How to Get a Rounded Nut Off a Car Wheel
Rounded wheel bolt removal
Rounded wheel bolt removal
radovr6
Original Poster
1,210 posts
177 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
I need to get a couple of wheel bolts out but the heads are rounded quite bad and they are very tight.
I have tried hex headed impact sockets but they slip and also forcing a smaller socket on gets the same result.
I have an irwin tool that grips very well but is only a 3/8" drive so getting a decent amount of leverage without snapping extensions etc is a problem as the bolts are so tight.
Has anybody got any other suggestions?
I am really cheesed off now!
Thanks
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Carefully drill the head off then use Moleys to loosen the remaining thread. Go steady so you leave yourself as much metal as possible to work with.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Daft suggestion, but can you not weld a really big nut on top of the head, then undo that?
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Can you not just stick a 1/2 step up onit and use a bar like you were doing with that tool?
Wednesday 14th March 2007
If access to the bolt head is restricted (i.e. you can't get a grinder in there) try investing in some good quality Dremel cutting discs and cut the heads off. Once the wheel is off you should be left with enough stud protruding to turn it out.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
try a pair of Stilsons and a hammer if you can get them on the bolts
Wednesday 14th March 2007
RedCabbage said:
If access to the bolt head is restricted (i.e. you can't get a grinder in there) try investing in some good quality Dremel cutting discs and cut the heads off. Once the wheel is off you should be left with enough stud protruding to turn it out.
That'll damage the bolt's seat. If you drill the head centrally (using progressively larger bits) till you get to the outer diameter of the thread the head will just fall off 
Removing the head usually releases the pressure on the threads and the remaining portion often comes out using just your fingers.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Are all the bolts stuck or just a few? Clean up and lube the removed ones, replace and tighten, then try the stuck ones. You could also try some localised heat on the bolts.
dern
14,055 posts
250 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
BliarOut said:
RedCabbage said:
If access to the bolt head is restricted (i.e. you can't get a grinder in there) try investing in some good quality Dremel cutting discs and cut the heads off. Once the wheel is off you should be left with enough stud protruding to turn it out.
That'll damage the bolt's seat. If you drill the head centrally (using progressively larger bits) till you get to the outer diameter of the thread the head will just fall off
Removing the head usually releases the pressure on the threads and the remaining portion often comes out using just your fingers.
This is a good idea but it rests on getting the first drill hole absolutely central and straight which will be very difficult.
Approaching it from a different angle some wheel nuts studs go through the hub on splines... they just push in and are held in place by the force of the nut. If you jack the car up and turn the wheel can you see the back of the stud as it goes through the hub. Maybe revolving the wheel will allow you to see the one you're interested in. If you can grind the flat head of the stud off and drive the stud outwards you'll solve your problem. I think.
Edited to add: If you can grind it off maybe you could drill it off and you wouldn't have to be so accurate as you'll just graze the back of the hub. If all else fails to the wheels allow you access to the hub nut? If so you could remove the entire hub which would give you more options not least of which would be to take the whole assembly to an engineers who could do what BlairOut is suggesting but with more accuracy.
Another suggestion would be to drill a hole in the nut which doesn't need to be accurately central, tap it with a left hand thread, insert a big left hand bolt and wind it all out. I wouldn't use an ezy-out or whatever they are called as I think it would snap and then you'd not be able to attack the front again.
I quite like the idea of welding a nut on but the wheel nuts need to be steel and I'd be slightly concerned of the effect of the heat on the wheel.
Edited by dern on Wednesday 14th March 21:54
radovr6
Original Poster
1,210 posts
177 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
There are only 2 bolts stuck. I have tried forcing smaller sockets on (and managed to get them on fully) but they just slip as the bolts are so tight.
Access to the heads is restricted as they are alloy wheels.
I was hoping to avoid drilling incase i cannot get the remaining stud out as they are so tight.
I have a small blow torch like the chefs use so i could try that.
I have seen some emergency locking wheel bolt removers in halfrauds so i was thinking this may work as they have opposite threads so they tighten on as you turn. Has anybody tried these before? Maybe with some heat to help out a bit?
Thanks for all the replies so far!
dern
14,055 posts
250 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Another idea... can you grind some groove in the side of the nut using a dremel or die? If you can get the nut instead of being round to being an irregular shape you might be able to get a gaitor socket on it and the pins would grip the irregularities and probably allow you to wind the nut out.
I also think that tightening the other 2 or 3 nuts back on to the wheel after liberally greasing them with copper slip you may just take some of the force of the stuck two which would help you with the above removal with the gaitor socket.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
:shudder: Grinder...
True, it can be tricky but a lot of wheel nuts are "centered" in the head to start you off. The easiest way to get a hand drill straight and level is to place something at 90 degrees and look over the top of the drill. That'll centre you in one direction and then have a friend watch the horizontal plane and guide you up or down.
To get the depth correct measure the head and then put a bit of tape round the bit or place a mark with a gem marker it. It's easy to see once the drill is spinning.
I would suggest starting with a 3 mm pilot drill then one half way between that and the final thread OD and finish off with a clearance bit.
If you do head down the grinder route (won't somebody think of the bolt seats) sheet the bodywork up first to protect it from molten sparks landing on it.
dern
14,055 posts
250 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
BliarOut said:
:shudder: Grinder...
True, it can be tricky but a lot of wheel nuts are "centered" in the head to start you off. The easiest way to get a hand drill straight and level is to place something at 90 degrees and look over the top of the drill. That'll centre you in one direction and then have a friend watch the horizontal plane and guide you up or down.
To get the depth correct measure the head and then put a bit of tape round the bit or place a mark with a gem marker it. It's easy to see once the drill is spinning.
I would suggest starting with a 3 mm pilot drill then one half way between that and the final thread OD and finish off with a clearance bit.
How about drilling building up to a reasonable size and then switching to a die grinder. The drill hole would guide the die down the bolt but he'd have freedom to go sideways to grind the bolt away. He'd have to accurate when you get to the wheel but it may allow him more freedom than drills alone.
Edited by dern on Wednesday 14th March 22:05
GHW
1,292 posts
192 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
I've removed a broken locking wheel nut before using a centre punch and a hammer - it doesn't need too much of an angle to get it turning, and once it's going you should be able to undo it the rest of the way using a slightly easier method.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
dern said:
BliarOut said:
:shudder: Grinder...
True, it can be tricky but a lot of wheel nuts are "centered" in the head to start you off. The easiest way to get a hand drill straight and level is to place something at 90 degrees and look over the top of the drill. That'll centre you in one direction and then have a friend watch the horizontal plane and guide you up or down.
To get the depth correct measure the head and then put a bit of tape round the bit or place a mark with a gem marker it. It's easy to see once the drill is spinning.
I would suggest starting with a 3 mm pilot drill then one half way between that and the final thread OD and finish off with a clearance bit.
How about drilling building up to a reasonable size and then switching to a die grinder. The drill hole would guide the die down the bolt but he'd have freedom to go sideways to grind the bolt away. He'd have to accurate when you get to the wheel but it may allow him more freedom than drills alone.
Edited by dern on Wednesday 14th March 22:05
That could work and would be "easier" if drill accuracy is a concern... You can get steel taper grinder bits that are handy for opening up holes. Sounds like a bolt recessed in an alloy slot as opposed to a stud and nut arrangement so releasing the pressure needs to be done from inside. If it's anything like BM's the thread will be loose the moment the head is weakened.
radovr6
Original Poster
1,210 posts
177 months
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Would one of thost gaitor jobbies work?
If so where can you get them?
It is a bolt and not a nut and stud arrangement just to clarify.
Edited by radovr6 on Wednesday 14th March 22:19
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Tried tightening it?
Or drill a hole down the middle and get a hex drive type socket (allen key but with socket head) and battering that in i had luck once with this
Wednesday 14th March 2007
The easiest way I found;
Get a socket you dont mind sacrificing that is smaller than the nut...wack it on and then put just a small blob of weld down inside to hold it on. You should be able to get it off then.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
I suggest that you take a 1/2" drive socket that is a size smaller(either a millimeter down or an A/F size)and grind off about 2-3 mm off the front face to remove the chamfer. You should then be left with sharp serrations. Now take a hammer and thrash it onto the offending bolt head, hopefully cutting it's way on really tight allowing you to get enough torque to remove the bolt.
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Have you tried rubbing peanut butter on it, and then squirting fairy liquid on the bolt? Works wonders!
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How to Get a Rounded Nut Off a Car Wheel
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