Broken lug nut! Help!!!

[wcroty]

This morning I was getting ready to roll the car into the driveway lift her up and pressure wash and degrease the under side, in preparation for the new torsion bars, shocks, and brakes. I decide that I should loosen the lug nuts prior to lifting. My problem is one of the front lug nuts broke! It broke off clean, right at the base of where the socket fits.
What now? How do I go about getting the tire off?

Thanks for the help,

Bryan

[radcon]

If there is enough left of the nut, drill a small hole into it, and use a punch and hammer to drive it off.

[wcroty]

It is flush or a little recessed of the wheel. I don’t believe I can get a punch in it.

[anh911]

try it, it's the only way, that or drill out the stud. Use a long narrow drift punch.

[Eric Coffey]

3/4" hole saw used very carefully, then a dremel with a mini carbide bur bit to cut the remaining chunks off. Chase the stud threads with a die afterwards.

[john walker's workshop]

don't drill it, use the hole saw. the saw will get everything but a thin shell of threads on the stud. a pencil sharp punch and a little hammer tapping will get the rest.

[Zeke]

Someone ought to make a hole saw that goes in the opposite direction.

[Randy Webb]

Good luck -- if the hole saw instructions don't make sense, try posting a photo.

This is a good Ad for anti-sieze and for OEM nuts.

[Wil Ferch]

Eric Coffey has the right idea...happened to one of the cars I worked on ( helping a friend) where the "official dealer" torqued them up nice and tight at 400 ft-lbs ( our guess-timate based on the amount of deflecton of the 6 ft cheater bar to try to get them off).

Go slow...I *think* the size should be "just" larger than the size of the stud...my recollection was 5/8" hole saw......try a few sizes and use a snug fit. Worked like a champ. Got a tap and die to "clean" off the remnants from the stud.

---Wil Ferch

[wcroty]

Thanks all -

Looks like a good project for tomorrow.

[Eric Coffey]

Just one last tidbit: before going at it, you might put a couple layers of masking tape on the area surrounding the nut to prevent any "accidents". Good luck!

[Zeke]

Originally posted by Eric Coffey
Just one last tidbit: before going at it, you might put a couple layers of masking tape on the area surrounding the nut to prevent any "accidents". Good luck!

EXCELLENT! Maybe a collar of some kind. Piece of thin pipe. then go at it. Don't drill out your Fuchs!

[ttweed]

Originally posted by wcroty
It is flush or a little recessed of the wheel. I don’t believe I can get a punch in it.

If this is an alloy lugnut, you might be able to use a steel socket in a slightly smaller size than the remnant left on the stud and try pounding it on with a hammer. The "teeth" of the socket might be able to notch into the softer alloy enough to twist it off with a breaker bar. If there isn't enough material left of the lugnut, this approach probably wouldn't work, but it's worth a try.

TT

[88911coupe]

OK guys...maybe I'm slow but I don't quite get how to use the "hole saw" to do this. Maybe I am not clear on what a hole saw is but the ones I am familar with are pretty thin walled, usually for going through wood or sheetrock. Could someone tell me exactly what is being referred to here? the reason I ask is I've broken 3, yes THREE, lug nuts off using a breaker bar trying to remove my front wheels. This had to be a result of the wheel balancing done a few months ago in spite of asking the mechanic (politely TWICE) to make sure and torgue them at 96. The driver side seems to have also been damaged as well since I can see a slight distortion in the metal at the point where the socket ends.
BTW, they broke off with about 2 threads exposed at the end of the bolt...is this enough to drive to a shop and have them impact wrench the remaining lug nut off?
Also, should I find a socket that slips down farther over the lug nut, say down to the shoulder to get a bite on more of the nut?
Thanks

[scottb]

Buck: I've never had the problem, but I've read John Walker's posts. As I understand it, you take a high quality 3/4" hole saw, without the center pilot drill, and slip it over the remaining piece of the lug. You then use the hole saw to basically cut throuh the remaining piece of the lug nut, until you bottom out on the wheel. At that point, all that's left are pieces of the lug nut threads in the wheel stud. You then take a pointy pick and carefully pick out the remaining pieces of lug nut.

Do a search...John has described the process in detail many times.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[88911coupe]

I think I get it now. I just measured the lug nut and the outside is just over 3/4" (19 mm) and the inside (the hole) is just under 1/2" (.485"). So I need to find a hole saw/drill that has a hollow center just larger that the lug bolt and about the same size as the outside (19 mm).

[john walker's workshop]

3/4" deep hole saw.

[88911coupe]

Ok...I've done about all the damage I can with a 3/4" hole saw but I'm really having problems getting the rest of the bolt off. I seem to have a very well attached sleeve of aluminum and the base of the bolt (deepest part back into the hole) which seems very difficult to get to with a sharp point chisel. I also think I may have actually taken off a tiny amount of steel thread on one of the three. Assuming the worse how hard is it to replace any of the wheel bolts I might damage due to this thing slipping (or just wailing on it out of fury!) I can't seem to find the part on Pelican's site..maybe I'm not using the correct name.
Thanks

[randywebb]

can you post a pic in close-up?

what happens when you take a sharp utility knife to it? Or sharpen soemthing steel to look like a sharp point utility knife point and use it with a hammer...

[Nitrometano]

IThat happened to me. I used a drill, a hand punch and an hammer and I take the rest of the nut appart. No problems.