lug nuts won't come off

[Warviking]

Having trouble getting my lug nuts off. Had the back of the car up on jack stands and was trying to remove the front tires. Well first the front tires were just spinning so I had somebody press the brakes. Got the drivers side lugs loose. Move to passenger side and got one loose, but the other 4 won't come loose. All the other lugs were just moderately hard to get loose. Any ideas how I can get these loose? I have the back of the car down now on tires, but my help is gone and the front tire is spinning again.

[viejopatron]

Put the car on the ground - no stands. Immobilze the car with blocks, brakes, whatever. If you've an air wrench, use that. No air wrench? - put a pipe as a cheater bar on the lug wrench and crank it. If a stud breaks, replace it.

[Warviking]

Originally posted by viejopatron
Put the car on the ground - no stands. Immobilze the car with blocks, brakes, whatever. If you've an air wrench, use that. No air wrench? - put a pipe as a cheater bar on the lug wrench and crank it. If a stud breaks, replace it.

well that worked on all except one. That lug broke.

[Warviking]

One the broke is the lock nut. I have not treads, but nut comes out about as far as the stud. Any suggestions??

[scottb]

Originally posted by Warviking
One the broke is the lock nut. I have not treads, but nut comes out about as far as the stud. Any suggestions??

Can you take a picture and post it? Sounds like you might have to drill it out with a hole saw. John Walker has posted on this subject.

[Warviking]

Originally posted by scottb
Can you take a picture and post it? Sounds like you might have to drill it out with a hole saw. John Walker has posted on this subject.

That's what I'm trying. Most of it is off, but I don't wanna go any deeper with drill or I'm afraid I will go into wheel. Still not budging.

[scottb]

Here's what John Walker said back in 2001 about removing a broken lug nut:

as you found out, a chisel will damage the wheel. the best way is to use a 3/4" deep hole saw. it slips over the wheel stud, and when it cuts thru the broken lug nut, there's only a bit of aluminum left on the threads that you can pick out with a pointed punch and a small hammer. also works for those lock lugs that have the little holes in the lower part of the nut.

Good luck!

[john walker's workshop]

just go slow when you think you're getting close to the wheel. you might make a tiny mark on it, but the lugnut would hide it.

[Warviking]

Originally posted by john walker's workshop
just go slow when you think you're getting close to the wheel. you might make a tiny mark on it, but the lugnut would hide it.

How will I know if I start hitting wheel? Will the wheel come loose right away?

[john walker's workshop]

the wheel would become loose obviously, but you will still have to clean the remaining aluminum shell off the stud before the wheel will come off.

[Warviking]

Woohoo! Thanks for all your help. Came off with no damage to wheel. Think I can save the stud, anyone know what size die I need to fix them?

[911pcars]

Sorry for digressing slightly. This thread is for those who don't believe in antiseize on the wheel studs. Sorry to bring up this "controversial" topic but I think it's worth mentioning at this time.

Warviking,
If you're not sure how to proceed after these suggestions, take it to a repair shop and let them remove what's left. If you damage the wheel, it's your dime(s); if the shop does it, it's theirs.

Sherwood

[Rondinone]

On my car the lugnuts are 14 x 1.25 thread (I think). You should be able to get a die for that.

[Wil Ferch]

I think that should be 14 x 1.5 .....don't have my notes in front of me but certainly 14mm...can't remember the pitch.
---Wil

EDIT:
Yep ... 14 x 1.5 mm

[BRPORSCHE]

I had a lug nut snap in half, so I tried JW's hole saw method to remove the part of the nut still stuck on the lug. It worked great. The photo below shows the part of the nut that snapped off (1), the outer part that started to spin just as the hole saw "broke through", and the inner part that was not cut by the hole saw (3). I was careful, so the wheel didn't even get nicked.

Instead of using a sharpened pick to pull out the inner part left on the lug threads, I wrapped a piece of shop towel over it and grabbed the shop towel with a pair of needle nose pliers. I was able to turn the inner part off the lug in one piece. If you look closely (it's not a very good photo), you can still see the threads intact on the inside of (3).

The lug nut was sure stuck on tight before I started cutting with the hole saw. It wouldn't budge. Anyone have any idea why it should turn so much easier after having most of the lug nut cut away?



One nice thing about this--the lug threads are in good shape, I don't think they'll need to be chased with a die.

[rbcsaver]

BR
Congrats. As mentioned earlier in this thread: Are you using anti-sieze on your lug nuts? If not, it will save you from future problems like this.
regards,
Steve

[BRPORSCHE]

Steve: The car was a barn find that had sat for 15 years. We spent a few hours trying to loosen all the lug nuts so that we could get at the disks and calipers.

The PO had used moly sulfide on some of the lugs on some of the wheels--those lugs came off easily. No wheel had moly sulfide on all the lugs. The nuts on the lugs with no moly were all stuck and needed a lot of torque to remove (4' long breaker bar).

I don't know why anyone would use moly on some but not all of the lugs on a wheel.

[rbcsaver]

Originally posted by BRPORSCHE
Steve: The car was a barn find that had sat for 15 years. No wheel had moly sulfide on all the lugs. The nuts on the lugs with no moly were all stuck and needed a lot of torque to remove (4' long breaker bar)....I don't know why anyone would use moly on some but not all of the lugs on a wheel.

You've got to love the "barn" finds. I know of one myself, an earlyconvertible vette that he restored, drove once or twice and it has sat again, literally in a barn, full of hay, bird crap, etc. for 25 or so years. And he will not part with it. He also has a 50's motorcycle, same condition. ARGGH!

Did you try PB Blaster and/or heat? I assume that you would be restoring the wheels anyway. I do not know from experience how good (or ineffective) the former is with bi-metal "welding." It is certaining the best on rust though.

regards,
Steve

[BRPORSCHE]

We used both heat and PB Blaster on all the stuck lug nuts, so I don't know whether one or the other alone would have hworked.

After heating, we quickly tightened and then loosened the nuts. except for the one in the photo, they all eventually came off. What a pain.

[afterburn 549]

20/20 hind sight.......get a torch! makes life ez with nuts and bolts...they see it and start jumping off!!