Getting a stripped lug nut off?

[madhat]

Yeah, so I was trying to get the front wheel of the BMW, and well one of the nuts was on so tight that using a breaker bar, I actually broke my craftsman 1/2" drive socket and stripped the bolt when it split! Are those stripped bolt removing sockets worth trying? Anyother suggestions? I'm trying to avoid taking it somewhere....

 

[UNGN]

I just went through this on my TTA.

The easiest and quickest solution is to take a nice sharp 3/8" drill bit and drill out the stud. Took 10 minutes total (after I spent 8 hours trying every other method)

The replacement stud was a couple dollars (much less than I spent trying ANY of the other methods)

 

[72firebird]

I think the Easy-outs are worth buying and should work. But if you don't wanna go through the hassle you should be able to take it to your local Discount Tire or somewhere similar and they'll normally remove them for you for a small fee. I would suggest calling and asking them to make sure they'll do it before driving out there. They're normally pretty used to doing it because of people with lock nuts on their wheels and forget where they put the key at.

 

[INEEDAGN]

Those twist sockets work!!!!

I have a full set at work and next to them I have a pile of rounded/rusted nuts that they have removed, just so I can count the times they have saved my ass. Most tire shops should have them though, and it'd only be a couple bucks to have someone go spin it off in the parking lot.

 

[UNGN]

The problem was with my lug nut was that some bone head tire store guy had put it on with the equivalent of 1000+ ft-lbs of torque.

My 950 ft-lb impact wrench turned up to 120 psi got nothing but noise.

Easy-outs only work if you can apply enough torque to remove the nut.

 

[Quiky One]

The problem was with my lug nut was that some bone head tire store guy had put it on with the equivalent of 1000+ ft-lbs of torque.

My 950 ft-lb impact wrench turned up to 120 psi got nothing but noise.

Easy-outs only work if you can apply enough torque to remove the nut.

Did your rotors warp? Sheesh I always ask them to hand tighten them then I use the torque wrench.

Jason

 

[72firebird]

The problem was with my lug nut was that some bone head tire store guy had put it on with the equivalent of 1000+ ft-lbs of torque.

My 950 ft-lb impact wrench turned up to 120 psi got nothing but noise.

Easy-outs only work if you can apply enough torque to remove the nut.

it takes approximatley twice the amount of torque to loosten a nut as was put into it to tighten it. But I agree that it obviously was way too tight. You should be able to put enough torque into it with the bolt outs. Just use a breaker bar and when you've applied as much force on it as you can and it still hasn't come off then add an extension pipe over it and just keep making it longer. I'd say just take it to a tire shop and let them mess with it so that if they mess anything up they're responsible for it.

 

[madhat]

heh - I may do that...

 

[UNGN]

it takes approximatley twice the amount of torque to loosten a nut as was put into it to tighten it. But I agree that it obviously was way too tight. You should be able to put enough torque into it with the bolt outs. Just use a breaker bar and when you've applied as much force on it as you can and it still hasn't come off then add an extension pipe over it and just keep making it longer. I'd say just take it to a tire shop and let them mess with it so that if they mess anything up they're responsible for it.

I had a 6 foot piece of pipe on my breaker bar and lug nut was crushing instead of turning.

I welded a larger nut on the end of the and was able to twist off the majority of the lug, but the lug tore where I had previously used a radiac in an attempt to relieve some of the tension in the lug.

I bought the car like this, so I don't know where the previous owner took it to screw it up so bad.

I said "I'm done" and busted out the drill. I was surprised how easily the stud drilled out. It was like butter. I've had a harder time drilling through a hose clamp.

 

[acoen]

I had a '95 Pontiac that had the same problem, someone at a tire store tighted them way too tight and they stripped. I found that it was easier to break the stud. Use the breaker bar as a lever and busted the stud off. They broke like a pretzel. I wouldn't recommend this in all situations but I had no other way at the time.

 

[madhat]

well, I managed to get a grip on the nut(I dont know how, it is ROUND) and broke my socket again Went and traded it for an impact socket and managed to break it! w00t! Just had to jump on my 2' pry bar...poor aluminum wheel...

 

[alvin87gn]

does that beemer have lugnuts that thread onto studs or is it like a vw that has the weird bolts that thread into the hub. ive done alot of tire changin in my day, actually as many as 30 sets of 4 per day, and ive always had nightmares about tryin to get one of those bolts out if it broke off in there. it its tight enough to break an impact socket on, take it back to the tire place.they are just as responsible for overtightened wheels as they are for the wheel fallin off. but if you break that bolt off they wont pay for it, let them mess it up.

 

[TexasT]

Take the rest of the lugs off and pull the tire to break the final 'stuck' one.
I like the drill it out better but bustin' it off is quicker.

 

[tom h]

my girlfriend's BMW has Bolts that thread into the hub, not studs. I thought most BMWs were like that (but i could be wrong). it's definitely more of a pain to reinstall when you dont have the studs to hang the wheel on. There's a LOT of weird things how that BMW is put together

 

[ajt86]

get a wheel lock remover kit- it takes off round wheel locks- it can get a rounded lug nut off

its just a taperd twist socket that you pound on with a hammer- works great and takes all of 10 minutes

 

[darkred87T]

Have you tried heating it?

well, I managed to get a grip on the nut(I dont know how, it is ROUND) and broke my socket again Went and traded it for an impact socket and managed to break it! w00t! Just had to jump on my 2' pry bar...poor aluminum wheel...

We used to take the handle off the floor jack and slide it over the breaker bar to get more leverage. One time I snapped the joint on my Craftsmen 1/2 " breaker bar (dangerous). Anyhow, that lug nut must be on there way to tight. Being that I don't have any real "professional" tools, I have found that heating the stuck lug with a blow torch can help but you might run the risk of damaging the wheel.

 

[madhat]

well, luckly there is a full size spare in the trunk had that been an issue. Yes, most BMWs are studs into the hub, but I dont have much of a problem w/ them since it has a little spot to rest the wheel on.

 

[T- Type Tim]

did you ever get the damn thing off?

 

['87 Turbo "T"]

did you ever get the damn thing off?

Well OP hasn’t logged in since ‘10 so good luck with an answer…..