Broken Wheel Nut

Broken Wheel Nut

I was going to paint my rear drums until I broke the lug nut!! ARG!!!! It is a spline drive nut. I have to use a adapter tool to take of the nuts. What do I do? There is still lug nut there, enough to be safe but I want it off so I can replace it. Cheapo nuts. Next set of lug nuts I will get are the Rays Engineering ones.

How did you break it? Are you using impact tools?

Nope just used the roadside tool. Striped it right at the stud.

Did you use the adapter to take it off?
I don't even know what method to remove a nut thats been stripped. I only know how to drill and tap stripped threads. Perhaps you need to epoxy or weld another nut the other side of the stripped nut. Then you can use that nut to remove the whole thing.

you're going to have to torch it off...

but hes gotta get the wheel off first , look at the pic. no knuckling on the nut , just the nut on the stud. he cant get the wheel off to get to the hub , meaning hes gotta grill it w/ the wheel still on. the part that takes the longest is making sure you drill strait and gradual.

so the lugnut is still on the stud but it wont turn anymore because the thread is strip correct?
Or do you mean you rounded out the lug nuts so you cant turn it with the key anymore?

I have Rays Dura Nuts, they're great. People actually complimented me on my lugnuts LOL.

Next time make sure you don't over tighten and don't use sudden movements to remove the nut.

sudden movements is best , gradual force is what breaks.

I want a set of new nuts too (HAHA LOL), but the prices are too steep.

Actually, that's not true. If the nut seizes and you force it with a sudden movement, you can warp, strip, or snap the nut or bolt. This was the one of the first things I learned from my automotive instructor. If its seized, spray the affected area with Liquid Wrench and wait for a couple minutes before trying again.

This is a pic of the Stud with the Nut still on.


This is the Tool and the Sheared part of the Nut.


Its sheared it so far down that I cant get the tool on there. I guess its going into the shop. I hope they dont F-up the wheel :S

i was taught differently . why do you think an impact uses sharp sudden jolts? its the slow gradual force that excerts stress more and more and causes slippage or failure. for example:

when i did my cv axles on both sides , i broke of a caliper bolt . why? because i used gradual brute strength. now that i feared doing it to the other side , i asked my stepfather to help me out with any ideas. (stepfather builds 8 second streetable 60-70's cars all day everyday. also 7 second streetable HD's , seeming on how these cars are 30+years old , he knows a thing or 2 about siezed nuts.) now , the drivers side bottom caliper bolt was the same way , he saw me start to put gradual force on it , and he stopped me. he then walked over and gave it a quick sudden jerk and it came right loose no harm done. i asked why this is , because , the molecular structure of metal has a tendency to bond to other metallic molecules over time and heat. when you gradually apply pressure you are allowing the metallic molecules to still "grasp " each other , while you are puttin the effort forward to loosen. when you give it a sudden jolt , it breaks the mollecular bond , allowing the threads to seperate. most the time when a bolt breaks from jolting, its beacause : a: the bolt or nut has a weaker metallic mollecular structure than its counterpart , or b: oxidation has ate its way thru the threads of both parts and "bonded" the molecules.
so really you need to go back and tell your teacher he needs to take a metalurgy class , or become more expierianced before teaching a wrong way. impacts , wouldnt use an "impact" motion to break froze bolts loose if his "philosophy" was correct.

now , rusty , theres a couple of ways to get that thing off.

1. being , find a drill and a punch . (find another mode of transportation during this repair) punch the center of the stud , as perfectly as possible , because this will be your starting point. now , start with a 1/16" to a 1/8" bit and start drilling , be careful not to exceed the depth of the stud , b/c then you will be in your brake mechanism. (you can find the length of stud on most autoparts website)after you have drilled your hole with the 1/8th inch bit , step to the next biggest size bit , 1/4 " is ok . try to keep the drill as strait and level as possible (it helps to have a drill w/ a level on it , and park the car on a level surface like garage floor or carport) after you have drilled the 1/4" out stepp to a 5/16" and then to a 3/8" and then to 1/2" , and so on until you have completely ate away the stud. TAKE YOUR TIME!! this process could take up to 2 hours. after you have ate the stud away and the lug left just falls off , loosen the other lugs and remove the wheel. chock your front wheels front and back of tire. release the emergency break , and make sure your brake system doesnt have any pressure on it . (dont push the brake pedal after the car is shut off) now , w/ the wheel removed you should be able to tug on your drum kinda hard (its not gonna just slide off) your gonna have to put some effort in it. now that you have drum off , the rear brake mechanism is exposed. that stud that you drilled down , take the punch , or chisel and put it on the remainder of the stud , and strike the punch w/ a hammer on the stud pushing it out of the back of the hub. now replace the stud w/ a new one . you will not be able to just push the stud back in , but you can push it in as far as you can making sure the teeth line up. . now slide your drum back on , and using a couple of washers or a 1/2" drive shallowwell scket w/ a washer on top , spray a lube , or graes the new stud , and put on a lugnut.now reapply your emergency brake (so the drum dont spin) and start tightening down with the lugwrench. when the lug reaches the washer keep turning the nut tight to "seat" the stud into the hub. when you think you have fullyseated the stud in the hub, loosen the nut , release the e-brake , and remove the drum to check.(you can also tell by if it is even w/ the other studs on the out side of the drum.)if it is seated , replace the drum , and put your wheel back on , your done. if not fallow the steps about seating again.

2. take it to a shop for them to do this for you and caharge you upward of $100.

also , why do those lugnuts look aluminum?

good luck.

you might have to resort to drilling it out. breaking/destroying the stud is no big deal, replacing the wheel stud on the rear is a $5/15 minute job.

thats why more and more shops are using the torque sockets to put lugnuts on. and the only way i cam see an impact breaking a stud or getting it stuck , is if it is oxidized , siezed , or over torqued on installation.

lol...every worthwhile shop uses air tools to put lugs back on. "more and more" my foot.

and apparently you haven't worked around cars for all that long...it's really REALLY easy to break a stud.

Impact tools are used to speed things up. They are not used primarily as precision tools. Using a torque wrench which has increments is safer and more accurate than using an impact wrench to take off or put on bolts. Sure impact tools may be able to remove some stubborn nuts, but sometimes they cause problems too. Some impact tools just have too much power for the application they are used for. Sometimes its like using a bazooka to kill a fly. You may cause more problems than it accomplishes.

true, but you're not supposed to use impact wrenches on your lugs - that will get them stuck or will break the lug/stud.

I took real automotive school and you do NOT use impact tools to put lug nuts back on. They are not precision instruments. I would not bring my car to an auto shop who would do that. I don't want my wheels being undertorqued or overtorqued.

air tools doesn't necessarily mean impact tools...but i agree with everything else you've said.

I used the spare tire wrench to take it off. I guess I must be Superman.

so that would be operator error not tool error.

You need to get your information right before you criticize others. The torque specs for wheel lugs on the Corolla is 76 ft-lbs, not 84. And as for experience, you still have nothing to say considering you never went to an automotive school. You can have all the home schooling you want, but that won't earn you any license or degree. Have you actually worked out in the field and interned for an actual auto shop on real customer's cars? My instructor who taught me was an ASE certified mechanic who retired after working in the field way longer than anyone you know. I would think he knows a thing or two about automotive repair. Don't criticize me and my experience. We both come from different backgrounds and have different viewpoints on how to solve a problem. I don't criticize and doubt you, so you shouldn't either.

you can use an impact to put on lugnuts , have you ever seen the the things that are different colors and look like stubby tire irons that go on a impact? ( thier called torque dampeners) those shafts have a certain amount of silicon in em determining the torque spec that causes the metal to transfer motion back to the impact allowing only the spec torque of the shaft. after the shaft turns nomore , you break ou the 1/2" drive torque wrench , and in our case w/ the corolla torque to 84 ft lbs.

as for how easy it is to break a stud . i myself have never , on any of the 7 vehicles i have owned. unless your just an overgroan grease monkey w/ an impact , that has no clue or idea of what he or she is doing , i have never broke any bolt w/ and impact or airtools come to think of it , its always been by hand , going back to the gradual force thing.

what "actual" auto school did you go to ? are you ase certified? are they an accredited school?

also , you (laura) are in MD where 1 of the two causes i listed above , cause nuts and bolt to become seized. oxidation. preprep of an anti sieze on your lugs , will keep this from happening.

i have been working on cars w/ my family in drag racing since i was old enough to walk and carry a wrench to anyone who needed it . but i have been working on my own vehicles for 8 almost 9 years now. driving since i could see over a steering wheel . at the age of 13 i made 10 sec pass in a quarter mile w/ a pro class modified 91 camaro w/ over 800 horses. thats just 1 of the 3 race cars in our family (drag anyway , not including late modified for dirt oval) others being a buick grand national , and an 88 s-10 fully tubbed . all three quicker than 9 seconds on any day.

so you guys talk your sh!t to someone who dont know.

hey , it happens you would be supprised how easy it is to break studs and other nuts and bolts w/ you hand.

and i typed "torque sockets" not airtools. who doesnt know and what shop dont use air tools , and have been for years.


ya know you guys should quit trying to cast people in the noob catagory when theyre not . i might be new to the corolla scene somewhat , but that does not mean im new to the automotive culture , i grew up in it , been here my whole life.

i've watched quite a few studs end up shredded because of a misthreaded lug on a stud. airtools or no, if someone put it on wrong, it'll break the stud. so, in truth, it's got to do with how one puts the lugs back on...and common sense dictates one should hand thread until tight, then torque it on the rest of the way (with a normal torque wrench, not this impact bullshit). that's the only true way to avoid breaking a stud.

im not critisizing you or your experience it was just a question , and yes i am daimond star certified , without any schooling , took the test w/ out an ase certification scored higher than those guys that did attend a tech school ase cert. class. , and am allowed to work like that , however i do have to go to siminars every 6 months to keep my daimond star cert. they do a step train program , where if ther is something new , or a recall newly found , they show you how to spot , diagnose , and order of operation to repair the problem . ive worked on evos , 3000's , starions , gsts , you name it in the mitsu line up , ive probably have had m my hands on it . ive worked for 3 different mitsu dealers .and your corolla may be 76 ft.lbs. but toyota itself claims 84 for the 93-97 seems as the 98-02 share the same suspension , just wandering where you got those #s .

my step father and uncle both are ase certified , my uncle working for gm for over 30 years. and my step father formerly worked for caterpillar doing feild repairs on rigs , pans , dumps , dozers , and loaders he is now retired at 56 years old . and they both now build , customize , and restore classic cars as well as build pro street modified cars , per customers discretion. i have learned every thing i know pretty much from these two gentle men in my family , and they are the reason i know what i know when it comes to automotive repair.

basically , all im saying or asking is , before you went to school , what experiance did you have in the automotive field or industry?

what "actual" auto school did you go to ? are you ase certified? are they an accredited school?

that was just a question , again nothing to take offence to , so are you ase certified? or still attending?

and i have been to schools , just not automotive.

i have other certifications as well:

mig and tig government certified welding (chesapeake VA) that was hard!
osha vertical , boom and aerial platform operations (athens GA)
EPA commercial refriderants handling liscence (athens GA)
HVAC certification (marietta GA)
osha forklift certification (marietta GA)
copeland hermetic compressor certified mechanic (athens GA)
mitsu diamond star warrenty claims certified mechanic (knoxville TN)
overhead , stationary and non stationary crane certification (plant city FL)

my current job i use the mig and tig liscence , as well as the forklift , and crane liscence. i currently work at american vulkan , we build naval ship torque dampeners and navel ship cutches.

so its not that i got a big ego , i have just been around man .like i said i know my stuff. im almost 24 , and have been working in the industrial feild since i was 18.

now rusty , did you get that lug off yet ?

Nope. I will have to take it to a shop to get it off. I just dont want to be responsable for messing the rim up. I know a good shop that wont charge me an arm and a leg cuz I sell parts to them.

good to hear that , let us know how much you end up paying.