I try to do most of the routine maintenance and repair on my cars. I dont have a tire mounter, balancer or alignment rack, so I have to go to the pros for this.
Among a few other things (at least one tire not balanced properly, the steering wheel not being locked in center for the alignment), this last vist was frought with a major problem. Today I was doing a front brake job on my wifes mini-van and one of the lug nuts was very badly crossthreaded on the stud.
Tried gentle impact, then higher setting impact, then still higher impact.... but no joy. Got out the breaker bar and *snap*. 
No biggie right? Punched the remaining piece out of the hub, took the permanently connected broken piece of stud and the lug nut and the small end, and headed to Napa.
The computer catalog doesn't list any studs for 2008 town and country minivans. Seriously. It lists lug nuts, but that is it.
We can't figure it out with the limited tools (crappy calipers) he has there, ("my boss keeps the good stuff locked up so we can't use it on Sunday" ???) so I come home and get the details:
12x1.50 metric thread
14.1mm Knurl
11.3(ish)mm shoulder
46.2(ish?)mm Length
Call him back. Nope, nothing in stock in that size. Closest is 20mm too short.
Get on the internet. For about an hour or more. Look at dorman products, nice products, every possible parts house I could find and either:
- there was nothing in that size configuration
or
- there was nothing listed for a 2008 T&C (or Grand Caravan) for wheel studs.
WTF?
Anybody shed any light? Parts counters at dealers don't open until tomorrow at 07:30 around here, so I'm stuck good.
I'm hesitant to get "just close" on a stud.
Thanks.
Among a few other things (at least one tire not balanced properly, the steering wheel not being locked in center for the alignment), this last vist was frought with a major problem. Today I was doing a front brake job on my wifes mini-van and one of the lug nuts was very badly crossthreaded on the stud.
Tried gentle impact, then higher setting impact, then still higher impact.... but no joy. Got out the breaker bar and *snap*. No biggie right? Punched the remaining piece out of the hub, took the permanently connected broken piece of stud and the lug nut and the small end, and headed to Napa.
The computer catalog doesn't list any studs for 2008 town and country minivans. Seriously. It lists lug nuts, but that is it.
We can't figure it out with the limited tools (crappy calipers) he has there, ("my boss keeps the good stuff locked up so we can't use it on Sunday" ???) so I come home and get the details:
12x1.50 metric thread
14.1mm Knurl
11.3(ish)mm shoulder
46.2(ish?)mm Length
Call him back. Nope, nothing in stock in that size. Closest is 20mm too short.
Get on the internet. For about an hour or more. Look at dorman products, nice products, every possible parts house I could find and either:
- there was nothing in that size configuration
or
- there was nothing listed for a 2008 T&C (or Grand Caravan) for wheel studs.
WTF?
Anybody shed any light? Parts counters at dealers don't open until tomorrow at 07:30 around here, so I'm stuck good.
I'm hesitant to get "just close" on a stud.
Thanks.