Sad day for my car. I got a new set of tires, went to a tire shop to install them. The folks found that the lug nuts are way too tight and won't come off. One broke, right at the start of the stud thread.

The proposed solution was to drill the studs (5 per wheel) then replace them. However it looks like on the front wheels the studs don't come as separate part for some strange reason, one needs to order the whole hub (c2c019585). parts.com has it for $256.75.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

This is a good case for finding a couple cans of Kano Aerokroil by Kano Labs (go to their web site). Soak the lugs as well as you can with this over night. Use both cans and get it good. There has never been anything so corroded that I could not get it loose with this stuff andI restore classic motorcycles. This oil will soak rightthrough steel I think.There is no penetrant in the world close to this stuff, just a happy user. You can bet those lugs will come off safely unless they are cross threaded.

 

Thanks for the advice.The trouble is the nuts have nice chrome caps on top, which prevent most of the fluid from getting in. I'll try it anyway.

 

Forgot to mention. The broken nut had no corosion on it looks like any zinc covered metal would look.

 

The lug nutsdo have stainless sheet metalcaps but the part that is hanging up is a large CAD coated metal washer against the aluminum alloy wheelpressed down bya resilient pad of some epdm-like material, with a normal alloy screw thread inside of it all holding to the hub stud. All this alloy and cad generates enough stray current to light up Toledo, making it a sure thing that a rough surface will develop to cause you grief.The Aerokroil will find its way into the screw thread and under the washer, but it will take a little quantity and a little time. It will dissolve the corrossion in there. I coat low grade stainless exhaust systems (XJ6)with the stuff to keep it from corroding as well as high carbon tools and so on.

 

I would drill a small hole through the chrome cap (maybe 1/8"). Then you'd have a reservoir for oil. You would wind up trashing the nuts anyway. I'd sacrifice the nuts for keeping the studs.

 

The stainless covers are permanent, just remove the nuts by putting the 19mm socket on them.

 

Thanks Randu,

I found it too and got one of the two sets available. Also, turns out you actually can order the front studs separately from the hubs. I'll post the part number when I get them.

 

Small update. I managed to remove one of the broken nuts. Pictures here http://picasaweb.google.com/veffremo...ey=w7z50ncbAHw. Took about 5 hours.
Two more came off it a little persuasion from the air impact wrench.

The dummy who last worked the tires put one of the rear ones backwards.