Ok so I was taking off my wheel yesterday to change out my drivers side cv axle and the first lug nut i go to remove the bolt breaks in half!!! Yes i was turning the bolt the correct direction and i was just pullin up on it to loosen it i wasn't standing or jumping on it in any way just pulling. I know i'm strong (haha) but dam i was pissed!!! how can i fix this and why did it happen?
Thanks
Bobby

 

They just get weak. You can remove it with a big heavy hammer and pick a new one up at a local Napa .

 

the bolt is way back in my wheel though i cant get to in with a hammer ir di i gotta take more stuff apart to get to it where i can hammer it.

 

Remove your wheel, unbolt the caliper, hang it from your UCA with a zip tie or a bungee cord, DO NOT let it dangle by the brake line... Remove your rotor, and then use a hammer and pound out the old stud. Slide the new stud in, and stack washers on the front side of the stud plate over the stud, to make a spacer, then thread a lug nut onto it, and hit it with an air wrench to pull the splined end of the stuf into the stud plate. you can do this without an air wrench, its just a whole lot like work... any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

ya i sure dont got an air winch lol how would i do with out. should i do it myself or pay 50 bucks to get her done...

 

depends on how much you dislike work.

Without an air wrench, you would do EXACTLY the same thing, but once you have washers stacked on the stud, and get the lugnut threaded, instead of hitting it with the impact, you would start cranking away with your tire iron/4-way, or whatever you use to put on lug nuts... just keep checking it, and stacking washers and tightening the lugnut until it pulls the head of the stud flush against the back of the stud plate.

Let me see if I can find some pics to make it easier for ya, and then you can decide whether or not its worth the $50 to let someone do it.... (personally, I dont think so, since that stud will only cost you like $2, and about an hour of your time...)

 

ok thanks a lot man. pictures would be great lol i am just a college student. haha low money.

 

okay man, here ya go...If you need more explanation, just let me know, or hell even depending on when you want to do it, I cna probably get on the phone, and walk you through it, glad to help. Anyway, on to the pics...

Here is a basic wheel stud and lug nut...


Here is a the wheel stud slid into the hub as far as it will go by hand (until the splines hit the plate) the person in these pics just used a couple of washers and a regular nut...which is fine, if you have a nut which will fit your stud, if not, LOTS more washers with your lugnut on there...


Here is a little different view...you can see the splines along the back of the stud up agains the stud plate in this view...


youjust tighten down on that nut/lugnut until it pulls the stud into the plate, and the head it flush against the plate, with no splines showing on the back side.

 

ok i think i can do that. what is the point of all the washers though...
lol

 

helps to keep the nut from binding on the stud plate if you use a pass through nut like shown....if you use a lug nut, then you HAVE to use the washers to make the lugnut tighten the stud into place. because your lug nut isn't pass through (like the first pic) it will never thread all the way down to the stud plate, and pull the stud through, if you use a pass through nut, like in the pictures, then the washers just keep scarring and binding against the stud plate to a minimum, only one or two is all you will need if you do it this way.

 

very nice write up. I've had two broken studs on one wheel for yrs now. I just never got around to fixing them.

 

is it really bad to drive without one of six in...

 

First, don't go to a parts store asking for a wheel bolt...they will think you are an idiot and treat you as such...it is a wheel stud. Pretty easy to replace as shown above by Chris.

Driving on 5 you will be fine, but get it fixed soon.

 

it doesn't hurt to buy an OEM for an extra buck or two. when i broke mine in the rear, i got the wrong part from the parts store, because the front lug nut is shorter then the rear. yeah, they gave me the front one. OEM spline matches better than the aftermarket ones. i always keep couple extras as spare, too.

remember, there are millions of Heeps around the world running with only 5 lug nuts, they seem to work ok.