Wheel Nut - snapped off

[keets1]

Hi folks..

I have just put the spare on my car after a puncture.

There should be 5 wheel nuts, however there are only 4 and the other one appears to have snapped off whilst in situ. - (the 4 were hideously difficult to remove! - i thought they should only be tightened "spanner tight"?)

Question..

Can i get this removed so i can replace with a new one?
how can this be removed? - i presume it has to be tapped?

Thanks for your help.

martin.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Hopefully you used the correct bolts - modern MBs have shorter bolts for the spares?

The snapped bolt should be easy enough to remove, unless its siezed up it should be fairly loose now the head is gone. Try tapping a chisel into the centre and turning it, if that doesn't work try drilling a hole and inserting an easyout.

My rule of thumb when doing wheel bolts up is 'push down lightly until its stiff, and then push down another 1/8th of a turn'

 

[Myros]

Torque is something I've become very interested in

since that spark plug snafu'd in my cylinder head, despite being done up to less than the manufacturer's stated value.

MB wheel nuts ( passenger cars anyway) need 110 Nm. The only way to do it safely is with a good, accurate torque wrench. the only time in recent years I haven't done so, the nuts started to come loose.

I even ask my mechie to do them up with a torque wrench. I know not every one carries one about with them for wheel swap purposes though.

I go finger tight on , then half a turn beyond with my wheel wrench in such a situation. Probably a bit more than needed, certainly not less.

 

[television]

If this has broken off flush with the face of the hub, then center pop the center and drill it out, if your studs are 11 mm,start off with a small 3-4mm drill as this is easy to correct if it runs off center and work up to an 8mm drill, the remains can then be punched out.

Malcolm

 

[keets1]

Hopefully you used the correct bolts - modern MBs have shorter bolts for the spares?

The snapped bolt should be easy enough to remove, unless its siezed up it should be fairly loose now the head is gone. Try tapping a chisel into the centre and turning it, if that doesn't work try drilling a hole and inserting an easyout.

My rule of thumb when doing wheel bolts up is 'push down lightly until its stiff, and then push down another 1/8th of a turn'

Thanks for the advice P.O.D.


- Re your first point, - my car has only steel wheels - all the same size, - so i dont think that the nuts were different length.

The nut was missing when i went to change the wheel - (i have no idea how long it has been missing, - is it safe to drive with only 4 insead of 5 nuts?

I am going to try the chisel option at the weekend and then the "easy out" after that if needed - I am confident it wont be as easy as it sounds!

Thanks again.

 

[eric242340]

Thanks for the advice P.O.D.


- Re your first point, - my car has only steel wheels - all the same size, - so i dont think that the nuts were different length.

The nut was missing when i went to change the wheel - (i have no idea how long it has been missing, - is it safe to drive with only 4 insead of 5 nuts?

I am going to try the chisel option at the weekend and then the "easy out" after that if needed - I am confident it wont be as easy as it sounds!

Thanks again.

On a wheel stud/bolt broken, dont even think about the easy out option. They are way too strong and the easy out tools are case hardened, the easy out will simply break off leaving you with case hardened metal in the middle of the part you are trying to remove. Do as Malcolm said and centre pop, then start drilling (must keep the drill straight) then increase the drill size until the remaining metal can be prized out without damaging the inner threads.

 

[Dave's E55 AMG]

On a wheel stud/bolt broken, dont even think about the easy out option. They are way too strong and the easy out tools are case hardened, the easy out will simply break off leaving you with case hardened metal in the middle of the part you are trying to remove. Do as Malcolm said and centre pop, then start drilling (must keep the drill straight) then increase the drill size until the remaining metal can be prized out without damaging the inner threads.

Then re-tap the thread and when you put your new bolts in use a small amount of "copper sieze" on the threads.

 

[television]

Then re-tap the thread and when you put your new bolts in use a small amount of "copper sieze" on the threads.

A poor mans tap is to cut a slot on a bolt along the thread,with a hacksaw and make it like a tap.

malcolm

 

[Chris_J]

My old Golf used to snap wheel bolts like there was no tomorrow. I had a few centre tapped to get them removed. The metal had fatigued on the bolts.

I did have 19" wheels and it wheel hopped too easily in the wet after a remap

 

[Parrot of Doom]

On a wheel stud/bolt broken, dont even think about the easy out option. They are way too strong and the easy out tools are case hardened, the easy out will simply break off leaving you with case hardened metal in the middle of the part you are trying to remove. Do as Malcolm said and centre pop, then start drilling (must keep the drill straight) then increase the drill size until the remaining metal can be prized out without damaging the inner threads.

I can't see there being anywhere near enough resistance to snap an easyout. The head of the bolt is missing, therefore theres nothing holding the threaded part in. I bet if enough thread was poking out, you could get a pair of pliers on it and remove it with your little finger.

 

[eric242340]

I can't see there being anywhere near enough resistance to snap an easyout. The head of the bolt is missing, therefore theres nothing holding the threaded part in. I bet if enough thread was poking out, you could get a pair of pliers on it and remove it with your little finger.

Beg to differ but ive broken quite a few on wheel studs, before i learnt the lesson, problem is the bolts are an alloy (I dont mean alluminium) and the hub is steel. They literally weld together. Its not just the head holding the bolt. But I have found that when using an easy out heating the broken bolt first and spraying WD40, then easy out and sure enough it comes out. But not everyone has oxy accetelene available. Thats why I did not bother to give this option.