Suspension Lug bolts won't come off
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Joined: Feb 2008
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Lug bolts won't come off
Sorry this is a long saga but hopefully it may help someone...
About 3 weeks ago I rotated my tires with a broken torque wrench and got them on pretty tight. I HAD Palo Uber lug bolts on my Enkie wheels. Those lug bolts take a special 8 point Torx style tool. After taking a couple of lug bolts off the tool broke. I spent many days searching the Internet, calling on tire shops, Mini dealers, tool makers etc. and no one had anything. Just the tip of the tool broke off so I found a machine shop that recut the end for $85. I promptly broke off the new tip. I then had the tool shop make me some new tools out of 4130 steel for $200. I promptly broke two more. By now I have spent amost $300 and have a total of 7 of the lug bolts off, but not one entire set on a wheel.
I had already put lowering springs on so I was comfortable working on the suspension. I decided to see if I could get the whole wheel and hub assembly off the car so I could take them to a machine shop and have the lug bolt heads cut off. First of all let me say, yes it can be done as I did it in a few hours. The back hubs were a breeze. Unbolt the caliper mounting bracket, then undo the 4 bolts that hold on the hub. Fortunately there was enough room for the caliper to squeeze out between the rotor and wheel.
The front wasn't quite as easy. Using various size swivel sockets, extensions, jacking the A-arms up and down, etc. I was able to unbolt the hub. Fortunately the center caps on my wheels pop out from the outside so I could get to the axle nut. The calipers are too big to fit between the rotor and wheel so I had to undo the brake lines. It was going pretty well to this point and I thought I was home free... but I couldn't get the hub to slide off the axle. I tried penetrating oil but my biggest problem was not being able to really pull hard on the whole tire/wheel/hub assembly. Fortunately by now I had gotten off at least 2 opposing lug bolts on each wheel. I took a stock wheel puller I had and modified it. I welded long bolts to the lug bolts I had gotten off. Using my make shift wheel puller and my air impact wrench giving it everything it had I finally got the hubs off the axles... so now the "if I only knew part"... I had all the wheel assemblies in the back of my Tahoe ready to go to a machine shop that was less than excited about doing the project. I found out an 8 point Torx style is called a double box. So, I thought about trying a single box (square). Just so happens a 3/8" drive extension was an exact fit. With me holding the wheels on the ground and my 250 lb buddy using a 4 foot cheater bar, and just about everything he had, we finally got the lug bolts out. I did finally get all the hubs, etc. put back on the car with some trial and error to get the bolts back in the front hubs. My new Michelin tires look great and ride much better than the Goodyears I took off.
Oh, and two days later the radiator expansion tank on my wife's BMW 3 series cracked... now that was a breeze…but that's for another forum...
About 3 weeks ago I rotated my tires with a broken torque wrench and got them on pretty tight. I HAD Palo Uber lug bolts on my Enkie wheels. Those lug bolts take a special 8 point Torx style tool. After taking a couple of lug bolts off the tool broke. I spent many days searching the Internet, calling on tire shops, Mini dealers, tool makers etc. and no one had anything. Just the tip of the tool broke off so I found a machine shop that recut the end for $85. I promptly broke off the new tip. I then had the tool shop make me some new tools out of 4130 steel for $200. I promptly broke two more. By now I have spent amost $300 and have a total of 7 of the lug bolts off, but not one entire set on a wheel.
I had already put lowering springs on so I was comfortable working on the suspension. I decided to see if I could get the whole wheel and hub assembly off the car so I could take them to a machine shop and have the lug bolt heads cut off. First of all let me say, yes it can be done as I did it in a few hours. The back hubs were a breeze. Unbolt the caliper mounting bracket, then undo the 4 bolts that hold on the hub. Fortunately there was enough room for the caliper to squeeze out between the rotor and wheel.
The front wasn't quite as easy. Using various size swivel sockets, extensions, jacking the A-arms up and down, etc. I was able to unbolt the hub. Fortunately the center caps on my wheels pop out from the outside so I could get to the axle nut. The calipers are too big to fit between the rotor and wheel so I had to undo the brake lines. It was going pretty well to this point and I thought I was home free... but I couldn't get the hub to slide off the axle. I tried penetrating oil but my biggest problem was not being able to really pull hard on the whole tire/wheel/hub assembly. Fortunately by now I had gotten off at least 2 opposing lug bolts on each wheel. I took a stock wheel puller I had and modified it. I welded long bolts to the lug bolts I had gotten off. Using my make shift wheel puller and my air impact wrench giving it everything it had I finally got the hubs off the axles... so now the "if I only knew part"... I had all the wheel assemblies in the back of my Tahoe ready to go to a machine shop that was less than excited about doing the project. I found out an 8 point Torx style is called a double box. So, I thought about trying a single box (square). Just so happens a 3/8" drive extension was an exact fit. With me holding the wheels on the ground and my 250 lb buddy using a 4 foot cheater bar, and just about everything he had, we finally got the lug bolts out. I did finally get all the hubs, etc. put back on the car with some trial and error to get the bolts back in the front hubs. My new Michelin tires look great and ride much better than the Goodyears I took off.
Oh, and two days later the radiator expansion tank on my wife's BMW 3 series cracked... now that was a breeze…but that's for another forum...
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,129
Likes: 4
If you use any anti-sieze - use it VERY sparingly. It will increase the actual torque you apply. I would stay with OEM lug bolts, and get these handy tools to make tire changing easier:
http://stores.ebay.com/GOOD-OL-BEARs...&submit=Search
http://stores.ebay.com/GOOD-OL-BEARs...&submit=Search
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