Jump to content
The mkiv Supra Owners Club

rounded off wheel nut removal


MATT RR

Recommended Posts

so in summary I need to buy a torque wrench to tighten up my wheel nuts in future :D through over tightening I have managed to round off one of my internal drive nuts :taped:

 

as you can see in the pic there is very little room for play/access, less than a papers width around the nuts that are sunk into the wheel:

 

These use a 12mm hex key to remove, the hex key is perfect its the nut that's had it!

 

So I have ordered a 13mm and 14mm hex key that arrive today, my question is before i bray in a larger hex key to try to catch and remove the nut, does anyone have any pearls of wisdom that will help me get this off?

 

I have all new nuts which are now on but this little bugger is holding up the job!

 

image

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I brought a locking wheel nut removal tool from Halfords when we lost the key.

It should work in the same way for your nuts though mate - in essence it's a reverse, coarse, threaded socket that you hammer on the first thread and then as you tighten it down the nut, it cracks the wheel nut off.

 

It wasn't expensive either so maybe worth a go mate?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a last resort, you could fill it with something like THIS, and then press in a smaller hex socket before it dries. I've used a similar technique to remove a rounded off bolt on my Audi S2.

 

Cheer J, not seen that stuff before but could be a good option, I was also thinking as a last resort to weld the hex key to the nut, but that could get messy!!

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

I brought a locking wheel nut removal tool from Halfords when we lost the key.

It should work in the same way for your nuts though mate - in essence it's a reverse, coarse, threaded socket that you hammer on the first thread and then as you tighten it down the nut, it cracks the wheel nut off.

 

It wasn't expensive either so maybe worth a go mate?

 

Thanks Josh, as J mentioned its the room around the nut that is an issue, I was looking for a similar option as an internal drive but cant find one :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

try a rubber glove over the socket first it makes the fit tighter and stops slip , failing that get a flat ended screw driver and a hammer it around , I have done loads of locking keys this way ;)

 

Rubber glove idea I like (just realised that sounds a bit wrong) , I might try that on the 13mm first! The difficulty with hammering is the space and potentially hitting the wheel, plus because ive over tightened them the threads in the nuts on that wheel are stupidly tight to undoo without the additional problem of being rounded off :(

 

Im getting some good ideas here, thanks guys :

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hammer an appropriate sized (very slightly bigger than the opening) builders cold chisel into the opening and then use a largish set of Stilsons to undo. Done it that way a few times for people, works every time and cheap, especially if you have the tools or can borrow the tools off of someone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hammer an appropriate sized (very slightly bigger than the opening) builders cold chisel into the opening and then use a largish set of Stilsons to undo. Done it that way a few times for people, works every time and cheap, especially if you have the tools or can borrow the tools off of someone.

 

Cheers, got a B&Q over the road from the house so i might be paying them a visit later today :) thanks mate

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're welcome, good luck. I'd give you a hand but I'm a bit far away.:)

 

ha ha yes that would probably be a record for the furthest distance travelled to help out a member surely? Serious kudos and forum brownie points if that were to happen :)

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

I shudder at the thought of going near my car with that :taped:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Safest way is the drill the thing off. You need a steady hand, and good drill bits. If you break one off in the stud your problems just got a LOT worse. You'll need a new stud of course, afterwards. Grind the flats out of the internal hex before you offer a drill bit up, or it will just knock the corners off the drill bit. Really a job for someone with all the necessary gear. Buying it especially will cost more than paying someone like me to do it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Safest way is the drill the thing off. You need a steady hand, and good drill bits. If you break one off in the stud your problems just got a LOT worse. You'll need a new stud of course, afterwards. Grind the flats out of the internal hex before you offer a drill bit up, or it will just knock the corners off the drill bit. Really a job for someone with all the necessary gear. Buying it especially will cost more than paying someone like me to do it!

 

Cheers Chris, sound advice, I might take it somewhere local to do that, there is an engineering company not too far who are well experienced in this sort of thing by the sounds of it! all my attempts today including the rubber glove have failed :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you try knocking the 13mm hex key you have into the nut?

 

Personally I'd have gone for a multi spline bit instead, as they don't take as much force to insert but still get good purchase, but I've definitely removed shitty cap screws with the next bigger sized hex or allen key in the past.

 

Also, a few taps of a hammer, in line with the nut, on the head of the knuckle bar as you apply the torque to loosen the nut usually help break the taper bond with a lot less effort than pressure on the bar alone.

 

Rudimentary/human powered impact driver so to speak.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice guys, Ive tried most of these now and still no joy, it is well and turely stuck, going to try an "easy out" next week when they arrive, failing that its time to drill out the stud and replace it.

 

Does anyone have a link to a guide on how to replace a wheel stud? I'm struggling to find one through the search?

 

Many Thanks

 

Matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so its off :nana: it took drilling the wheel stud out to actually remove it in the end, so 3 knackered drill bits later its off! won't be making that mistake again, ordered a new torque wrench for doing the wheel nuts now :)

 

heres a pic of the little bugger now its off.....

 

image

 

image

 

thanks for all the advice :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would suggest that the material the nuts are made of is junk, and you should change them all for better quality ones, a big hex like that shouldn't just round off. Make sure the hex bit you use is equally good quality, as if that rounds off it will take nut hex with it. 90% of wheel nuts seem to be too tight, people have this thing about them needing to be done up as hard as possible :) Glad you are sorted out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would suggest that the material the nuts are made of is junk, and you should change them all for better quality ones, a big hex like that shouldn't just round off. Make sure the hex bit you use is equally good quality, as if that rounds off it will take nut hex with it. 90% of wheel nuts seem to be too tight, people have this thing about them needing to be done up as hard as possible :) Glad you are sorted out.

 

Thanks Chris good advice, I have bought a much better Hex key and a torque wrench now, it was totally my fault on that one for over tightening, I have ordered all new nuts as well :)

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Good to see you've sorted it. Make sure, as Chris says, to get good quality parts and torque them properly, saves a world of grief, as you've just found out. :thumbs:

 

 

definitely :) learnt the hard way!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. You might also be interested in our Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.