broken wheel lock

[bowlofturtle]

a friend of mines calls me up, she had a friend to her tire roation and well the wheel lock broke. I dont know the exact picture of how it broke off. She told me he used a impact and snapped the lock and or key in 2 or 3.

Its a stock honda civic lock on some alum. rims. right off the top of my head i thought blowtorch the lug out but i'm not sure, i wanted to give it a try. She told me it was a OEM lock so its most likely a mcgard lock, the smooth sided circle with a cloud shaped pattern as a key.

in my mind i think its going to be similiar to this...

which type of tool would you recommend for a broken wheel lock. I'm trying to save the wheel and her some cash.

 

[krusty the clown]

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-421-astro-pneumatic-7871.aspx

 

[Fedwrench]

If there is enough of the broken lug nut exposed, you can probably get it off with a turbosocket. Harbor Freight also has a thin walled two piece damaged lug nut removal set that works ok. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96296

Otherwise, an air hammer may be your new friend for awhile.

 

[Rigmaster]

If there is enough of the broken lug nut exposed, you can probably get it off with a turbosocket. Harbor Freight also has a thin walled two piece damaged lug nut removal set that works ok. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96296

Otherwise, an air hammer may be your new friend for awhile.

Those HF Spiral things **** IMHO. I bought some at Big Lots a while back, and tried to use one recently and the metal is so soft it didn't dig into the wheel lock like you would think it should.


I have had luck removing wheel locks by welding an old lug nut to the lock and then spinning it out with an impact. I carefully ground some of the chrome off of the lock so the weld would stick, then basically just filled the center of the lug nut with MiG welding wire- not much finesse required. Let it cool and spin it off.

 

[Vulturej]

I have the Matco WL9K wheel lock remover kit, it has saved me a couple times. Its basically the same kit Krusty posted a link for.

 

[nate379]

Air chisel is usually what I use if I can get it in there. Otherwise welding a nut on the end has always worked.

 

[ImportTuner]

That tool set that Krusty posted works well on it. I personally have a similar set and have removed OEM Honda locks with it ..

 

[spazzer]

I got something like this in Blue Point: http://tinyurl.com/clyrce

Hammer it onto the wheel lock, and either use a breaker bar to loosen them or your favorite impact gun at a slow speed. It'll come right off. If you use an impact gun don't go for broke with it IE go fast, it'll just spin on the wheel lock and round it even worse.

 

[krusty the clown]

most all of the truck brands are relabled LTI.....

http://www.ltitools.com/

the astro set i posted of course is an import. i posted that one due to the lower cost. probably better suited for a one time or occasional use.


i have also hammered on old 12pt sockets to remove wheel locks as well.

 

[ephotrod]

Poor mans trick is to get a socket (not name brand) that is about the same dia. and hammer it on the lug nut. Once it is pressed firmly on the lug nut slowly spin it off. Please note that this usually results in a socket that is cracked open but it takes car of your problem at a small price.
Josh

 

[bowlofturtle]

^ that is my first method of attack, i have some cheap china " impact graded" they ended up almost rounded themselves off internally, so i'm going to hammer away in hopes of saving some cash. Otherwise i'll just order up that Astro set on her card and see where we are there.

i wanted to try that sears kit out but i think the socket walls might be too thick

 

[Red Green]

The way it looks to me is that you will either need to torch the nut off be carefull just to heat the lug nut untill the steel starts to puddle up when it is melted don't press the trigger to blow it out. Second choice is to center punch the stud and drill out the wheel stud being careful not to rub the wheel.

 

[alex71]

I know its fun to buy tools, but here's a free solution: weld a hex nut to it. This works even if the lug nut is recessed--a bit of grease or adhesive on the face of the hex nut to keep it stuck to the broken lug nut, and weld through the inside of the nut.

 

[nissan_crawler]

There is no way in hell I would be using a damn torch around an aluminum wheel. That's a great way to cause potentially fatal issues later.

Use an old socket, the posted removers, or weld a nut on.

 

[bgott]

A locking lug nut remover isn't going to work on this one. You need the whole circumference of the nut to be intact so the remover can wedge down on it. You are going to have to weld a nut onto it. You will have to jamb a little piece of copper on top of the stud so you don't accidentally weld the nut to it, that would really ruin your day. Get in there and grind the chrome off of the nut, that can screw with your penetration. You are going to have to weld it off center and that is going to force you to use a smaller nut so you can still get a wrench on it. You might want to use a short length of pipe and run a rod down it, then you can weld a nut on the pipe and then you are sure to be able to get a socket on it. If the pipe is just a little bit smaller than the hole in the wheel it might help stop the pipe from twisting off at a weird angle. Good luck, this one is going to be a PITA.

On Edit: If you have access to square nut sockets, 8 pointers, you might be able to do something with one of those. The points stick up higher and, if you have one that will beat down on the nut tightly, might hook on the broken edge and break it loose.

 

[Garage_Mahal]

NC, with care, that can easily be welded safely.

 

[Chris Adams]

Probably cut or broke it off by now but there is a better way on those type lugs.
It takes a few minutes but nothing is damaged.

Get a good jack.
Lift the wheel you are working on.
Remove all the other lugs, leaving only the lock.
You can at this point spray lubricant or squirt (less getting on the brakes) liquid wrench in there. I never bother but I'm not in the rust zone.

Now, with only one lug holding and the wheel turning, position the wheel till the lock is at 3 or 9 o'clock. Have an assistant hold down the brake pedal. A kid or wife works fine for this.
Carefully lower the vehicle till several hundred pounds are on the tire, while keeping the brake on.
If the tire shifts you can now remove the lock with pliers. If it doesn't, jack it back up, release the brake and rotate the tire to the other position, 3 or 9 o'clock.
Repeat lowing the car till the weight turns the wheel on the lug. It can take a half dozen semi-rotations and lowering with brake locked. After you do one, it is very easy as you get the method down.

I have done about fifty this way. No marking the rim, no tool scrapes, no real work.
The inert type centering lug nuts have clearance around them, this clearance allows the wheel to shift a very small amount when weight is put on the wheel and the hub doesn't turn. That's why you lower the weight onto the wheel with the brake locked.
Once it has 'wiggled' a little, it just unscrews.

Had a bunch of friends in the navy back in the day, they would always deploy, carrying their keys, then we would have to remove the tires and get them aired up, or off the air shocks.
This always works unless they use two or more locking lugs on each wheel.

 

[UK Steve]

These Ko-ken nut busters have always worked for me........double ended 21mm x 24.5 mm

 

[Bubbles]

I had to use those when the keyed nut got stuck on my truck

 

[TexasT]

If all that fails just remove the other lug nuts and bust the last stud off and replace it with new. Be sure to get a new nut too. Just be careful you don't knock the thing off the jack stand. Usually a good pull on the top of the tire with the attachment at the bottom will break it off.

 

[nissan_crawler]

NC, with care, that can easily be welded safely.

I said torch, not welder. I even said I would weld it in my post.

Trying to torch a lugnut off inside an aluminum wheel would do ungodly things to the aluminum that could end up in a wheel cracking off going down the highway.

 

[Rigmaster]

Probably cut or broke it off by now but there is a better way on those type lugs.
It takes a few minutes but nothing is damaged.

Get a good jack.
Lift the wheel you are working on.
Remove all the other lugs, leaving only the lock.
You can at this point spray lubricant or squirt (less getting on the brakes) liquid wrench in there. I never bother but I'm not in the rust zone.

Now, with only one lug holding and the wheel turning, position the wheel till the lock is at 3 or 9 o'clock. Have an assistant hold down the brake pedal. A kid or wife works fine for this.
Carefully lower the vehicle till several hundred pounds are on the tire, while keeping the brake on.
If the tire shifts you can now remove the lock with pliers. If it doesn't, jack it back up, release the brake and rotate the tire to the other position, 3 or 9 o'clock.
Repeat lowing the car till the weight turns the wheel on the lug. It can take a half dozen semi-rotations and lowering with brake locked. After you do one, it is very easy as you get the method down.

I have done about fifty this way. No marking the rim, no tool scrapes, no real work.
The inert type centering lug nuts have clearance around them, this clearance allows the wheel to shift a very small amount when weight is put on the wheel and the hub doesn't turn. That's why you lower the weight onto the wheel with the brake locked.
Once it has 'wiggled' a little, it just unscrews.

Had a bunch of friends in the navy back in the day, they would always deploy, carrying their keys, then we would have to remove the tires and get them aired up, or off the air shocks.
This always works unless they use two or more locking lugs on each wheel.

Hmm.

Interesting way to do it, but it won't work if the wheel is hubcentric.

 

[Chris Adams]

Hmm.

Interesting way to do it, but it won't work if the wheel is hubcentric.

Perhaps, but it has worked every time I did it. And the guys I showed how to do it when I was in autoparts. Got free beer dropped by the stores on occasion after they got the wheels off.
Even with a 'matching' hub, you only need a few thousandths of an inch of 'wiggle' before the lug loosens up. Almost any hub will allow that. Or you would have to use a hammer to put the wheel on, or take it off.

 

[Carlitos]

This happened to a friend of mine a while ago, we ended up welding a nut.
The jack method is much more simpler in my opinion, hopefully i won't have to try it.

 

[DHS]

The way it looks to me is that you will either need to torch the nut off be carefull just to heat the lug nut untill the steel starts to puddle up when it is melted don't press the trigger to blow it out. Second choice is to center punch the stud and drill out the wheel stud being careful not to rub the wheel.

I agree drilling out seem like the easiest and cheapest method.

 

[Richard Givan]

Reading this thread has got me thinking about a suggestion I was told or read long ago and wondered about since. In the collective wisdom of this group, do you think it a good idea to put a drop of oil or dab of grease on each wheel stud when changing or rotating tires? It should help keep them from growing together, especially when the vehicle is not driven much and the tires are very seldom changed.

On the other hand, some would fear that it would promote loose wheels (which I doubt). More likely in my mind, it might change torque values enough to throw things off.

So is it lubrication or good old dry "ribbed for her pleasure?"

 

[ImportTuner]

Reading this thread has got me thinking about a suggestion I was told or read long ago and wondered about since. In the collective wisdom of this group, do you think it a good idea to put a drop of oil or dab of grease on each wheel stud when changing or rotating tires? It should help keep them from growing together, especially when the vehicle is not driven much and the tires are very seldom changed.

On the other hand, some would fear that it would promote loose wheels (which I doubt). More likely in my mind, it might change torque values enough to throw things off.

So is it lubrication or good old dry "ribbed for her pleasure?"

I always spray a little WD40 on the threads; probably more of habit / to prevent galling when torquing lugs ..

BTW .. hey bowlofturtle, what's the status ..