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Seized lug nuts?

10K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  GREASEMONKEY 
#1 ·
I was going to do an axle shaft swap this weekend, but I found that I have two lug nuts that are seized up on the bolts. I put an impact to them but nothing happened. I know if I put a lug wrench on them i will snap the bolts off my wheel spacers. Any suggestions on how to get them off without breaking them?:brickwall:
 
#3 ·
I took a nut breaker to mine. at some point one of my lug nuts got cross threaded, and when I took an impact to remove it, it spun itself out of the axle shaft, wearing down all the little threads. only way to remove it was the nut breaker.

Took me about a half hour to snap the nut, remove the tire, brake assy. and reinstall a new stud.
 
#8 ·
I would sure hope they are replaceable..I'd never buy $100 wheelspacer that would need replaced if I stripped a stud.
 
#9 ·
One good thing I learned years ago is to apply antiseize to the stud and lug nut threads to prevent this very thing. I always use it and haven't had a seized nut since. I did recently have 4-5 seized nuts but they were on the used TJ I bought recently that didn't have antiseize on the wheel stud threads. I had to use a breaker bar to get the nuts off which of course snapped the studs.
 
#14 ·
Try a breaker bar. You can break bolts loose that an impact can't move. Thats why they call it a breaker bar...
Use a cheater pipe if you have to.
ALWAYS use a breaker bar to begin to loosen highly torqued nuts, then the impact to run them off. Same with torquing them, don't hammer them on with the impact, torque by hand. Both will saves time and potential other screw ups.

If you do snap the stud off, no big deal. Easy fix.
 
#16 ·
Be careful with the spacers. The aluminum is not nearly as forgiving as the actual steel axle. You can spin the stud in the spacer and destroy the splines holding it in place. I'll make a suggestiong that I have not seen yet, and has worked for me in a few situations where great caution needed to be taken.
Try using a centering punch, make a mark center of the nut if it's a cap nut, or center of the stud if it's visible. Start with a 1/8" drill bit, and drill your way just past the depth of the nut. Slowly increase the size of the drill till you have basically cut the nut off from the inside out. You should have no problem just poping it off when you get to a 1/2" drill, if it takes that!
Once you get the wheel, and spacer removed you can use a punch & hammer to knock out the damaged stud's to be replaced.
 
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