@@noidontthinksolol the Dodge ones are not even 19mm as they should be. Must be made in China but so key won't fit on and when you get them off they are stuck good in socket. Underneath is normally 18 tho
They are garbage. The corrosion gets under the cap and swells the cap. Now the proper sized socket wont fit. Now joe bloe grabs the next size bigger and strips the nut. Seen it a million times.
@@noidontthinksolol I work in automotive industry and Tim Fisher is absolutly right. Working with harder metals mean lower lifespan of tools in factory, longer time to make single part etc. also softer metals are cheaper. Yes it is cheaper by few cents per part but if you make thousands nuts per day then every cent count towards profit. One big USA automaker actualy wanted to change materials used in one part we make for chaper metals and we were not even able to do that because of quality issues.
It's just attempts to work around some inherent problems with lug nuts instead of just switching to bolts. I'd bet the engineers are just doing the best within the rules the management has set up together with the sales department. Because some focus group has said that they refuse to buy a car with lug bolts... unless it's European, then it's okay.
A friend called me asking me to pick up a tie rod end for his '95 Town & Country and come rescue him as he was out of town. When I got to him, we had the same problem. Couldn't get one of the lug nuts off. The solution I came up with was to replace the tie rod end with the wheel on. Not easy. Got the bad lug nut off later when he returned home. Used a combination of metric and SAE sockets pounded on with a sledge hammer until the lug nut gave up.
The easiest and painless way to fix these is to drill them out. Measure the height of the nut and the size of a stud, with a caliper. Take the drill bit, usually slightly smaller than the stud measures and mark it for depth. Most times it doesn't matter if you drill a little deeper, just be careful. A bit slightly smaller will compensate if your center or drill angle is off. Anyway, most studs are concaved at the end so locating center is relatively easy. Use a center punch to mark and start drilling. I have used the step up approach, starting with a small bit and incrementally increasing the size, but usually do this on a threaded hole that I don't want to damage the threads. In this case neither the stud or nut matter. The only piece that could be damaged is the rim. The drilling should leave just a ribbon of stud metal that will break right off with the wrench or impact. If you get it near perfect the stud should come off on the drill bit.
+3goallead. I've had great success in doing the drilling process too. another tip for what I have done that has helped too is actually re tighten the other lug nuts back on and either used an extractor, or pounded on another socket on to impact the stuck nut on. I think the pressure of the other lug nuts being put back on helps in pushing in the rim a little, and any little bit helps as i have tired doing this with no lug nuts on, and all of them off. Half the time, the striped nut comes off. ;D
+3goallead also after you tighten the others down like tou xiong said, use a breaker bar and a cheater with Brian's extractor and that will give a lot more force than the air impact gun. sometimes you can just break studs off.
+3goallead So, where were you this smorning?? No, seriously I wish I had read this 10 hrs ago, I might be done working on my Jeep. Thanks for the advise. Tomorrows forecast, sunny with a chance of still working on the Jeep.
+jrmym2 I'm with you on that one. I've always found that I can out-muscle an impact wrench with a breaker bar, even without a cheater pipe. Sometimes twisting off and replacing a lug is the easiest way to go. And welding on a rim with a tire on it? That's risky (plenty of UA-cam videos on the results of that approach). Granted he's a long way from the tire, but that's a lot of heat. At the very least, it would have been advisable to remove the valve core and leave the interior of the tire open to atmosphere. And make sure it's not a magnesium rim or it could turn into an inextinguishable fire. That said, all's well that ends well. It's a win for Brian.
+Firstname Lastname I doubt any Chrysler of that era would have a magnesium rim also I've found the opposite to be true the force of an impact just works wonders getting stuff loose.
I had this problem before on a Jeep. Impact guns did nothing. 8 foot cheater bar by a fairly good sized mechanic did nothing. The caps were still on the lug nuts, and not stripped. It ended up being drilled out.
A tip from a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram technician: when you get a lugnut like this that won't come off, before you go for your breaker bar or your damaged nut/bolt extractor, take your 19mm impact socket, 18mm if the lugnut is missing the cap, and hit it with a hammer. A real hammer. I use a 4lb engineers hammer. Hit it. Really hit it. Put down your purse and hit it, little girl. 5 or 6 hard hits. The vibration from hitting it with the socket and hammer shocks the taper on the nut. Your impact will take the nut right off.
John come on up here to the salt belt and try that trick, it doesn't always work. Try making your nut here in the north, we make those southern techs look like oil change specialists
The lugnut from hell came directly from the engineering dept. at Chrysler. If a decent metallurgical spec was written in the first place this would never have happened. You recommend a hardened nut in the end….. this is plain to any engineer that specified an Rc number. But Chrysler decided to make it cute, and save .01 cents each. '' It'll last until out of warranty''
A Canadian Tire I went to put my lug nuts on with an impact gun... They were on so tight that I had to use a 3 ft breaker bar and jump on the end of it! To put that into perspective, I'm a 200lb guy... Thats 600ft-lbs of torque!!! 6 times the spec!
+DaBossk he could also cut it with the torch...but it might ruin the clear coat on the rim. Also oxy acetylene can "cut" through lets say ferrous materials but not aluminium, so the is no risk on cutting the rim.
The aluminum will just suck the heat right out of the steel lug but. I've dealt with this at work. I just drill the stud just deeper than the lug nut taper and pry on the wheel 180 degrees from the lug nut and it will break the rest of the stud right off.
I had a similar experience with my 93 Jeep 4 banger when I first got it from my neighbor after it sat in his driveway for four years. I was attempting to put four tires on it and the "tire shop" couldn't get one of my lug nuts off. Just like you after bringing it home to my shop it took holy hell and fire to cut that lug off, I thought I'd never get it off I ended up just putting the torch head in the hole and going for it!! Fortunately I didn't do much damage, and like you I was able to move on.
had a tire shop cross tread all the 16 lugnuts on my wife's corolla, when trying to remove wheels to replace struts I broke and therefore had to replace all of the wheel studs. I was one angry SOB
+Brendan Cunningham They're bad. I find using an 18mm socket on the topless nuts makes them happy. The key is to not be in a hurry with your 19mm and catch it in time.
+Brendan Cunningham Yeah... like MANY things about Chrysler, it was designed shittily. Don't remember when, maybe the 90s, they required their own type of coolant even, if you dumped just regular green coolant or the dexcool in then your system would galvonically corrode away the head gasket. Or... maybe it was the radiator that corroded away... either way, Chrysler is ridiculous.
Dan H I think the real danger is that people just assume it's American therefore it's probably a "fix it with a hammer" kind of vehicle like a Chevy or Ford, but then Chrysler has done everything their own way, and what you can do to or with a Chevy or Ford doesn't apply to the Chrysler. It's kind of like... overengineering that the Germans do, but instead of trying to make the system better through overengineering they've tried to make it cheaper. You should watch Eric the Car Guy fix that Chrysler van... WOW. So unnecessarily complicated in all the wrong ways.
man if you learn something here come see me in my garage that lognut is out in 10 minute MAX xD continue use the gun on a stripped bolt head is ridiculous, heated it and with a breaker bar the car on the floor with smaller socket if need, boom finish
If you can't get it lose, put a breaker bar on it, and tighten it till it breaks. Presto it done, you have to replace the stud either way.If you are going to drill, why wouldn't you drill the center of the wheel stud? Making it easier to snap off with a breaker bar? You did a lot more work then you had to.
its crazy lol i cant imagine the customer - yep it will be 200$, it took me 3 hours to get the job done!! But i have all my 4 lock nut to get off!!! give me the car for a week and its good!!
Brian; been here. Done this till I realized I was (over) WAY OVER, my head! Took the local trailer repair shop 2 hours to get the broken (Budd) thimble nut off, torch and all. Not pretty but he got it done. Lessons galore. Praise the man that created NEVER-SEIZE. You'd be amazed how many tire shops have tole me over the years to not use it on (18 wheelers) Horse puckey. With my Chicago Pneumatic, a hose, truck compressor and block of wood or jack, depending, I always got home. Great Tenacity on your video btw.
Next time, leave the two lug nuts closest to the damaged one on their studs, this will help relieve pressure on the damaged one. Then, you could try drilling the center of the stud out, start small and work your way up in bit size (drill slow with constant pressure). If the stud is too hard for your bits, get it red hot then allow it to cool to room temperature, this will anneal the metal and make it softer. When you drill the stud, you relieve some pressure on the nut. Try removing the nut after you have drilled the stud. Work your way up in drill bit size and continue to check if the lug nut is loose enough to remove. If you hit a point where there isn't much stud left, try applying a little heat to the nut, keep the heat off of the stud as much as possible. If it still won't budge, then drill the stud the rest of the way out. Use caution with the remaining stud, if it is exposed (sticking out past the nut), your drill bit will bite hard and possibly chip, use a junk bit until you get it slightly below flush with the nut.
Worked for 30+ years in auto repair defiantly know your pain done this same thing about 2 dozen times. The fastest way I found (worked for me) was getting a hole saw just barely larger than the stud. Drill down until you make contact with the brake rotor, most times then the rim will slide off. The stud will help keep the hole saw centered around it. Just gonna need some cutting tool coolant to keep the hole saw from overheating and failing. In the end there is no EASY way when the lug nut is concaved inside the rim.. Just (as I said) worked many times for me.. Nice video here by the way..
I find using a miniductor and twist extractor socket much easier. I personally heat the lug nut with the miniductor then hammer the twist extractor socket on. Using my 1/2 impact(Snap on MG725) they come right off. Without the finish of the rim compromised.
I use to work at a tire shop. I hated those tuner nuts, but they're way better then the normal lugs, the chances of cross threading, and damaging it is way less. Most tire guys will tell you, they hate them, but they will normally tell you, they're better. Thank you for the great videos!
+Giles Landon In my opinion its the customer you're upset with for not providing the key. I've been meaning to do a video on that - How to piss off your mechanic. What do you think?
iam a lube tech a dealership and absolutly hate when I gota do a tire rotation on Ram trucks. I ran to a similar problem but hammered a 20mm socket and broke loose with a breaker bar. These lugs nuts are garbage
Brian, it's so good to know that other people are faced with seemingly silly problems that can take up loads of time. I gave myself 2 hours to remove a 1992 Subaru petrol tank but one set screw that went into a captive nut would not budge. Heat? Not near a leaky tank. Mini grinder? no, sparks will fly. Undersized socket on a big bar - hooray it turns - well the captive nut turned and broke away. Power tools? Yes, via an inverter on a battery (no electricity where the car is garaged) but the vibrating blade tool gave up. Drill it out? My inverter is not good enough for a full size drill so when I have time I'll try with a small drill or a Dremel... (I've never had quality battery powered tools) 5 hours so far. I've been a mechanic since forever and I just hate it when this happens. Luckily it's not too often one is continually thwarted by one job. Best wishes.
This crsp usually only happens on a summer holiday camping and get a flat. Cant get wheel off- get towed. Then they destroy your wheel in the process. Costs a fortune. 1/2 in drill and assorted bits and ez outs. Always works. Buy new stud and a set of lugs. Better to match then get stuck again.
My son and I had an adventure and cracked a breaker bar using leverage on nut remover. Our solution was to drill out stud using expensive titanium $15 drill bit while spraying walmart version of WD40. Dodge grand caravan. Did not ruin wheel or blow up house. Car tire place put lugs on too hard. They had fun getting the 3 others looose.
When I encounter a problem such as thus. I grab my drill, and drill a 1/4" pilot hole through the center of the stud. So that it goes deep enough just past the tapper of the lug nut. (using a reputable bit) Then i get a drill bit, slightly larger than the stud threads, and drill through the 1/4" pilot hole previously made. (with another larger reputable drill bit.) Chinesium bits will brake in the stud, so don't use those. If you have a masonry carbide tipped bit. sharpen it the same as a high speed steal bit, and you can now drill through anything that is less harder than carbide.
Dude, you just destroyed a wheel for nothing! Unbelievable!! hack If you were able to get a grip on it with a socket, USE A LONG BREAKER BAR WITH THE WHEEL ON THE GROUND!!!! At the very worst, you would have broke the stud. I've done this hundreds of times without fail. I have NEVER damaged a wheel taking a lug nut loose.
Beard Man *Same thing I said and posted until I realized this was all fake in order to sell those lugnuts. You just watched a commercial without knowing it and now we are all little dumber for it.*
Yesterday I had a lug nut that wouldn't come off with an impact gun AND THEN switched to a long breaker bar. The nut just ended up rounding off cause it was on so tight. I've seen this happen multiple times for many years. What this guy did is usually what ends up happening, burning/melting the damn thing off. But of course the aluminum wheel is no good after that. Bottom line is don't over tighten these cheap factory lug nuts, otherwise this is what can happen!
Well that was interesting. Step 1, as you mentioned, if the stock wheel lug nuts are in poor shape, evidenced by bulging or misshapen caps, immediately replace them with a set of quality 1pc lug nuts. Step 2. If the proper tool will not remove your damaged lug nuts, purchase a set of lock nut removal tools. Lock nut removal tools have an internal reverse thread and screw onto the outside of the existing nut until the torque required to screw them on exceeds the tightened torque of the fastener, then the lug nut comes off inside the tool. Step 3. If step 2 didn't work for whatever reason, or you don't want to purchase proper tools, use an electric drill to drill out the wheel stud inside the lug nut using a lug nut that you were able to remove to determine how deep to drill. The drilled out stud can now be easily twisted off, releasing the wheel. The interwebs can tell you your stud diameter with a quick search. You can use that information to select a drill bit slightly smaller than the stud diameter. Drill first with 1/4" bit to depth, then re-drill with final diameter bit. Use lots of lubricant to keep the bit cool. Avoid torching or hammering your wheel faces. This can actually wind up costing you more money in failed wheel bearings, damaged wheels, and other damage.
i have had a few that were like this, in my opinion its best to just drill the center of the stud out deep enough to pass the end of the nuts taperd part and when you get to a bit almost the size of the stud sledge hammer the back of the tire till it breaks, most of the time you can save damaging the rim too. It sounds like more work but its less frustrating than chiseling and torching the nut off and possible messing up the rim.
I had a 2002 Neon once. The best thing I ever did for it was getting rid of those 2 piece lugnuts. The local tire shop not far has solid ones that are chrome plated for a dollar each. I just told them to change all 20 of them if they had that many all matching (they had slightly different ones but I wanted them all the same). I never did have problems with the original lugnuts. That is because I knew the horrors of them and had them replaced first thing after getting that car. I don't know whatever the hell it is that possesses Chrysler to use those awful 2 piece ones but diehard Ford and GM owners probably thank God for not having to put up with those horrible things.
Its because they are union. They help mechanics get $90 an hour to fix and replace. They all live in the BIG houses in Dearborn, mi. Ha Ha It also made you buy a set of metric tools too. After all to be union you are the best money can get. Great training and replaceable .They are equal with same training and good at what they do. Look at union electricians.... They do it without shorts! Ha Ha
great vid, it shows how a real mechanic has to constantly think outside of the box to fix a problem. I also like it because it shows you're human and get just as frustrated as the rest of us sometimes.
I never use airguns for stubborn lugnuts, if it is possible to remove them, I always use a breaker bar, I feel like you get alot more torque jumping on a breaker bar then using a air gun lol
Remember to put the tool in safely with the tyre iron as well, so when you need it it is with the vehicle, not sitting on a rack in the workshop. Drill a hole through the tool ( hard yes because it is hardened steel, so go to an engineering shop and pay him to spark erode a hole through or drill it out with a carbide drill) and use a wire to tie it to the tyre wrench, or use a set of nuts that have a tool with a hole already. Already had to do a tyre change in the rain using a hacksaw to cut the bolt off as it had stripped. Was not a fun hour, but luckily I did have some hacksaw blades in the car and some electrical tape to wrap a handle on.
Hmmm at the end I was surprised you didn't tell us to use a torque wrench to tighten the rims to proper spec , I think this is key to not have problems like you just had , over tightened stretches the stud or bolt , warps rotors, and I seen rims fall off from this.
I am a Journeyman Toolmaker. I just had an experience where 2 of the lugs began to turn in the hub, instead of the nuts turning off the lug. I drilled the lug out, just below the depth of the nut. Then put a socket on the nut and easily broke the lug off. Remove the wheel, replaced the hub (holes for lugs were enlarged), and you was to go. No heat. You would have been able to get by with just replacing the lug. The nut probably seemed so soft because you "normalized" it with the torch, taking the hardness out of it.
I recently went to get an allignment done and they over torqued my lug nuts when finished. I ended up striping the lug nut trying to take it off. So I had to hammer my 4 way onto the lug nut and put my breaker bar on the end to finally break it free. I literally got light headed trying to break it free
I hate them type lugs with the caps.. what a mess... even worse is when you finally get the gumption to trust someone else with your car and they mess it up BAD! I recently paid 400 for tires only to have the shop do 1000 in body damage.. yea still trying to get paid 4 months later too!
Been there, done that, don't ever want to do it again. I didn't personally do it, didn't have the tools, but I trust my mechanic and my tire guy to no end... needless to say my tire guy broke 3 sockets and couldn't get the lug nut out with a 3/4" ingersoll rand impact... I think it's rated for like 1,350 lb-ft. He cranked the air up to 130 psi and broke 3 of his sockets (after he'd heated the bolt), that thing wouldn't come out. Finally I told my mechanic to just use his torch and melt the bastard clean out. I had to repaint my rim, but I didn't even care I was so sick of that bolt. Oh yeah, and the stealership I bought it from, I asked them to check the front suspension before I left with it, I told them I wanted the tires checked to make sure they were balanced before I left the lot... apparently they didn't like my high maintenance attitude, and when they put the front tires back on they zipped them on so hard this video was the end result. Edit: I didn't have a vehicle that used these strange lug nuts, I have a Saab which uses a lug bolt. The bolt wasn't cross threaded, and neither me nor the mechanic could figure out how it took so much abuse and didn't just come off.
I put a video up of my dash cam showing how a shop screwed up the paint on my car and somehow got nothing but flack comments saying its my fault. Hope you don't get the same BS. It sucks when you have no choice but to take your vehicle to someone for warranty work or whatever that you cant/not allowed to do yourself and some jackass that shouldn't be allowed to hold a wrench damages your car. Hope they buy you a new rim and pay you for your time spent repairing the damage they caused.
Funny watching this in 2022 because I had the same problem today. But the modern solution is a Milwaukee 18V 1/2 inch impact wrench. Snapped the stud right in half on a setting of 3 out of 4. This is my first Jeep and I have found so many ways that they made life difficult for anyone trying to maintain or repair their own vehicle. Thanks for the entertaining video.
Woah, thank you so much for posting this. I've never seen shop mishap like this. Didn't even know it were possible. Definitely keeping this in mind when shopping for aftermarket lug nuts
That's exactly what I'm currently doing on my lug nut from hell ..sized outside diameter of lug nut down to bevel of lug !!! I hope to hell it works !!!
All that you had to do was to use a drill with a hole saw cutter. Usually a 5/8" or a 9'16" diameter cutter works. I am an auto repair tech with 41 years experience. I have removed many stuck lug nuts.
FYI: it helps us viewers to understand your content when you state the problem and its cause up front, then show the corrective procedure in the rest of the video. It's like giving someone driving directions: if you state the desired destination first, you give your listener a context for why you're telling them how far to travel and which direction to turn. BTW, LOVE your videos! I subbed because of the great info, but mainly because you don't hawk for subscriptions during (or after) the video. I do appreciate the "thumbs up" reminders, though. I don't always remember to do that.
I didn't read all the comments, but drilling out the lug is the simplest solution. After breaking a socket (Craftsman 6 pt) with a breaker bar and no alternate 1/2" socket, I just drilled out the lug itself, with sequentially bigger drill bits. Eventually, it collapses and the nut can be pried over the remnant.
+Ozzstar Ya, it just kept progressing. I just knew it would come off any minute. Ultimately boring out the wheel stud was the way to go. All those holes sure helped vent the plasma stream though.
I was looking for videos of getting rusted lug nuts and found this old video of yours. When I used to tow I carried a loose lug cap in my bag for lug nuts that were missing their caps. I also carried a set of sockets that could take off lug nuts that required a key. I just snapped off 2 lug nuts on a wheel. Just ordered the studs in case the rest go south the same way. Glad that the paste worked for you. I would have drilled the stud out but hey any port inna storm. Happy Motoring.
That does not always work. I have a Jeep that had this issue. The mechanic I took it to to do the tires, who was a big guy, used his impact gun set to the highest setting, and also the 6 foot cheater, and this one lug nut refused to budge. In the end, it was drilled out. It did make me feel safer that the studs are strong though.
I had this problem where the former owner installed one or two aluminum lug nuts on each wheel; they were corroded on and instantly rounded with a socked. Most of them I was able to get at from behind the disc brake and grind the head off; then punch it through. Others like this guy; I heated and chiseled off. I did no damage to the wheel luckily, I just took my time. Total nightmare; I was lucky I never got a flat. Never use aluminum lug nuts; they should be outlawed.
A tireshop recommended McGard security lugs nuts. 1 year later, one of the broke on while on the stud. I had to take it to specialist to get it taken off. Then I started using the Gorrilla security lugs and then are amazing! Used the same ones for over 12 years, no issues!
Ian Rogerson he's lack of common sense or he's trying to save the stud eventhough on that situation.smh.also,by heating it up making it worse from the start.its like welding the lug bonding it to the stud everytime he reheats it.and additional hammering it with a chisel and drilling the side of the lug.for god sake!he totaly traped them bonded together with the stud and now sticking on the rim hole.since he has the driller,why he didn't drill the center of the stud all the way down,then use his chisel to break both the lug and nut after putting the hole that will make them hollow and easier to break.smh to this kind of mechanics that ruin people's car just for experiment.
Hindsight is 50/50. I spent a whole day trying to repair a lawnmower at work, it still didnt work because the carburetor was completely fucked as was the ignition. Would have been cheaper to buy a new one... Shit happens.
Best trick for this situation is to center punch the middle of the stud and get a drill bit and drill the whole stud out and replace it once you get the wheel off.
I had a used tire put on and they didn't final torque the lugnuts when they gave me the car back. I was driving about 10 miles home and heard a weird noise. milked it home to find two studs had backed out off the disk brake. although I could pull the spindle nut off, I couldn't get to the caliper bolts with the wheel bolted on. when I tried to drill it out, the stud spun. I ended up sticking needle nose vice grips on the lug and tried to drill it out with the highest drill bit I could fit in my 3/8" chuck. when that didnt work, i tried alternating between drill bits and dremel cut off wheels. after spending about $100 on drill bits and cutoff wheels, I bought a cold chisle set from harbor freight. I managed to get it off with just a few hammer blows on the one I started with, and about 10 on the one I hadn't touched yet. I was broke and a dumb 17 year old, so I bought a drill bit and cutoff wheels with every check, took me about 2 months. usually a stripped out nut isn't that bad. usually you can just hammer on a bigger socket. I do things a bit differently though. if ya can get it to grip good enough, the stud will usually shear off in the tightening direction easier then it will come off, so I just break the stud. they are cheap and relatively easy to do.
Bryan, first of all...props for filming and controlling frustration! Second, I've been through that same procedure and it took me all day. I'm glad to see you got it done and that i'm not the only one that has used those methods. The welding grease is a great idea! I didn't know about that. I watch your videos right and left for things I am preparing to do. I like your style and how you explain things. Generally I get wrapped up watching several more because with every one I pick up a new trick. Like the grease! Thank you so much for what you do. On a side note, I read the comments below and see that i'm going to try some other methods first next time. Thanks guys!
There's a tool called Lug Ripper. It's a hollow tungsten drill bit that just drills right through the threads and leaves the wheel undamaged. Works great in these situations
I had this EXACT thing happen to my Dodge Dakota while rotating tires. I was being careful because I've had caps come off before, but my 12 point 18mm made it as round as could be just like this one because the inspector put the lugs on so tight, I had to use my 5 foot cheater bar to break them loose. I don't have nice torches or air tools or anything like that, and I could NOT afford a new wheel, so first I went to the sketchy po-dunk mechanic and he told me he wouldn't touch it unless I agreed to let him destroy my alloy wheel. Then I bought a Craftsman fluted extractor set, and when that only made it worse, (Thanks for telling me why! I learned something today!) I bought five hardened, carbide drill bits and drilled the stud all the way through, changing the bit as the hardened steel burned each one dull. Then I took a chisel with a 19mm hex end and pounded it into the middle of the soft lug nut, put a socket and my breaker bar at the end of the chisel (still wedged in the lug) It FINALLY came loose, and my wheel was unharmed. I get VERY angry when the inspector doesn't just hand me the caps in a baggie (like I ask every time) after they are blown off by air tools and instead just pops them back on to fly off as I drive away. I really need to do what you did and invest in better lugs, but my Dodge has six lugs per wheel and those sets are too expensive for a broke college student like me. I JB Weld the snot out of every single one as they come off, and its been years since I've had one go missing. I keep just a cap on hand at all times to use when one does go missing to avoid this very situation.
in my years of mechanical experience in diesel if the first one didnt work drill the stud out you spent more time didiling with it than it would take to brake off
I bought a Jeep wrangler for my daughter, same problem X 6 lugnuts. Wow, ruined 3 of 4 rims! I did learn that if you have 1 lugnut that"s stuck on a rim like you had here, put the vehicle on the ground and do forward/reverses a couple of times but leave other 4 lugs barely touching rim (worked well for me).
+sixtyfiveford 'Ive had a brake job on my truck turn into changing all the lugs out after having new rims and tires installed. The lug nuts galled onto the studs and just smeared the threads all the way off. Still not sure why that happened.
My buddy had a similar problem we just had to fix few days ago. His lug nut was on the stud and when we went to remove the lug nut the whole stud rotated with the nut. We couldn't get anything on the backside to hold it still so we were in the same position as Brian. We don't have a plasma cutter so we drilled through the center of the lug nut, started small as possible and then kept stepping up bit size by size. When about 80% of the bit was drilled out we put a socket (use a quality one) on the lug nut and smacked it with a big hammer and it snapped the stud. All of the studs ending up being messed up and he got new front rotors and new studs and lug nuts. Used WD-40 to spray the bits as we drilled to help lubricate. Sucks it happens at all but it was a moderately quick fix, took us bout an hour. Sorry you were in the same spot we were Brian, it's an annoying pain in the ass.
+James Parus That's true with 3/8" drive and thinner extensions in a significant way. There are actually extensions "torque sticks" that use that principle for protection against over torquing.
+briansmobile1 I have a crappy air compressor and air line, but I have seen cases where a bolt wouldn't come off with a 1/2 extension but spins right off when I ditched the extension.
It's true with ALL extensions. Nothing is a perfect fit and the longer your extensions the less torque makes it to the workpiece as the whole string twists like a spring. This is why they make long anvil impact guns.
I've had success with heating up the bolt/stud and taking a candle and pushing it into the stud/nut. the wax will get into the threads and dries. Makes them much easier to extract.
I have seen guys that thought they could put lug nuts on like the nascar guys, of course it would work sometimes but more times it would cross thread, if a person really thinks that they need to be able to do like the nascar guys, they need to get the right style lug studs and nuts, or just take the time to start them by hand and don't torque them down with a impact running 175 lbs air pressure, when I torque, I will use the impact to snug then I do the final by hand
I had this problem on a Chrysler van. I had a tire losing air rapidly on way home from work, limped into tire shop where I bought just tires. Owner told his tech to stay long enough to repair it. Mechanic was obviously PO'd and drove them back on with an impact wrench, because when I need to take the wheel off one of the 5 came off. The caps started to come off on the next 4. Impact wrench, breaker bar, hammering with a mini sledge, soaking with trans fluid or penetrating oil overnight...NOTHING was budging these nuts. I returned it to shop. They got three off with rounded-fastener sockets that chew into the nut, but the last one only came off with the red wrench. Of course the wheel was destroyed. They admitted liability though, and it was just a waste of time for me. I'm ordering some of the Gorilla lugs.
"What it boils down to is somebody else worked on my vehicle and I trusted them to do a good job and they did a horrible job" #1 reason why I insist on wrenching my own stuff. (''cept my carb/intake lol) Another great video Brian! I've never faced this before but I've pondered maybe drilling through with a dremel bit and increasing the size until I can Herc off the hollow bolt. I dunno, admittedly stuff like this is my weakest area. I'd easily waste a day just contemplating the best procedure. I have a question for ya. You seem like a generally calm and reserved guy but when the frustration kicks in, do you start cussin' like an angry viking? If so, can we have a montage? lmao. I find my own strength increases DBZ style when I'm giving everything I got to a stubborn skidsteer lugnut and I let out a healthy "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU". "Soft nuts" Yup, sound like Chrysler! :~D
+Brad Nimbus I lived in India for 8 months where English cuss words are kosher. Since then, I have trouble not cussing when no one's looking. It relieves stress (healthy), it's cheap, it feels good etc. Trouble is, it's taboo and it makes you look ignorant- very honest, but ignorant by society's standards. I enjoy cussing, but I also enjoy the diction challenge of not cussing. Either way is great. Cussing certainly has merit in the face of stress or conveying sincerity and earnestness.
my personal experience says Locking Lugs can be a real fucking Hassle...but Honestly that was way to-much heat. you welded the lug to the Stud first few minutes with it glowing red, you want it hot but not radiating on a visual level...Like hot enough to flash water to steam but not hot enough to make the rim warp...and try hitting the Locking-Lug with co2 when it's hot/they sometimes explode off the Stud!but one crack/split will have it spinning off.
lol is this comment serious? 2 metals wont weld together unless they are both at a temp that allows the metals to melt. Heating the nut till its red will not in any way shape or form weld the nut to the stud.
jtman04401 what?!!you may be right but don't you see after he heat em up to the degree that the lug and stud are hot enough to bond together then he use the impact gun to try remove it?so on that moment,the lug and stud has the heat friction which the metals became a lil softer.then he failed to remove it when it still hot,so after a few seconds when the lug and stud gets warm again,they bonded more tightly because you put pressure unto a hot metals by using the impact gun.heating a two piece of metal whem trying to separate them is only good if you succesfully remove them in first try,but if not,they will cool down and stick harder on the second try and even on the 3rd try.he making it worse by chiseling the side of the lugs which the thread of both lug and nuts will bond more stronger that creates zigzag threads.at his final,he drills the sides of the lugs which and reheat it again.smh.he should've drill the center of the STUD instead all the way in,that way he can break the stud and lug by his chisel after putting a hole that makes the stud hollow.or maybe he's still trying to save the STUD in that situation?haha.
I have heard of a wheel lock lug nut remover works for stripped nuts, because it's like a reverse twist to remove the nut. Beat it on, and twist. I have also heard of the candle method. Hold a lighter to the bottom of the lug nut, and hold the candle on the top. The heat brings the melted wax into the nut, making it easier to get off. Anyways, hope these help if you have issue's later.
Glad things turned out ok. I never take my car in for anything except when I didn't have access to an alignment rack and that was a nightmare. The shop owner threatened to sue me for the bad review and only coughed up about 1/3 of the cost to repair their screw up when I took him to court. That's why people appreciate an honest and competent mechanic so much.
You know they make flip sockets specifically for those craptastic capped lugnuts. They come in 18.5mm (When cap comes off) and 19.5 (Cap has swollen). They also have a 22.5 MM for the swollen 7/8th lugs that Dodge/Ram enjoys using.
I went through the same thing on the last Chrysler I worked on. But mine was also rusted on like crazy in addition to being crushed on. I'm not lucky enough to have a plasma cutter so I ended up drilling through the whole wheel stud. Thankfully didn't scar the wheel or ruin the stud mount.
I always drill the stud they will break off real easy just tugging on the wheel after they are drilled out. Always remove the valve core when heating or welding on a rim with a tire on it. They can blow up, the heat increases the pressure inside the tire.
I have a Jeep Cherokee I swapped most my lugs already. Never had one that bad. 3 seat bolts went like this though. Glad it didn't get to sledgehammering the rim to pieces.
You can also get one piece normal style...ask at Discount Tire it's what I did buying new tires I had them change out all the lug nuts as the caps on the Jeep OEM ones were falling off. Also had them put in normal valve stems and mount the tire sensors on a band.
i have an Air Cat impact ... if the bolt or nut will not come loose, it will break the studs clean off, 850 ft/lbs of torque usually gets the job done quickly
Had lug nut on a 2009 F150 that completely stripped out. Drilled out the center of the stuff with a COLBOLT drill bit. Went through 4 drills before I was all the way through but after I got completely though I took a 3 foot pry bar behind the rim and pried against the knuckle and rim and pulled the nut right off the stud with the rim.
For the common lug size id recommend using standard instead of metric if possible 11/16 slightly smaller than 17mm 3/4 slightly smaller than a 19mm 15/16 smaller than a 21 mm 7/8 for the 23mm sockets
Kudos to you, Brian, for handling this like a pro! If this happened to me, I cannot say with a great deal of confidence that I'd be able to maintain my composure for that long while attempting to remove something as silly as silly as a stuck lug. Lol! Great tips as always my friend!
If you drill out from the center of the stud in increasing sizes, the wheel will come off no problem. First you have to anneal it by get it red hot then let is cool slowly. You should then be able to drill it out much easier.
You know your day is bad when you are torching lug nuts
This is what happend to me today
hahahahhaha
ike fun what would be the proper tools?
TheBlackStealth i'd like to know as well
Definitely do not miss those days
after one hour of dealing with chrysler lug nuts, i gotta take my wheelbarrow into the neighbors yard to retrieve all the tools i’ve thrown
Love it. That is funny as hell !!!!! I feel your pain
Who was the "engineer" that thought capped lug nuts were a good idea? They're ridiculous.
@@noidontthinksolol the Dodge ones are not even 19mm as they should be. Must be made in China but so key won't fit on and when you get them off they are stuck good in socket. Underneath is normally 18 tho
They are garbage. The corrosion gets under the cap and swells the cap. Now the proper sized socket wont fit. Now joe bloe grabs the next size bigger and strips the nut. Seen it a million times.
@@noidontthinksolol I work in automotive industry and Tim Fisher is absolutly right. Working with harder metals mean lower lifespan of tools in factory, longer time to make single part etc. also softer metals are cheaper. Yes it is cheaper by few cents per part but if you make thousands nuts per day then every cent count towards profit. One big USA automaker actualy wanted to change materials used in one part we make for chaper metals and we were not even able to do that because of quality issues.
It's just attempts to work around some inherent problems with lug nuts instead of just switching to bolts. I'd bet the engineers are just doing the best within the rules the management has set up together with the sales department. Because some focus group has said that they refuse to buy a car with lug bolts... unless it's European, then it's okay.
its mostly only dodge that uses them
A friend called me asking me to pick up a tie rod end for his '95 Town & Country and come rescue him as he was out of town. When I got to him, we had the same problem. Couldn't get one of the lug nuts off. The solution I came up with was to replace the tie rod end with the wheel on. Not easy. Got the bad lug nut off later when he returned home. Used a combination of metric and SAE sockets pounded on with a sledge hammer until the lug nut gave up.
"Automotive background"
*buys Chrysler*
i almost want to make 100 accounts just to like this comment 100 times.
mopar means no car
GOD OVER MONEY they make junk, especially since being bought by Fiat , numbers don’t lie
@@goinhot9133 The older ones are good.
greatest comment on here
The easiest and painless way to fix these is to drill them out. Measure the height of the nut and the size of a stud, with a caliper. Take the drill bit, usually slightly smaller than the stud measures and mark it for depth. Most times it doesn't matter if you drill a little deeper, just be careful. A bit slightly smaller will compensate if your center or drill angle is off. Anyway, most studs are concaved at the end so locating center is relatively easy. Use a center punch to mark and start drilling. I have used the step up approach, starting with a small bit and incrementally increasing the size, but usually do this on a threaded hole that I don't want to damage the threads. In this case neither the stud or nut matter. The only piece that could be damaged is the rim. The drilling should leave just a ribbon of stud metal that will break right off with the wrench or impact. If you get it near perfect the stud should come off on the drill bit.
+3goallead That's some great advice. Thank you.
+3goallead. I've had great success in doing the drilling process too. another tip for what I have done that has helped too is actually re tighten the other lug nuts back on and either used an extractor, or pounded on another socket on to impact the stuck nut on. I think the pressure of the other lug nuts being put back on helps in pushing in the rim a little, and any little bit helps as i have tired doing this with no lug nuts on, and all of them off. Half the time, the striped nut comes off. ;D
+3goallead also after you tighten the others down like tou xiong said, use a breaker bar and a cheater with Brian's extractor and that will give a lot more force than the air impact gun. sometimes you can just break studs off.
+3goallead Yep that's how you do it. Been there and done it.
+3goallead So, where were you this smorning?? No, seriously I wish I had read this 10 hrs ago, I might be done working on my Jeep. Thanks for the advise. Tomorrows forecast, sunny with a chance of still working on the Jeep.
Probably should've hammered that bolt extractor on there and tried a breaker bar with a cheater pipe...
+jrmym2 Yeah, worst case just twist off the stud, you're gonna need to replace it anyway
+Doug Beard You're not Brian...
+jrmym2 I'm with you on that one. I've always found that I can out-muscle an impact wrench with a breaker bar, even without a cheater pipe. Sometimes twisting off and replacing a lug is the easiest way to go. And welding on a rim with a tire on it? That's risky (plenty of UA-cam videos on the results of that approach). Granted he's a long way from the tire, but that's a lot of heat.
At the very least, it would have been advisable to remove the valve core and leave the interior of the tire open to atmosphere. And make sure it's not a magnesium rim or it could turn into an inextinguishable fire.
That said, all's well that ends well. It's a win for Brian.
+Firstname Lastname I doubt any Chrysler of that era would have a magnesium rim also I've found the opposite to be true the force of an impact just works wonders getting stuff loose.
I had this problem before on a Jeep. Impact guns did nothing. 8 foot cheater bar by a fairly good sized mechanic did nothing. The caps were still on the lug nuts, and not stripped. It ended up being drilled out.
A tip from a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram technician: when you get a lugnut like this that won't come off, before you go for your breaker bar or your damaged nut/bolt extractor, take your 19mm impact socket, 18mm if the lugnut is missing the cap, and hit it with a hammer. A real hammer. I use a 4lb engineers hammer. Hit it. Really hit it. Put down your purse and hit it, little girl. 5 or 6 hard hits. The vibration from hitting it with the socket and hammer shocks the taper on the nut. Your impact will take the nut right off.
John thats the way to do it money fer nothin and your chicks fer free...
so put the socket onto the nut, then smash the socket with a hammer?
John come on up here to the salt belt and try that trick, it doesn't always work. Try making your nut here in the north, we make those southern techs look like oil change specialists
what a sexist comment.
Could also had some racism to it please ?
12 pound sledge. Just don't miss.
The lugnut from hell came directly from the engineering dept. at Chrysler. If a decent metallurgical spec was written in the first place this would never have happened. You recommend a hardened nut in the end….. this is plain to any engineer that
specified an Rc number. But Chrysler decided to make it cute, and save .01 cents each. '' It'll last until out of warranty''
That they should have done is just not use two piece lug nuts in the first place. They are the worst!!
A Canadian Tire I went to put my lug nuts on with an impact gun... They were on so tight that I had to use a 3 ft breaker bar and jump on the end of it! To put that into perspective, I'm a 200lb guy... Thats 600ft-lbs of torque!!! 6 times the spec!
I drilled straight through the wheel stud with a slightly bigger drill bit than the stud ....about 5 min of drilling
+DaBossk he could also cut it with the torch...but it might ruin the clear coat on the rim. Also oxy acetylene can "cut" through lets say ferrous materials but not aluminium, so the is no risk on cutting the rim.
The aluminum will just suck the heat right out of the steel lug but. I've dealt with this at work. I just drill the stud just deeper than the lug nut taper and pry on the wheel 180 degrees from the lug nut and it will break the rest of the stud right off.
whoops, phone couldnt find internet connection.
Well if you have 10.9 steel nuts, its not gonna be an 5 min drilling procedure :D
@@pmAhavasi Thats why you buy the drill bits designed for that (my wallet felt that one) and continue to drill it out slowly.
I had a similar experience with my 93 Jeep 4 banger when I first got it from my neighbor after it sat in his driveway for four years.
I was attempting to put four tires on it and the "tire shop" couldn't get one of my lug nuts off. Just like you after bringing it home to my shop it took holy hell and fire to cut that lug off, I thought I'd never get it off I ended up just putting the torch head in the hole and going for it!! Fortunately I didn't do much damage, and like you I was able to move on.
had a tire shop cross tread all the 16 lugnuts on my wife's corolla, when trying to remove wheels to replace struts I broke and therefore had to replace all of the wheel studs. I was one angry SOB
milfhunterX Was it Allied Discount Tires?
Just be happy it didn't have 20
Lol Chrysler can't make lug nuts, the caps fall off or they expand and you're stuck hammering sockets on them
+Brendan Cunningham They're bad. I find using an 18mm socket on the topless nuts makes them happy. The key is to not be in a hurry with your 19mm and catch it in time.
+Brendan Cunningham Yeah... like MANY things about Chrysler, it was designed shittily. Don't remember when, maybe the 90s, they required their own type of coolant even, if you dumped just regular green coolant or the dexcool in then your system would galvonically corrode away the head gasket. Or... maybe it was the radiator that corroded away... either way, Chrysler is ridiculous.
+Jesse Crandle I know they use that atf+4 trans fluid
Dan H I think the real danger is that people just assume it's American therefore it's probably a "fix it with a hammer" kind of vehicle like a Chevy or Ford, but then Chrysler has done everything their own way, and what you can do to or with a Chevy or Ford doesn't apply to the Chrysler. It's kind of like... overengineering that the Germans do, but instead of trying to make the system better through overengineering they've tried to make it cheaper.
You should watch Eric the Car Guy fix that Chrysler van... WOW. So unnecessarily complicated in all the wrong ways.
+Jesse Crandle I had the same van , when the trans went I was glad to get the $200 from the junkyard for it
I always learn more when watching misadventures like this. Way to go, for rolling the camera even when things aren't going well.
+spelunkerd Agree completely. We all hit problems; learning how we overcome them is so important...
yea i can see this coming in handy some day.
man if you learn something here come see me in my garage that lognut is out in 10 minute MAX xD continue use the gun on a stripped bolt head is ridiculous, heated it and with a breaker bar the car on the floor with smaller socket if need, boom finish
If you can't get it lose, put a breaker bar on it, and tighten it till it breaks. Presto it done, you have to replace the stud either way.If you are going to drill, why wouldn't you drill the center of the wheel stud? Making it easier to snap off with a breaker bar? You did a lot more work then you had to.
its crazy lol i cant imagine the customer - yep it will be 200$, it took me 3 hours to get the job done!! But i have all my 4 lock nut to get off!!! give me the car for a week and its good!!
Brian; been here. Done this till I realized I was (over) WAY OVER, my head! Took the local trailer repair shop 2 hours to get the broken (Budd) thimble nut off, torch and all. Not pretty but he got it done. Lessons galore. Praise the man that created NEVER-SEIZE. You'd be amazed how many tire shops have tole me over the years to not use it on (18 wheelers) Horse puckey. With my Chicago Pneumatic, a hose, truck compressor and block of wood or jack, depending, I always got home. Great Tenacity on your video btw.
i would have lost my shit 5 mins into it
Really funny!!!
Next time, leave the two lug nuts closest to the damaged one on their studs, this will help relieve pressure on the damaged one. Then, you could try drilling the center of the stud out, start small and work your way up in bit size (drill slow with constant pressure). If the stud is too hard for your bits, get it red hot then allow it to cool to room temperature, this will anneal the metal and make it softer. When you drill the stud, you relieve some pressure on the nut. Try removing the nut after you have drilled the stud. Work your way up in drill bit size and continue to check if the lug nut is loose enough to remove. If you hit a point where there isn't much stud left, try applying a little heat to the nut, keep the heat off of the stud as much as possible. If it still won't budge, then drill the stud the rest of the way out. Use caution with the remaining stud, if it is exposed (sticking out past the nut), your drill bit will bite hard and possibly chip, use a junk bit until you get it slightly below flush with the nut.
I asked the shop not to use the air ratchet when tightening and they were happy to oblige.
I always adjust to 90ftLbs when I get back home.
Yeah they used an impact not an air rachet
Worked for 30+ years in auto repair defiantly know your pain done this same thing about 2 dozen times. The fastest way I found (worked for me) was getting a hole saw just barely larger than the stud. Drill down until you make contact with the brake rotor, most times then the rim will slide off. The stud will help keep the hole saw centered around it. Just gonna need some cutting tool coolant to keep the hole saw from overheating and failing. In the end there is no EASY way when the lug nut is concaved inside the rim.. Just (as I said) worked many times for me.. Nice video here by the way..
I find using a miniductor and twist extractor socket much easier. I personally heat the lug nut with the miniductor then hammer the twist extractor socket on. Using my 1/2 impact(Snap on MG725) they come right off. Without the finish of the rim compromised.
I use to work at a tire shop. I hated those tuner nuts, but they're way better then the normal lugs, the chances of cross threading, and damaging it is way less. Most tire guys will tell you, they hate them, but they will normally tell you, they're better. Thank you for the great videos!
+Giles Landon In my opinion its the customer you're upset with for not providing the key. I've been meaning to do a video on that - How to piss off your mechanic. What do you think?
I think that's a great idea!
iam a lube tech a dealership and absolutly hate when I gota do a tire rotation on Ram trucks. I ran to a similar problem but hammered a 20mm socket and broke loose with a breaker bar. These lugs nuts are garbage
Brian, it's so good to know that other people are faced with seemingly silly problems that can take up loads of time. I gave myself 2 hours to remove a 1992 Subaru petrol tank but one set screw that went into a captive nut would not budge. Heat? Not near a leaky tank. Mini grinder? no, sparks will fly. Undersized socket on a big bar - hooray it turns - well the captive nut turned and broke away. Power tools? Yes, via an inverter on a battery (no electricity where the car is garaged) but the vibrating blade tool gave up. Drill it out? My inverter is not good enough for a full size drill so when I have time I'll try with a small drill or a Dremel... (I've never had quality battery powered tools) 5 hours so far. I've been a mechanic since forever and I just hate it when this happens. Luckily it's not too often one is continually thwarted by one job. Best wishes.
This crsp usually only happens on a summer holiday camping and get a flat. Cant get wheel off- get towed.
Then they destroy your wheel in the process. Costs a fortune. 1/2 in drill and assorted bits and ez outs. Always works. Buy new stud and a set of lugs. Better to match then get stuck again.
My son and I had an adventure and cracked a breaker bar using leverage on nut remover. Our solution was to drill out stud using expensive titanium $15 drill bit while spraying walmart version of WD40. Dodge grand caravan. Did not ruin wheel or blow up house. Car tire place put lugs on too hard. They had fun getting the 3 others looose.
>Dodge grand caravan
>Car tire place
>Walmart WD40
that's where you fucked up lol
Andy Flores yep
When I encounter a problem such as thus. I grab my drill, and drill a 1/4" pilot hole through the center of the stud. So that it goes deep enough just past the tapper of the lug nut. (using a reputable bit) Then i get a drill bit, slightly larger than the stud threads, and drill through the 1/4" pilot hole previously made. (with another larger reputable drill bit.) Chinesium bits will brake in the stud, so don't use those. If you have a masonry carbide tipped bit. sharpen it the same as a high speed steal bit, and you can now drill through anything that is less harder than carbide.
Lug nut manufacture is the same as Ford sparks plugs manufacturers goes on as one comes piece comes off as in 2 or more pieces !
Dude, you just destroyed a wheel for nothing! Unbelievable!! hack
If you were able to get a grip on it with a socket, USE A LONG BREAKER BAR WITH THE WHEEL ON THE GROUND!!!! At the very worst, you would have broke the stud.
I've done this hundreds of times without fail. I have NEVER damaged a wheel taking a lug nut loose.
Beard Man bet it would've come off with the impact if he didn't use that wobble extension... But yeah breaker bar would have been my first choice.
Beard Man *Same thing I said and posted until I realized this was all fake in order to sell those lugnuts. You just watched a commercial without knowing it and now we are all little dumber for it.*
Yesterday I had a lug nut that wouldn't come off with an impact gun AND THEN switched to a long breaker bar. The nut just ended up rounding off cause it was on so tight. I've seen this happen multiple times for many years. What this guy did is usually what ends up happening, burning/melting the damn thing off. But of course the aluminum wheel is no good after that. Bottom line is don't over tighten these cheap factory lug nuts, otherwise this is what can happen!
Then blame the poor guy who gets stuck with trying to take it off
yes just break the stud and skip all the carnage
i know this is after the fact but ive heard that welding a larger nut onto the jammed one then leveraging that one works
Well that was interesting.
Step 1, as you mentioned, if the stock wheel lug nuts are in poor shape, evidenced by bulging or misshapen caps, immediately replace them with a set of quality 1pc lug nuts.
Step 2. If the proper tool will not remove your damaged lug nuts, purchase a set of lock nut removal tools. Lock nut removal tools have an internal reverse thread and screw onto the outside of the existing nut until the torque required to screw them on exceeds the tightened torque of the fastener, then the lug nut comes off inside the tool.
Step 3. If step 2 didn't work for whatever reason, or you don't want to purchase proper tools, use an electric drill to drill out the wheel stud inside the lug nut using a lug nut that you were able to remove to determine how deep to drill. The drilled out stud can now be easily twisted off, releasing the wheel. The interwebs can tell you your stud diameter with a quick search. You can use that information to select a drill bit slightly smaller than the stud diameter. Drill first with 1/4" bit to depth, then re-drill with final diameter bit. Use lots of lubricant to keep the bit cool.
Avoid torching or hammering your wheel faces. This can actually wind up costing you more money in failed wheel bearings, damaged wheels, and other damage.
An what if you have all the 5 nuts seized? Or even the nuts on the 4 tires seized?drilling all
@@erosbugatti9497I’ve never had to drill every lug, but yes, that’s what you’d do if needed.
i have had a few that were like this, in my opinion its best to just drill the center of the stud out deep enough to pass the end of the nuts taperd part and when you get to a bit almost the size of the stud sledge hammer the back of the tire till it breaks, most of the time you can save damaging the rim too. It sounds like more work but its less frustrating than chiseling and torching the nut off and possible messing up the rim.
+UBBERTANKER Great idea. I just expected it to loosen up with some heat. I love getting feedback like this. Great opportunity to learn.
I love watching these kinds of videos when I'm having minor car problems. I genuinely get great relief from knowing it could be so much worse
I had a 2002 Neon once. The best thing I ever did for it was getting rid of those 2 piece lugnuts. The local tire shop not far has solid ones that are chrome plated for a dollar each. I just told them to change all 20 of them if they had that many all matching (they had slightly different ones but I wanted them all the same). I never did have problems with the original lugnuts. That is because I knew the horrors of them and had them replaced first thing after getting that car. I don't know whatever the hell it is that possesses Chrysler to use those awful 2 piece ones but diehard Ford and GM owners probably thank God for not having to put up with those horrible things.
Its because they are union. They help mechanics get $90 an hour to fix and replace. They all live in the BIG houses in Dearborn, mi. Ha Ha It also made you buy a set of metric tools too.
After all to be union you are the best money can get. Great training and replaceable .They are equal with same training and good at what they do. Look at union electricians....
They do it without shorts! Ha Ha
great vid, it shows how a real mechanic has to constantly think outside of the box to fix a problem. I also like it because it shows you're human and get just as frustrated as the rest of us sometimes.
Buy a stronger impact gun that can break the stud. I have never had to torch a wheel nut off!
you haven't been doing this long enough
Your right. 15 years of being a mechanic is not long enough.
Nick Palmer and only 85more years to go
My dewault would have ripped its brains out without breaking a sweat.
I never use airguns for stubborn lugnuts, if it is possible to remove them, I always use a breaker bar, I feel like you get alot more torque jumping on a breaker bar then using a air gun lol
Remember to put the tool in safely with the tyre iron as well, so when you need it it is with the vehicle, not sitting on a rack in the workshop. Drill a hole through the tool ( hard yes because it is hardened steel, so go to an engineering shop and pay him to spark erode a hole through or drill it out with a carbide drill) and use a wire to tie it to the tyre wrench, or use a set of nuts that have a tool with a hole already.
Already had to do a tyre change in the rain using a hacksaw to cut the bolt off as it had stripped. Was not a fun hour, but luckily I did have some hacksaw blades in the car and some electrical tape to wrap a handle on.
Hmmm at the end I was surprised you didn't tell us to use a torque wrench to tighten the rims to proper spec , I think this is key to not have problems like you just had , over tightened stretches the stud or bolt , warps rotors, and I seen rims fall off from this.
I am a Journeyman Toolmaker. I just had an experience where 2 of the lugs began to turn in the hub, instead of the nuts turning off the lug. I drilled the lug out, just below the depth of the nut. Then put a socket on the nut and easily broke the lug off. Remove the wheel, replaced the hub (holes for lugs were enlarged), and you was to go. No heat. You would have been able to get by with just replacing the lug.
The nut probably seemed so soft because you "normalized" it with the torch, taking the hardness out of it.
Baby was screaming. put on this video and he said, "whoa and I thought I had problems" and stopped crying. win!
I recently went to get an allignment done and they over torqued my lug nuts when finished. I ended up striping the lug nut trying to take it off. So I had to hammer my 4 way onto the lug nut and put my breaker bar on the end to finally break it free. I literally got light headed trying to break it free
I hate them type lugs with the caps.. what a mess... even worse is when you finally get the gumption to trust someone else with your car and they mess it up BAD! I recently paid 400 for tires only to have the shop do 1000 in body damage.. yea still trying to get paid 4 months later too!
Been there, done that, don't ever want to do it again. I didn't personally do it, didn't have the tools, but I trust my mechanic and my tire guy to no end... needless to say my tire guy broke 3 sockets and couldn't get the lug nut out with a 3/4" ingersoll rand impact... I think it's rated for like 1,350 lb-ft. He cranked the air up to 130 psi and broke 3 of his sockets (after he'd heated the bolt), that thing wouldn't come out. Finally I told my mechanic to just use his torch and melt the bastard clean out. I had to repaint my rim, but I didn't even care I was so sick of that bolt.
Oh yeah, and the stealership I bought it from, I asked them to check the front suspension before I left with it, I told them I wanted the tires checked to make sure they were balanced before I left the lot... apparently they didn't like my high maintenance attitude, and when they put the front tires back on they zipped them on so hard this video was the end result.
Edit: I didn't have a vehicle that used these strange lug nuts, I have a Saab which uses a lug bolt. The bolt wasn't cross threaded, and neither me nor the mechanic could figure out how it took so much abuse and didn't just come off.
+Jesse Crandle Brutal.
I put a video up of my dash cam showing how a shop screwed up the paint on my car and somehow got nothing but flack comments saying its my fault. Hope you don't get the same BS. It sucks when you have no choice but to take your vehicle to someone for warranty work or whatever that you cant/not allowed to do yourself and some jackass that shouldn't be allowed to hold a wrench damages your car. Hope they buy you a new rim and pay you for your time spent repairing the damage they caused.
+ANBPyro They made it better. The manager was awesome.
Funny watching this in 2022 because I had the same problem today. But the modern solution is a Milwaukee 18V 1/2 inch impact wrench. Snapped the stud right in half on a setting of 3 out of 4. This is my first Jeep and I have found so many ways that they made life difficult for anyone trying to maintain or repair their own vehicle. Thanks for the entertaining video.
hope you let all the air out of the tire before heating the wheel . I've seen wheels kill people from doing that
yeah no shit
Heard of a guy welding near a semi trailer tire that went pop .
Those things have 100+ lb of pressure in them.
He was real lucky !
but but he is an auto whiz he mention that in the beginning.
Woah, thank you so much for posting this. I've never seen shop mishap like this. Didn't even know it were possible. Definitely keeping this in mind when shopping for aftermarket lug nuts
A good tip is to use a holesaw in the stud size, the you can go all the way in :)
That's exactly what I'm currently doing on my lug nut from hell ..sized outside diameter of lug nut down to bevel of lug !!! I hope to hell it works !!!
All that you had to do was to use a drill with a hole saw cutter. Usually a 5/8" or a 9'16" diameter cutter works. I am an auto repair tech with 41 years experience. I have removed many stuck lug nuts.
That's good advice.
This is why I always dab the lugs with anti-seize. I know, not 'spossed to but the torque doesn't go away. Not even a tiny superstitious lil bit.
FYI: it helps us viewers to understand your content when you state the problem and its cause up front, then show the corrective procedure in the rest of the video. It's like giving someone driving directions: if you state the desired destination first, you give your listener a context for why you're telling them how far to travel and which direction to turn. BTW, LOVE your videos! I subbed because of the great info, but mainly because you don't hawk for subscriptions during (or after) the video. I do appreciate the "thumbs up" reminders, though. I don't always remember to do that.
at 3:38, Brian's hand was like "WAPOW" and put his glove on faster than we could see it
I didn't read all the comments, but drilling out the lug is the simplest solution. After breaking a socket (Craftsman 6 pt) with a breaker bar and no alternate 1/2" socket, I just drilled out the lug itself, with sequentially bigger drill bits. Eventually, it collapses and the nut can be pried over the remnant.
Bro when you pulled out that MacGyver Frankenstein wrench you made, I knew right then that you were desperate lol.
Heat it up, pound a socket on it and tighten it. Stud will break.
That was a battle! Glad I didn't have to fight that war.
+Ozzstar Ya, it just kept progressing. I just knew it would come off any minute. Ultimately boring out the wheel stud was the way to go. All those holes sure helped vent the plasma stream though.
I was looking for videos of getting rusted lug nuts and found this old video of yours. When I used to tow I carried a loose lug cap in my bag for lug nuts that were missing their caps. I also carried a set of sockets that could take off lug nuts that required a key. I just snapped off 2 lug nuts on a wheel. Just ordered the studs in case the rest go south the same way. Glad that the paste worked for you. I would have drilled the stud out but hey any port inna storm. Happy Motoring.
I put those Gorrilla nuts on my '98 Sidekick, they came with the key, best log-nuts ever.
Il Cuggino Canadese gorrilla nuts lmao is that what its called😂
Don't ever give up and let the car think it won! I'm like you Brian. I would have also kept up until it was off. Good job!
*6 FOOT PIPE, TURN CLOCKWISE, SNAP OFF THE STUD AND NUT, REPLACE, & ENJOY WITHOUT RUINING A RIM.*
That does not always work. I have a Jeep that had this issue. The mechanic I took it to to do the tires, who was a big guy, used his impact gun set to the highest setting, and also the 6 foot cheater, and this one lug nut refused to budge. In the end, it was drilled out. It did make me feel safer that the studs are strong though.
@@snoopdogie187 You do have to snap off the head/nut before drilling.
I had this problem where the former owner installed one or two aluminum lug nuts on each wheel; they were corroded on and instantly rounded with a socked. Most of them I was able to get at from behind the disc brake and grind the head off; then punch it through. Others like this guy; I heated and chiseled off. I did no damage to the wheel luckily, I just took my time. Total nightmare; I was lucky I never got a flat. Never use aluminum lug nuts; they should be outlawed.
Awesome job Brian! I thought I had it bad when I got my Camry back from a body shop with a 120lbs tourqe, this is way worse.
+iworkforbudlight I think my frustration with the situation bred complication....s. Next on like this I'll just drill out the center.
A tireshop recommended McGard security lugs nuts. 1 year later, one of the broke on while on the stud. I had to take it to specialist to get it taken off. Then I started using the Gorrilla security lugs and then are amazing! Used the same ones for over 12 years, no issues!
why didn't you just drill the stud ???? would have had no damage to rim ...
Ian Rogerson he had too much money
Ian Rogerson he's lack of common sense or he's trying to save the stud eventhough on that situation.smh.also,by heating it up making it worse from the start.its like welding the lug bonding it to the stud everytime he reheats it.and additional hammering it with a chisel and drilling the side of the lug.for god sake!he totaly traped them bonded together with the stud and now sticking on the rim hole.since he has the driller,why he didn't drill the center of the stud all the way down,then use his chisel to break both the lug and nut after putting the hole that will make them hollow and easier to break.smh to this kind of mechanics that ruin people's car just for experiment.
Ian Rogerson he doesn't know that technique.or he probably still trying to save the STUD in that situation haha.smh
Hindsight is 50/50. I spent a whole day trying to repair a lawnmower at work, it still didnt work because the carburetor was completely fucked as was the ignition. Would have been cheaper to buy a new one... Shit happens.
Best trick for this situation is to center punch the middle of the stud and get a drill bit and drill the whole stud out and replace it once you get the wheel off.
I had a used tire put on and they didn't final torque the lugnuts when they gave me the car back. I was driving about 10 miles home and heard a weird noise. milked it home to find two studs had backed out off the disk brake. although I could pull the spindle nut off, I couldn't get to the caliper bolts with the wheel bolted on.
when I tried to drill it out, the stud spun. I ended up sticking needle nose vice grips on the lug and tried to drill it out with the highest drill bit I could fit in my 3/8" chuck. when that didnt work, i tried alternating between drill bits and dremel cut off wheels. after spending about $100 on drill bits and cutoff wheels, I bought a cold chisle set from harbor freight. I managed to get it off with just a few hammer blows on the one I started with, and about 10 on the one I hadn't touched yet.
I was broke and a dumb 17 year old, so I bought a drill bit and cutoff wheels with every check, took me about 2 months.
usually a stripped out nut isn't that bad. usually you can just hammer on a bigger socket. I do things a bit differently though. if ya can get it to grip good enough, the stud will usually shear off in the tightening direction easier then it will come off, so I just break the stud. they are cheap and relatively easy to do.
oops, ment smaller socket... also, don't be afraid to try metric sockets. they are a bit smaller/larger then the imperial equivalents.
Bryan, first of all...props for filming and controlling frustration! Second, I've been through that same procedure and it took me all day. I'm glad to see you got it done and that i'm not the only one that has used those methods. The welding grease is a great idea! I didn't know about that. I watch your videos right and left for things I am preparing to do. I like your style and how you explain things. Generally I get wrapped up watching several more because with every one I pick up a new trick. Like the grease!
Thank you so much for what you do.
On a side note, I read the comments below and see that i'm going to try some other methods first next time. Thanks guys!
Just drill down the center next time 1/8 bit
1/4 bit the a
1/2 bit
Then they break off with ease
There's a tool called Lug Ripper. It's a hollow tungsten drill bit that just drills right through the threads and leaves the wheel undamaged. Works great in these situations
Fail ! You heat nuts and you freeze bolts.
Karl Napp maybe he could have just drilled the studs out.
...Say, you seem kinda familiar.
You brake hard a few times to get it all nice and hot and then you shock freeze the bolt.
Heating it up just extended it even more.
I had this EXACT thing happen to my Dodge Dakota while rotating tires. I was being careful because I've had caps come off before, but my 12 point 18mm made it as round as could be just like this one because the inspector put the lugs on so tight, I had to use my 5 foot cheater bar to break them loose. I don't have nice torches or air tools or anything like that, and I could NOT afford a new wheel, so first I went to the sketchy po-dunk mechanic and he told me he wouldn't touch it unless I agreed to let him destroy my alloy wheel. Then I bought a Craftsman fluted extractor set, and when that only made it worse, (Thanks for telling me why! I learned something today!) I bought five hardened, carbide drill bits and drilled the stud all the way through, changing the bit as the hardened steel burned each one dull. Then I took a chisel with a 19mm hex end and pounded it into the middle of the soft lug nut, put a socket and my breaker bar at the end of the chisel (still wedged in the lug) It FINALLY came loose, and my wheel was unharmed. I get VERY angry when the inspector doesn't just hand me the caps in a baggie (like I ask every time) after they are blown off by air tools and instead just pops them back on to fly off as I drive away. I really need to do what you did and invest in better lugs, but my Dodge has six lugs per wheel and those sets are too expensive for a broke college student like me. I JB Weld the snot out of every single one as they come off, and its been years since I've had one go missing. I keep just a cap on hand at all times to use when one does go missing to avoid this very situation.
Another reason not to buy a Chrysler product.
first thing that popped in my head
My Jeep was a piece of shit...it's now gone. Someone else's headache now.
Had same thing happen . 2000 grand Cherokee was biggest POS I ever worked on. Damned 4.0 engine snapped a ring at 113,000. Jeeps are all POS VEHICLES
Merlin Cat lol too broke to afford one
This can literally happen to any caf
in my years of mechanical experience in diesel if the first one didnt work drill the stud out you spent more time didiling with it than it would take to brake off
You would’ve got it off faster if you used a breaker bar with the car on the ground, what automotive background you talkin about 😂
I bought a Jeep wrangler for my daughter, same problem X 6 lugnuts.
Wow, ruined 3 of 4 rims!
I did learn that if you have 1 lugnut that"s stuck on a rim like you had here, put the vehicle on the ground and do forward/reverses a couple of times but leave other 4 lugs barely touching rim (worked well for me).
Well that's a bugger!
+sixtyfiveford Moe knows!
+sixtyfiveford 'Ive had a brake job on my truck turn into changing all the lugs out after having new rims and tires installed. The lug nuts galled onto the studs and just smeared the threads all the way off. Still not sure why that happened.
+soaringtractor I have since done that. I also swapped from closed lug nuts to open ones the stud can pass through.
I wonder if he had heated it up and then splashed super cold water onto it if it would have encouraged it to become more brittle
Get that extension off the socket, your losing 50% of your torque.
My buddy had a similar problem we just had to fix few days ago. His lug nut was on the stud and when we went to remove the lug nut the whole stud rotated with the nut. We couldn't get anything on the backside to hold it still so we were in the same position as Brian. We don't have a plasma cutter so we drilled through the center of the lug nut, started small as possible and then kept stepping up bit size by size. When about 80% of the bit was drilled out we put a socket (use a quality one) on the lug nut and smacked it with a big hammer and it snapped the stud. All of the studs ending up being messed up and he got new front rotors and new studs and lug nuts. Used WD-40 to spray the bits as we drilled to help lubricate. Sucks it happens at all but it was a moderately quick fix, took us bout an hour. Sorry you were in the same spot we were Brian, it's an annoying pain in the ass.
using extension with impact gun = lost some hammer efect as the extension flexes
true story flip socket sucks
+James Parus Learned two things today. The other thing is you can never have too much sausage gravy.
+James Parus That's true with 3/8" drive and thinner extensions in a significant way. There are actually extensions "torque sticks" that use that principle for protection against over torquing.
+briansmobile1 I have a crappy air compressor and air line, but I have seen cases where a bolt wouldn't come off with a 1/2 extension but spins right off when I ditched the extension.
It's true with ALL extensions. Nothing is a perfect fit and the longer your extensions the less torque makes it to the workpiece as the whole string twists like a spring. This is why they make long anvil impact guns.
I've had success with heating up the bolt/stud and taking a candle and pushing it into the stud/nut. the wax will get into the threads and dries. Makes them much easier to extract.
I have seen guys that thought they could put lug nuts on like the nascar guys, of course it would work sometimes but more times it would cross thread, if a person really thinks that they need to be able to do like the nascar guys, they need to get the right style lug studs and nuts, or just take the time to start them by hand and don't torque them down with a impact running 175 lbs air pressure, when I torque, I will use the impact to snug then I do the final by hand
You’re right if your using an impact to torque always use a torque stick
Torque sticks are useless. ALWAYS use a torque wrench.
I had this problem on a Chrysler van. I had a tire losing air rapidly on way home from work, limped into tire shop where I bought just tires. Owner told his tech to stay long enough to repair it. Mechanic was obviously PO'd and drove them back on with an impact wrench, because when I need to take the wheel off one of the 5 came off. The caps started to come off on the next 4. Impact wrench, breaker bar, hammering with a mini sledge, soaking with trans fluid or penetrating oil overnight...NOTHING was budging these nuts. I returned it to shop. They got three off with rounded-fastener sockets that chew into the nut, but the last one only came off with the red wrench. Of course the wheel was destroyed. They admitted liability though, and it was just a waste of time for me. I'm ordering some of the Gorilla lugs.
"What it boils down to is somebody else worked on my vehicle and I trusted them to do a good job and they did a horrible job"
#1 reason why I insist on wrenching my own stuff. (''cept my carb/intake lol)
Another great video Brian! I've never faced this before but I've pondered maybe drilling through with a dremel bit and increasing the size until I can Herc off the hollow bolt. I dunno, admittedly stuff like this is my weakest area. I'd easily waste a day just contemplating the best procedure. I have a question for ya. You seem like a generally calm and reserved guy but when the frustration kicks in, do you start cussin' like an angry viking? If so, can we have a montage? lmao. I find my own strength increases DBZ style when I'm giving everything I got to a stubborn skidsteer lugnut and I let out a healthy "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU".
"Soft nuts" Yup, sound like Chrysler! :~D
+Brad Nimbus I lived in India for 8 months where English cuss words are kosher. Since then, I have trouble not cussing when no one's looking. It relieves stress (healthy), it's cheap, it feels good etc. Trouble is, it's taboo and it makes you look ignorant- very honest, but ignorant by society's standards. I enjoy cussing, but I also enjoy the diction challenge of not cussing. Either way is great. Cussing certainly has merit in the face of stress or conveying sincerity and earnestness.
+briansmobile1 Should have removed hub wheel with wheel attached and then cut wheel stud from behind...would have prevented any damage to the wheel.
Disc brakes prevent this.
the struggle is real
my personal experience says Locking Lugs can be a real fucking Hassle...but Honestly that was way to-much heat. you welded the lug to the Stud first few minutes with it glowing red, you want it hot but not radiating on a visual level...Like hot enough to flash water to steam but not hot enough to make the rim warp...and try hitting the Locking-Lug with co2 when it's hot/they sometimes explode off the Stud!but one crack/split will have it spinning off.
lol is this comment serious? 2 metals wont weld together unless they are both at a temp that allows the metals to melt. Heating the nut till its red will not in any way shape or form weld the nut to the stud.
jtman04401 what?!!you may be right but don't you see after he heat em up to the degree that the lug and stud are hot enough to bond together then he use the impact gun to try remove it?so on that moment,the lug and stud has the heat friction which the metals became a lil softer.then he failed to remove it when it still hot,so after a few seconds when the lug and stud gets warm again,they bonded more tightly because you put pressure unto a hot metals by using the impact gun.heating a two piece of metal whem trying to separate them is only good if you succesfully remove them in first try,but if not,they will cool down and stick harder on the second try and even on the 3rd try.he making it worse by chiseling the side of the lugs which the thread of both lug and nuts will bond more stronger that creates zigzag threads.at his final,he drills the sides of the lugs which and reheat it again.smh.he should've drill the center of the STUD instead all the way in,that way he can break the stud and lug by his chisel after putting a hole that makes the stud hollow.or maybe he's still trying to save the STUD in that situation?haha.
he's holding a oxy/acetalyne torch but uses his plasma cutter
I have heard of a wheel lock lug nut remover works for stripped nuts, because it's like a reverse twist to remove the nut. Beat it on, and twist. I have also heard of the candle method. Hold a lighter to the bottom of the lug nut, and hold the candle on the top. The heat brings the melted wax into the nut, making it easier to get off. Anyways, hope these help if you have issue's later.
Glad things turned out ok. I never take my car in for anything except when I didn't have access to an alignment rack and that was a nightmare. The shop owner threatened to sue me for the bad review and only coughed up about 1/3 of the cost to repair their screw up when I took him to court. That's why people appreciate an honest and competent mechanic so much.
You know they make flip sockets specifically for those craptastic capped lugnuts. They come in 18.5mm (When cap comes off) and 19.5 (Cap has swollen). They also have a 22.5 MM for the swollen 7/8th lugs that Dodge/Ram enjoys using.
I went through the same thing on the last Chrysler I worked on. But mine was also rusted on like crazy in addition to being crushed on.
I'm not lucky enough to have a plasma cutter so I ended up drilling through the whole wheel stud. Thankfully didn't scar the wheel or ruin the stud mount.
Happy Holidays! Kudos to your wife.
I always drill the stud they will break off real easy just tugging on the wheel after they are drilled out. Always remove the valve core when heating or welding on a rim with a tire on it. They can blow up, the heat increases the pressure inside the tire.
I have a Jeep Cherokee I swapped most my lugs already. Never had one that bad. 3 seat bolts went like this though. Glad it didn't get to sledgehammering the rim to pieces.
You can also get one piece normal style...ask at Discount Tire it's what I did buying new tires I had them change out all the lug nuts as the caps on the Jeep OEM ones were falling off. Also had them put in normal valve stems and mount the tire sensors on a band.
i have an Air Cat impact ... if the bolt or nut will not come loose, it will break the studs clean off, 850 ft/lbs of torque usually gets the job done quickly
Had lug nut on a 2009 F150 that completely stripped out. Drilled out the center of the stuff with a COLBOLT drill bit. Went through 4 drills before I was all the way through but after I got completely though I took a 3 foot pry bar behind the rim and pried against the knuckle and rim and pulled the nut right off the stud with the rim.
For the common lug size id recommend using standard instead of metric if possible
11/16 slightly smaller than 17mm
3/4 slightly smaller than a 19mm
15/16 smaller than a 21 mm
7/8 for the 23mm sockets
Co worker at the shop had on of those today and to beat all it was a locking bolt in a Jeep. Thanks for the tip on the dip and the video!!!
Kudos to you, Brian, for handling this like a pro! If this happened to me, I cannot say with a great deal of confidence that I'd be able to maintain my composure for that long while attempting to remove something as silly as silly as a stuck lug. Lol! Great tips as always my friend!
If you drill out from the center of the stud in increasing sizes, the wheel will come off no problem. First you have to anneal it by get it red hot then let is cool slowly. You should then be able to drill it out much easier.