Overtorqued + Stripped Lugnut

"E30Joe drives a Subaru" (325joe)
08/11/2015 at 13:31 • Filed to: None

Help Oppo, my coworker has ruined my weekend and part of my week.

I let him change my tires on my car for me, figured he could handle it as he was a tire tech at our shop. He torqued my lug nuts down to over 200ft/lbs and rounded off most of my lug nuts. I’ve managed to get all of them off except one, it’s 100% round as in it is literally a circle now.

Things I’ve tried:

3 foot piece of pipe and a breaker bar
Turbo socket
Hammering 1mm smaller over it and using a breaker bar
Hammering 1mm smaller than that over it and using a breaker bar
Welding a socket on it
Drilling the stud out

My car has been on jackstands since Wednesday trying to get this lug off. Any suggestions help.

Here’s a photo of some nice wheels to look at while you think.

DISCUSSION (42)

Party-vi > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:34

You try a cold chisel and a BFH to break it off?

CalzoneGolem > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:34

Just hit your coworker with a hammer until he fixes it.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:34

Did you try shooting him with a BB gun?

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Party-vi
08/11/2015 at 13:35

Recently yes, didn’t really do much but strip it more. It’s on so tight that any force applied to it that would be enough to break the lug just galls the steel

64Mali > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:35

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-10-p…

or find in the correct size

http://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-…

Lug nut removal tool or similar and an impact. Then charge the shit out of your “Friend”

Jcarr > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:35

Have your coworker bite down on it and then twist his head.

RWS Motorsport > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:36

If you put the other 3 bolts back in, you might just ease the load on the 1 remaining bolt. Apart from that, heat might help. Or if it really gets shit, can you make any more flats on the head, and then use a huge breaker bar (i’m talking like 6 foot) to get it off?

Ross Kraz > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:38

vicegrips

E30Joe drives a Subaru > 64Mali
08/11/2015 at 13:38

I haven’t used the second one it looks like it might work but the first ones just sheared the lug more because they are so tight.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > RWS Motorsport
08/11/2015 at 13:39

Tried those :(

E30Joe drives a Subaru > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
08/11/2015 at 13:39

Might try with an actual gun at this point, I had to buy all new studs + lugs and it cost me almost 300 dollars.

Party-vi > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:40

You need to get a cut-off wheel and notch the lug nut so you can apply the chisel into the notch and break the lug off. ETA: can you get to it from the back, or drill it out with a larger drill?

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Ross Kraz
08/11/2015 at 13:41

Can’t get any sort of pliers or anything over the lug as it’s recessed into the wheel.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Party-vi
08/11/2015 at 13:41

You can’t because the wheel has recesses for the lugs and it’s past flush with the face of the wheel.

Party-vi > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:42

Sets it on fire and roll it off a cliff with your friend in it.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:44

If you can remove the whole wheel hub, you can probably use a drill press to get it out.

Or see if there are any brains in your co-worker.

However, I’m partial to forcing him to watch Rocky Horror.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Party-vi
08/11/2015 at 13:44

I want to blow it up for the insurance money

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:46

Don’t do this:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21758302/

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:47

I’ve heard that crooks will freeze the lug nut with compressed gas — think, liquid nitrogen, or refrigerant when the can is turned upside down — and then whack the lug nut with a hammer, causing it to shatter. I have never tested this theory...

crowmolly > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:49

1.) Joe, can you post a pic? I can visualize it but maybe a pic would give a little more clarity.

2.) How expensive is the wheel?

E30Joe drives a Subaru > crowmolly
08/11/2015 at 13:57

Kinja'd!!!

Its a 350 dollar wheel with 100 dollars worth of powder coat on it and a like new 300 dollar tire.

JGrabowMSt > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:57

Reverse threaded bolt removal socket + breaker bar.

Ask me how I know....

E30Joe drives a Subaru > crowmolly
08/11/2015 at 13:58

JGrabowMSt > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 13:59

Hammer on the next size down and just let it bite into the lug nut.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > JGrabowMSt
08/11/2015 at 13:59

It just shears the metal more, I can try different sockets but no promise it will work I’ve already tried two.

Shark-Attack > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:00

Try vice grips. I rounded a crappy 30 year old hard brake line fitting and that was the ticket.

JGrabowMSt > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:03

No, keep going. Shear away the nut little by little until it just falls apart going smaller and smaller with the lug removers. Also, try a longer breaker, or put a metal pipe on the end for more leverage.

And for your coworker, bill him for parts and labor at OT rates because youre working at home.

crowmolly > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:04

I’d try grabbing a dremel with a stack of mini cutoff discs and see what you can do. With a steady hand you might not damage the wheel, and if you get enough cuts in there you might be able to collapse the nut.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > JGrabowMSt
08/11/2015 at 14:04

He doesn’t have any money, there’s no way he could pay for it the kid is broke. I wish I could because this is an expensive ass ordeal at this point.

450X_FTW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/11/2015 at 14:20

How is that not a Florida story?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 450X_FTW
08/11/2015 at 14:27

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

BobintheMtns > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:30

I just dealt with this, but it was a snapped head stud in my block.... Mine came out via heating the engine block (but not the bolt) while applying pressure, and eventually it let loose. (Perhaps heat the backside of the wheel since it’s painted) Another piece of advice from the forums I was on said using a 50/50 mix of Automatic transmission fluid and acetone as a penetrating liquid works wonders to loosen fuct bolts....

ly2v8-Brian > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:45

Looks pretty fucky. Reading some of your other replies and that you have replacements I'm thinking drill it. Your replacing that stud so...

Tohru > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 14:52

Have you considered torquing all of his lugnuts to 200ft.lbs? turnabout is fair play

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 16:56

Then it’s time to make him your personal servant and work off the fuckery he caused.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/11/2015 at 16:57

The writer of that story deserves a raise. Last line of the piece, “It was not immediately clear whether the shotgun blast loosened the lug nut.”

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 17:03

“I let him change my tires on my car for me, figured he could handle it as he was a tire tech at our shop.He torqued my lug nuts down to over 200ft/lbs and rounded off most of my lug nuts.”

I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve encountered ‘tire techs’ pvertorquing or unevenly torquing lug nuts. I haven’t let a ‘tire tech’ rotate my tires for years now. Would rather do it myself because then I know the lug nuts will be screwed in and torqued correctly and not get cross threaded or fucked up in some other way.

kanadanmajava1 > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 17:07

Check the other studs. If they have some damage due over torquing I would propose just drilling away the stuck one and replacing them all.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > kanadanmajava1
08/11/2015 at 17:54

Kinja'd!!!

Every stud on the car is getting the ARP treatment, I’m not concerned about saving the studs.

kanadanmajava1 > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/11/2015 at 18:06

Then the drill is likely the easiest way to solve the situation and keeping the wheels intact. The OEM studs shouldn’t be very hard to drill.

bhardoin > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/12/2015 at 00:49

While I was working in a tire shop, we’d occasionally get cases like this from the stupid Ford dealer across town. Those turbo sockets always worked - you just take em, hammer them on with gratuitous force, and then go at it with a breaker bar. If it keeps stripping the nut, eventually you’ll just end up with no nut left.

Meatcoma > E30Joe drives a Subaru
08/12/2015 at 10:38

Wow I feel your pain. Although I just seen that you got the stud off.