How would you go about this (broken wheel nut)

[paulwoof]

so after the huge ordeal of changing the suspension on my car. it was time to put on my new wheels and extended wheel nuts, and you can imagine how pleased i was when the breaker bar smacked to the floor for me to find half the wheel nut still in the socket.

il accept fault that i probably overtightened it (a fair bit), but this is what im left with, il use pictures to explain the situation better







as you can see the head of then nut has snapped clean off leaving just the threaded section left in the wheel, and left an almost flat face with, there is a tiny bit of the hexagonal head but nowhere near enough to get a socket on. ive had a chisel on it to try and get it round but it was more than happy to take chunks out of the alloy nut.

im stumped for ideas here and i really need it off. any any suggestions.

no points for guessing the car. lets just say im a powerfully built director with a goate.

[v8will]

Hmm low offset Rota wheels on a MX-5

Had the same problem on mine years back with a set of Kosei wheels. Drilled the stud out, they are dead easy to change on these. You could try a smaller size socket and bash out over the original nut but it probably won't work.

[ADEuk]

I wouldn't suggest slackening the three remaining nuts and driving round a the carpark to loosen the broken one

[johnpeat]

Heat the nut so it will release and knock it off with a socket or a lever of some sort?

If that fails, drill it off (drill a hole either side and the rest falls out).

If you're feeling brave (and 1 nut coming-loose isn't a biggie for a short trip) - drive to any tyre fitter as they'll have done this many times...

[johnpeat]

ADEuk said:

I wouldn't suggest slackening the three remaining nuts and driving round a the carpark to loosen the broken one

Because that could bend the bolt and damage the wheel of course...

Edited by johnpeat on Tuesday 22 November 16:55

[johnpeat]

Incidentally, are those REALLY short bolts or has part of teh bolt broken off?

If it has you need a new hub anyway so go nuts

[ADEuk]

johnpeat said:

Because that could bend the bolt and damage the wheel of course...

Edited by johnpeat on Tuesday 22 November 16:55

It's studs, just bash through when wheel removed

[Gixer]

It's only a couple of corners rounded. Use one of those sockets that grip the sides of the nut as opposed to the corners (sorry I can't recall the make/name of them and I'm not at home). That should remove it. By design the tighter the nut the more the socket will grip the sides.

Failing that there are sockets designed to remove chewed up nuts much worse than that.

[v8will]

doogz said:

Do the studs come out of these hubs? Never seen one up close.

yes, wheel stud and nut. That's why I suggested drilling the entire stud out. The studs are a doddle to change and cost only a few pence from Mazda.

[paulwoof]

i thought the stud was going to be much more hassle.

i was looking at easy outs but i dont suppose they will work on the nut, more for getting the stud out.
i was thinking of local tyre places as surely they came across similar in their time, but how usefull they will be i dont know.

[shouldbworking]

I thought this was going to be a redux of cutting the wheel off

[Classic Grad 98]

Stop fretting about it and drill the phucker out. Fitting a new stud will be easy.
Also you must've massively overtightened it so I prescribe a torque wrench.

[Snowboy]

However you get it out.
Make sure the next step is buying tourque wrench.

[TheInternet]

shouldbworking said:

I thought this was going to be a redux of cutting the wheel off

I was looking for that, luckily it sounds like there is a less mental option in this case. Regrettably the only other thing that entered my loaf was this, but I think I am being deceived by the Toyo rim protectors:

[MX7]

Classic Grad 98 said:

Also you must've massively overtightened it so I prescribe a torque wrench.

I was going to say the same. I think you'll be amazed at the difference between the correct torque and that! That's a big nut to break.

Good luck getting it off.

[v8will]

doogz said:

Can you get at them from the back? Or are they blind tapped?

And if you can, do they stand proud, so you've got something to work with to start with?

Spline fitment. I persuaded mine out with a couple of hits with a hammer. Popped the new stud in and wound on a open ended nut which pulled the new stud into the hub.

[Classic Grad 98]

doogz said:

Out of interest, was it a steel nut? Or an aluminium one?

They don't make wheel nuts out of aluminium. They'll probably be stainless.

[Classic Grad 98]

Doogz- bloody hell! Who is buying those!?

[v8will]

doogz said:

Ah, so there's no way to get them out the 'front' of the hub. I've seen some that look kinda like coach bolts before, where 2 minutes with the grinder at the rear of the hub would leave you with a stud that you could wind out from the wheel end, by hand.

Nope unfortunately.

Quite worryingly wheel nuts seem to be very variable in quality. Most of the tuner slim line type are far east in origin and quite frankly, st.

Bimecc do a good range and there is plenty of UK retailers

http://www.bimecc.it/en/wheel-accessories-alloy-wh...

[MX7]

doogz said:

Classic Grad 98 said:

Doogz- bloody hell! Who is buying those!?

http://www.scoobyparts.com/acatalog/copy_of_LIGHTWEIGHT_ALLOY_TUNER_WHEEL_NUT___KEY_SET.html

Retarded Subaru owners apparently.

7075 Al, UTS of 276MPa, compared with 800MPa for a mild steel 8.8.

Wow. People really do buy crap. Still, I'm sure the weight saving will transform the car, and half his fuel consumption, at least.