Need Some Serious Help
Discussion
In a bit of a bind here, so my locking wheel nut centre bit snapped, the bit with the pattern so can't remove the locking wheel nut. I was actually doing it up at the time and it just snapped off. So errrrr I decided to knock a socket on top of it and try to loosen it that way. Well that was a mistake, its a spinning collar!
So now I have a socket stuck on a broken wheel nut. I have tried everything to remove the socket, breaker bars, plus gas, mole grips, it really isn't going anywhere, due to other work the car needs to can't go to a garage either so stuck at home trying to fix it.
I was thinking of splitting the socket it somehow but have no idea where to start, its a Halfords Advanced socket I am using. I think a dremel or something? Would that do that job of cutting through that type of metal?
If so are there any recommended discs for cutting metal? Last time I tried a dremel and cutting metal the discs just broke.
If there are any other suggestions would be happy to hear them and yes I know I should have gone to a garage to start with :/
So now I have a socket stuck on a broken wheel nut. I have tried everything to remove the socket, breaker bars, plus gas, mole grips, it really isn't going anywhere, due to other work the car needs to can't go to a garage either so stuck at home trying to fix it.
I was thinking of splitting the socket it somehow but have no idea where to start, its a Halfords Advanced socket I am using. I think a dremel or something? Would that do that job of cutting through that type of metal?
If so are there any recommended discs for cutting metal? Last time I tried a dremel and cutting metal the discs just broke.
If there are any other suggestions would be happy to hear them and yes I know I should have gone to a garage to start with :/
The trick to cutting metal with a dremel is a very very steady hand, the disks are very thin so if you get the angle just wrong you're putting a sideways load on it and it'll snap. You might find you can cut two parallel slots a very small distance apart, breaking out the bit in the middle, so you're never cutting very deep in to a narrow slot, but a bigger angle grinder or disk cutter is going to be better.
I'd be trying to cut a slot in the socket to get a chisel in and break the socket off.
Getting the bolt out is trickier though, maybe try welding a nut to it?
Luckily I managed to break my locking wheel bolt socket (twice!) rather than the bolt itself. I've since replaced them with standard bolts, do people nick wheels these days?
I'd be trying to cut a slot in the socket to get a chisel in and break the socket off.
Getting the bolt out is trickier though, maybe try welding a nut to it?
Luckily I managed to break my locking wheel bolt socket (twice!) rather than the bolt itself. I've since replaced them with standard bolts, do people nick wheels these days?
Hi,
Thank you, I did think about an angle grinder but not sure there is enough depth, there is on one side not sure about the other.
It's those stupid spinner collar locking wheel nuts, though the "spinning" part was stuck solid so didn't think they were spinning until I knocked the socket on there and found that they were!
Strangely another locking wheel nut is making the same crunching type sound just before the middle snapped off so have now removed the remaining locking wheels nut and will replace them
Not sure if people do steal alloys anymore but these are 18" Focus ST alloys with a £100 tyre on each one, not sure if my insurance would pay out if they did get stolen and didn't have locking wheel nuts on
Thank you, I did think about an angle grinder but not sure there is enough depth, there is on one side not sure about the other.
It's those stupid spinner collar locking wheel nuts, though the "spinning" part was stuck solid so didn't think they were spinning until I knocked the socket on there and found that they were!
Strangely another locking wheel nut is making the same crunching type sound just before the middle snapped off so have now removed the remaining locking wheels nut and will replace them
Not sure if people do steal alloys anymore but these are 18" Focus ST alloys with a £100 tyre on each one, not sure if my insurance would pay out if they did get stolen and didn't have locking wheel nuts on
If you put an extension into the socket and then hammer that down (towards the floor), would that break it free of the locking nut maybe?
As above the little dremel cutting discs don't like any side load so it does take a steady hand, have been cutting various little awkward to reach bits of metal over the weekend with a few of them. I haven't taken one to a halfords advanced socket, but if I remember I'll attack one tonight with it and let you know if it cuts!
As above the little dremel cutting discs don't like any side load so it does take a steady hand, have been cutting various little awkward to reach bits of metal over the weekend with a few of them. I haven't taken one to a halfords advanced socket, but if I remember I'll attack one tonight with it and let you know if it cuts!
Sorry for the stupid questions, but I’m just trying to understand the problem here.
You’ve hammered a socket onto a wheel nut that has a spinning collar, but you can rotate this socket through 360 degrees with nothing happening. Correct?
In which case I’d be breaking out the angle grinder and trying to cut two slits the full length of the Halfords socket. Even if you can’t go the full length due to the proximity of the wheel, cutting some length is better than cutting none.
If you haven’t got an angle grind then an electric saw should do.
If a Dremmal is the only tool available then I’d proceed with extra caution. As the other respondent noted, Dremmal discs are extremely thin and aren’t the ideal tool for the job. Expect them to shatter and wear the appropriate PPE, (thick jacket, thick gloves and face shield).
If running out of discs is likely to be an issue, just cut one side of the socket and open it up further with a hammer and a chisel.
For removing the locking wheel but itself, either weld on a nut or your local Kwick Fit type place will have locking wheel nut removal sockets that will get it off for £20.
HTH ?
You’ve hammered a socket onto a wheel nut that has a spinning collar, but you can rotate this socket through 360 degrees with nothing happening. Correct?
In which case I’d be breaking out the angle grinder and trying to cut two slits the full length of the Halfords socket. Even if you can’t go the full length due to the proximity of the wheel, cutting some length is better than cutting none.
If you haven’t got an angle grind then an electric saw should do.
If a Dremmal is the only tool available then I’d proceed with extra caution. As the other respondent noted, Dremmal discs are extremely thin and aren’t the ideal tool for the job. Expect them to shatter and wear the appropriate PPE, (thick jacket, thick gloves and face shield).
If running out of discs is likely to be an issue, just cut one side of the socket and open it up further with a hammer and a chisel.
For removing the locking wheel but itself, either weld on a nut or your local Kwick Fit type place will have locking wheel nut removal sockets that will get it off for £20.
HTH ?
Jonj1 said:
Lol thank you 
The only extension bar I have in 1/2" size are wobble bars! Which are completely useless, I tried it with a 3/4 to 1/2 adapter and a standard extension and nothing, wouldn't move at all, in spins just fine though! :/
Buy or Borrow a non-wobbly one.. You could also try the same trick with the right sized long flat screw driver or a suitably sturdy big allen keyThe only extension bar I have in 1/2" size are wobble bars! Which are completely useless, I tried it with a 3/4 to 1/2 adapter and a standard extension and nothing, wouldn't move at all, in spins just fine though! :/
Edited by Captain Answer on Monday 1st March 12:46
Jonj1 said:
Yes, hammed socket onto spinning collar not realising it was a spinning collar, now the nut will spin just fine because the collar is rotating.
Might buy an angle grinder and try that
Make sure you get some appropriate goggles too if not got any currently, probably need a cold chisel and lump hammer tooMight buy an angle grinder and try that
Jonj1 said:
Might buy an angle grinder and try that
Wickes do an own brand one for £30 if you're after something cheap that's up to the job. As above though, wear goggles as an absolute minimum protection, it's unlikely but still possible to break a proper angle grinder disk, especially if there's a chance the socket could turn while you're grinding it. A pair of mole grips on the socket should stop it turning and still give you enough space to cut.Don't use the brown dremel discs (Dremel 420) that attach with a screw through the centre. Any sideways movement & they disintegrate.
The ones that look like mini versions of a normal size cutting disc with the reinforcing mesh are much better.
I use them with the Dremel flexible extension for seized nuts & bodywork where I can't get a full size grinder in.
Either the speedclic ones (Dremel SC456) or Dremel 426 which attach with the centre screw.
I've got both types, neither are cheap but they do the job.
The ones that look like mini versions of a normal size cutting disc with the reinforcing mesh are much better.
I use them with the Dremel flexible extension for seized nuts & bodywork where I can't get a full size grinder in.
Either the speedclic ones (Dremel SC456) or Dremel 426 which attach with the centre screw.
I've got both types, neither are cheap but they do the job.
Thanks for all the replies, I have decided to not bugger around with it and just take it to the garage in the morning where I am sure they will get a good laugh out of it
I found this video most helpful though and went yes! at the end of it, this is exactly the same as me including middle bit missing from locking wheel nut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aslnbOKwf-s
And found some slide hammer tools on ebay and amazon
I found this video most helpful though and went yes! at the end of it, this is exactly the same as me including middle bit missing from locking wheel nut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aslnbOKwf-s
And found some slide hammer tools on ebay and amazon
GreenV8S said:
Use the breaker bar not to spin the socket but to rock it. It has to move (no way that socket has enough friction on that collar to resist you leaning on a breaker bar) and will gradually creep off the thing you hammered it onto.
^^This, I've removed loads of locking nuts by hammering a socket over them, this method always gets the socket back off, I highly doubt that the socket is on there so tightly that it needs to be cut off. Once the socket is off you should be able to split the spinning collar with a big hammer and a chisel to remove it and then you can hammer a socket back on again.Got the socket off Well the garage did with a slide hammer and the socket wasn't damaged either which was a bonus.
The locking wheel nut is another story, took them almost an hour to get that off, in the end had to knock something into the old locking nut.
Downside is now my driveshaft is making a knocking sound :/
Well the garage did with a slide hammer and the socket wasn't damaged either which was a bonus.The locking wheel nut is another story, took them almost an hour to get that off, in the end had to knock something into the old locking nut.
Downside is now my driveshaft is making a knocking sound :/
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