[Jeff Hail]

Originally Posted by Noah930

What am I doing wrong?

On the Odyssey, it's gotten to the point where almost every time I do a tire rotation (with each oil change), one of the lug nuts has seized on its wheel bolt. I use a breaker bar to literally snap the nut off with the bolt. This only happens on a front--never the rear.

The first time it occurred was when we took in the minivan to patch a nail in a tire. The tire shop couldn't get the wheel off and suggested the previous wrench (me) cross-threaded the lug. I've never done it before in any other car I've worked on, and with no power tools at home, I hand thread on the nuts every time and torque down appropriately. I'll re-torque a day or two later. Since that episode, I am vigilant about not cross-threading the lug nuts, yet still I'll get one almost every oil change that seizes to the wheel stud.

I do all my own oil changes/tire rotations, so no one else to blame.

All parts are Honda parts.

This never happens to any other car.

It's always one of the front wheels, but it'll vary from wheel stud to wheel stud (not always the same one).

The last straw was when the car was taken in to an indy mechanic for a replacement of the steering rack. He had to take the front wheels off in the process to patch a nail in the tire. Two weeks later, I did an oil change at home, and again one of a front lug nut was seized. So I don't think it's just me (the shadetree hack) to blame.

What gives?

Alarick,

When you replace the stud are you pulling new ones in with the lugnut and a spacer or washer stack or pressing them through using a ball joint tool through the hub? I know you said its not always the same one. Pulling them on with a spacer or washers and lugnut can damage the thread crests.

Most of the time its cheap metal or poor heat treat when studs fail or break. Nuts usually start with galling.

Not sure what year your Honda is but enough comes up on searchs that these tend to be an ongoing issue for the past 20 years of this model.