't be that unlucky that mine would be as much of a pain...... but I was wrong. Same thing happens. I broke the passenger side bolt off and the driver side spins, not freely, but it doesn't come out. Just wondering if anyone has had this same issue and how they went about getting the old bolts out or if its possible to get a new nut in there.

 

I took a video of what I'm talking about. https://youtu.be/Bd1J8w2VkHE

 

Anyone still read these? Having issues removing the front cradle. Need help...

 

You might have some luck getting a reply if you get more specific with your question. Rather than trying to wake up an old thread that may or may not be relevant to your problem, start a new thread. Include relevant information like the year and model of your car, what you are trying to do and what exact problem you have encountered. Include information about what you have been able to accomplish toward your goal.
People here cannot read your mind and do not know either you or your capabilities. "Having issues" is not clear at all. It could mean anything. As a result, it means nothing. If you are trying to remove the entire subframe, that's a very complex operation requiring specialized knowledge and special tools to be done correctly. Your best bet is to get a shop manual for your car (whatever it is) and read through it to see how it is supposed to be done. Then, knowing your own experience and tool box, you can decide whether you are up to the task. Be warned that you will be dealing with very heavy weights that can cause serious damage and injury if not handled correctly.

 

I had the same problem. The rear bolts on the subframe aren’t meant to be removed only to slide backwards. I cut the bolt off then I drilled a hole in the frame where the nut for that bolt would be. I pulled that nut out and replaced it with a regular nut and bolt with large washers through the hole I cut.