Stripped lugnut on major highway

[NJHandyGuy]

gentlemen advise needed NOW

last night i gotta call for a pontiac grand am on the side of 195 in jackson car broke down in the center lane ARRRRGGGG HHHHH and this DXXXweed thought that would be a great place to change a tire (special thanks to NJ state police) for doing absolutely nothing. problem is the guy had 2 lugnuts (out of 5 and both were stripped beyond belief. guy was 835 miles from home and tire needed to be changed till the morning.

fluted sockets failed me

how using what i had would you get the tire off???? imact gun 17 19 21 and assorted sockets hammer and breaker bar thanks jay

there was no heat available

 

[TozziWelding]

Call a welder, LOL

 

[larry_g]

You got a truck? Pick the thing up and haul it away to a proper shop.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[mike13u]

Hammer on a 20mm chrome socket on the stripped lug. Use impact to turn it off. It will spin for a moment and then catch.

Also, for the future, NAPA sells a stripped lug nut remover kit

 

[theoldwizard1]

You got a truck? Pick the thing up and haul it away to a proper shop.

If the owner was unwilling to move the car to the shoulder, I would have picked it up and at least moved to a safe place, telling him ahead of time that this will cost extra.

Your life and health are the most important things you have.

MI passed a law last year to move over a lane or slow down when emergency vehicles are on the shoulder. Very few people do.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Allow me to clarify i got the i need a flat changed call

stupid ******* me took the f150 not the wrecker with a jack and my gun

mike a fluted socket is a lug remover *designed for this

this was a EPIC fail as it was more oval than hexagon

 

[TozziWelding]

I feel the pain, when you show up on a job for what they told you, not what the job really was.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Allow me to clarify i got the i need a flat changed call

stupid ******* me took the f150 not the wrecker with a jack and my gun

mike a fluted socket is a lug remover *designed for this

this was a EPIC fail as it was more oval than hexagon

Sound like you need some tools in the F150 !

• portable jack
• battery impact
• flip socket for regular lug nuts
• fluted socket set for stripped ones
• big breaker bar for the ones that the impact can't get
• big F***ing hammer to set the fluted sockets

 

[theoldwizard1]

I feel the pain, when you show up on a job for what they told you, not what the job really was.

Ahhh ... Any one in Boy Scouts ?

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Sound like you need some tools in the F150 !

• portable jack Was on there see above 3 ton high lift aluminum
• battery impact check that was there also
• flip socket for regular lug nuts in the same bag
• fluted socket set for stripped ones see what failed
• big breaker bar for the ones that the impact can't get yep present and present
• big F***ing hammer to set the fluted sockets see above again

here
not pictured jack

 

[andrew_94]

gentlemen advise needed NOW

last night i gotta call for a pontiac grand am on the side of 195 in jackson car broke down in the center lane ARRRRGGGG HHHHH and this DXXXweed thought that would be a great place to change a tire (special thanks to NJ state police) for doing absolutely nothing.

I'm pretty familiar with that area. Near the outlets?

It's pretty brutal how people drive. Common sense ain't so common eh?

 

[Olafur]

When my 1/2" drive gear is struggling with lug nuts or bolts - typically stuck in alu-wheels - I use a round (mild) steel bar, approximately the same diameter as the required socket size for the nut/bolt head. 6-10" long. And 5+lbs hammer to give each nut/bolt one or two blows dead on - pretty much as hard as I am comfortable with without risking my hand too much (avoid lighter hammers for this job). And when I say hammer I am not talking about anything soft faced (dead blows e.t.c) but solid steel.

What usually happens is few nuts come off quite easy after the first round. The rest may need another go. Usually bolts can be reused, nuts - it depends, but the studs are fine.

 

[mike13u]

Missed that fluted had failed on original post. Sorry

 

[ibedayank]

cold chisel and a bfh split the lug nut

granted its slow but gets it off...

 

[theoldwizard1]

here
not pictured jack

I owe you an apology ! You look pretty well prepared !!!


So how DID you get that sucker off !!!

 

[NJHandyGuy]

didn't ASSISTED this waterhead to the road side then drove ALLL ther way back for a flatbed

 

[NJHandyGuy]

ibeadayank please explain

 

[ibedayank]

NJ... what you have never split a nut with a chisel before? does not work so well on alloy mags tho not enogh room to get the lugnut out really easy after you split it.


like using a nut splitter but with a chisel instead of splitting from the side you split it fron the top
if caefull you wont even ****** the stud threads... things you learn from the guys in their 60s when your a young kid...now im 37

 

[padronanniversary]

+2 on this. Amazing how good you get at this after you do it a few times

NJ... what you have never split a nut with a chisel before? does not work so well on alloy mags tho not enogh room to get the lugnut out really easy after you split it.


like using a nut splitter but with a chisel instead of splitting from the side you split it fron the top
if caefull you wont even ****** the stud threads... things you learn from the guys in their 60s when your a young kid...now im 37

 

[NJHandyGuy]

NJ... what you have never split a nut with a chisel before? does not work so well on alloy mags tho not enogh room to get the lugnut out really easy after you split it.


like using a nut splitter but with a chisel instead of splitting from the side you split it fron the top
if caefull you wont even ****** the stud threads... things you learn from the guys in their 60s when your a young kid...now im 37

no with cars whizzing by me at 80 i haven't also reccessed aluminuim hweels on the car

 

[Graymills - Craig]

MI passed a law last year to move over a lane or slow down when emergency vehicles are on the shoulder. Very few people do.

That makes my blood pressure rise almost as fast as when I get passed after pulling over for an emergency vehicle.

 

[Graymills - Craig]

here
not pictured jack

Stupid question. Is that impact wrench any good at breaking loose lug nuts? I've tried both corded and cordless (electric) versions and never had one that could break even a properly torqued nut.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

craig yes and no what kind of torque specs i bought this as a FILL IN after i dropped my s-o ct4850 it's great 80 % of the time the rest you need to breakum loose first

definately not in the league with the snappy but surprisingly still about as good as the dewalt

 

[williaty]

Then you had sissy-girl impact wrenches. Yeah, even a semi-decent impact wrench can remove lug nuts. Bigger impact wrenches will zip them off so fast they'll spin like a top.

 

[Graymills - Craig]

Then you had sissy-girl impact wrenches. Yeah, even a semi-decent impact wrench can remove lug nuts. Bigger impact wrenches will zip them off so fast they'll spin like a top.

Likely. But I switched to pneumatic, so it's mostly idle curiosity. Might have to pick up a Snap On for track days, though.

 

[71flh]

I've loosened lug nuts with a chisel in the past.

 

[mmurphy]

Funny I had just come across this! I had to remove as said problem this morning on a 99 Grand am with aluminum rims. I chiseled it off with a sledge and chisel. Went in direction to loosen and about after a hour of cussing and worrying that I was going to make things worse, it finaly started moving.
If they pull in again to ask me how to remove it, I will tell them a auto shop down the road!!

 

[Kevin54]

I wouldn't have risked my life in the middle of the highway for anyone. The idiot drivers stare at flashing lights and are drawn to them like a moth in a flame. Just look at how many police cars are hit when they have them pulled over on the side of the road. The middle would just be insane. Don't risk your life just because two dummies decide to change a flat in the middle of the highway.

 

[sberry]

Tire stores have their fair share of,,, well,,, lets say less than educated types installing wheels, threads dry and zip them on hot and fast with the air gun. Something that adds to the problem is the recommendation not to lube threads, not sure where they ever come up with that. More and more seized nuts from this all the time. My secretary had some tires changed, took 4 ft breaker bar and they come with a snap.
I usually am pretty good at following instructions but this is a place some engineering types are full of ****, bolts need oil to tighten properly and prevent dry seize, one never knows how much torque is used up overcoming thread friction dry, I cant even figure out how one could calculate the number, torque is crude as it is, insulted with a dry thread.

 

[jwith68]

Tire stores have their fair share of,,, well,,, lets say less than educated types installing wheels, threads dry and zip them on hot and fast with the air gun. Something that adds to the problem is the recommendation not to lube threads, not sure where they ever come up with that. More and more seized nuts from this all the time. My secretary had some tires changed, took 4 ft breaker bar and they come with a snap.
I usually am pretty good at following instructions but this is a place some engineering types are full of ****, bolts need oil to tighten properly and prevent dry seize, one never knows how much torque is used up overcoming thread friction dry, I cant even figure out how one could calculate the number, torque is crude as it is, insulted with a dry thread.

sberry, I am an enginering type myself, and you are absolutely correct. It only takes a tiny bit of oil or grease to adequately lubricate a wheel stud and lug nut, and that's where some people go wrong. But a bit of lubricant is essential to getting proper bolt tension with a given amount of torque, and that is the thing that actually matters.

I'll also add this thought: If a properly torqued fastener backs off due to vibration or cyclic load, it needs a locking device, not more torque. More torque might delay it backing off, but causes too many other problems.

 

[MadMark]

Then you had sissy-girl impact wrenches.

That brand is in the "Tools From the Old World" thread

 

[sberry]

Old snappy torque wrench manual says,,, lightly lubricated. I am not a big fan of never seize, messy for one and just not needed. A place near here had cement trucks, wheels coming loose and one of the genius types says,,, we don't lube because we don't want then coming loose.. I ask,,, how is that working for you? ha the answer was obvious. They start spraying bolts,,, what you know,,,, wheels stayed on. I saw another truck wheel a while back from a service shop, 2 days it falls off, the bolts "come loose",,, wrong, they stopped turning at some point, well before they provide clamping power.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I was always taught that for proper, consistent torque, the threads were to be clean and dry.

 

[sberry]

Re: Stripped lug nut on major highway

Who taught you this? Lube allows the fastener,, lets say nut to turn. Without it you never know when its sticking vs stop turning cause its tight. As a matter of fact it should never completely stop, the rotation should get harder until it gets to desired tension. You are trying to measure tension, not that torque is irrelevant its just the easiest way to approximate it and will vary with thread condition, being dry makes this factor a **** shoot at best. John Deere has a training manual some schools use for aspiring mechanics which gives some values which I forget the numbers.
I had guy working for me became firm believer once he started really paying attn to install and removal, we just never have seized bolts that we install, get them all the time from other places (big culprit is the tire shop). I reman a 30+ yr old Mack Renault truck, at first my Bud says,,, all these rusty bolts wont come out, on outside very rusted but they must have had good QC, outside rusted right over, inside almost pristine, come right loose like they should. Lots of fasteners appear to have rusted etc but in truth were seized upon installation, hence having tire changed yesterday and stuck lug nut today, it didn't rust there over night, the dipstick ran a fine nut on dry and quick, sure recipe for stuckicated.

 

[sberry]

On big bolts often we oil washers or flats to reduce gall effect, makes a big difference as to how hard a guy can turn. Look at keg of structural bolts, got the exact coating on them, not sposed to be left in the rain,, ha
I had some web pages somewhere engineering types had started dedicated to this issue,,, probably gone due to lack of interest, when I get my real puter back I will see if I can look them up.

 

[sberry]

Take a pipe thread,, which I realize is a different kind of thread,,, but the principle is somewhat the same, tighten dry, seizure, many cant be removed, then spray with even WD40, easily removed.