lug nuts won't come off wheel
#1
Supporting Maxima.org Member
![](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/support.gif)
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Alta Loma, California
Posts: 101
lug nuts won't come off wheel
I went to rotate my tires today and I successfully loosened the lug nuts on 3 wheels. The rear right tire has 3 lug nuts on it that won't loosen.
I could loosen them slightly but the more I turned, the tighter they got.....neither I or my dad could put enough force into them to get them off. They literally got tighter the harder we tried to loosen them.![BangHead](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/banghead.gif)
Why would they tighten when being loosened? What should I do? For some reason I have a feeling this might turn out to be costly.
Any input on this would be appreciated before I take it down to the dealer.
I could loosen them slightly but the more I turned, the tighter they got.....neither I or my dad could put enough force into them to get them off. They literally got tighter the harder we tried to loosen them.
![BangHead](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/banghead.gif)
Why would they tighten when being loosened? What should I do? For some reason I have a feeling this might turn out to be costly.
Any input on this would be appreciated before I take it down to the dealer.
![Help](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/help.gif)
#2
It could be that your studs are about to break. This happened to me about 8 months ago. I couldn't take off one lug so I put some muscle into it and the stud broke. I went to Sears and they wanted $45 dollars to change it out. I bought a new stud for a few dollars and got info from someone here as to how to go about fixing it.
#6
Supporting Maxima.org Member
![](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/support.gif)
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Alta Loma, California
Posts: 101
I bought my tires at discount tire company and bought the unlimited warranty on alignment and rotation. I just noticed recently that the front left tire went bald on both sides and all the other tires are doing okay(maybe 4-5 months left), which makes me believe they did a crappy alignment job and while rotating my tires yesterday, 3 lug nuts wont come off. I'm definitely not taking my car there any more.
I do not have access to an air impact wrench so I'm going to try the breaker bar in a little bit, after I go pick up some new lug studs and bolts. I'm going to try and replace these studs my self, hopefully they pop out as expected because I don't feel like hammering the hub too hard.
I do not have access to an air impact wrench so I'm going to try the breaker bar in a little bit, after I go pick up some new lug studs and bolts. I'm going to try and replace these studs my self, hopefully they pop out as expected because I don't feel like hammering the hub too hard.
#8
Supporting Maxima.org Member
![](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/support.gif)
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Alta Loma, California
Posts: 101
I drove my car today for the first time since I tried pulling the lug nuts off and now I am getting a squeaking noise from that wheel....when the car is rolling and breaking. I was actually on my way to autozone to pick up new lug nuts and studs when I started to notice this squealing noise coming from that rear side of the car. Could I have possibly pulled too hard and messed something up? possibly bent the hub?
#9
take it back to them and make them take it off. This is what happens when the dumbass at discount tires uses the impact wrench to put the lug back on rather than starting them by hand. They cross threaded them most likely. (either that or way way overtightened them, which they did to me once)
If you loosened the lugs and could not tighten them back you need to get it fixed now. And no, you could not have...bent the hub. Imagine the abuse it gets from the road, you could not have come close to that. You may just have loose lugs now and the wheel is wobling.
If you loosened the lugs and could not tighten them back you need to get it fixed now. And no, you could not have...bent the hub. Imagine the abuse it gets from the road, you could not have come close to that. You may just have loose lugs now and the wheel is wobling.
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
#11
I would get 3 studs just in case. Than I would take a breaker bar, go to home depot and buy a 1" dia. pipe about 18" long. The pipe with the breaker bar can take off the toughest of bolts. I've been able to get bolts off better than an impact gun.
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by the_3d_man
take it back to them and make them take it off. This is what happens when the dumbass at discount tires uses the impact wrench to put the lug back on rather than starting them by hand. They cross threaded them most likely. (either that or way way overtightened them, which they did to me once)
If you loosened the lugs and could not tighten them back you need to get it fixed now. And no, you could not have...bent the hub. Imagine the abuse it gets from the road, you could not have come close to that. You may just have loose lugs now and the wheel is wobling.
If you loosened the lugs and could not tighten them back you need to get it fixed now. And no, you could not have...bent the hub. Imagine the abuse it gets from the road, you could not have come close to that. You may just have loose lugs now and the wheel is wobling.
#13
Originally Posted by 99seCALIforniCATer
I drove my car today for the first time since I tried pulling the lug nuts off and now I am getting a squeaking noise from that wheel....when the car is rolling and breaking. I was actually on my way to autozone to pick up new lug nuts and studs when I started to notice this squealing noise coming from that rear side of the car. Could I have possibly pulled too hard and messed something up? possibly bent the hub?
#14
with the squeeling, sounds like either the hub is bad or bent, or something in there (the shield) is rubbing the rotor.
good luck with getting the lugs out.....you may want to try some PB blaster or something in there prior to air-tooling them out
worse case, you have to get them drilled out, and since they were most likely cross threaded, you'll need a new hub
good luck with getting the lugs out.....you may want to try some PB blaster or something in there prior to air-tooling them out
worse case, you have to get them drilled out, and since they were most likely cross threaded, you'll need a new hub
#15
Supporting Maxima.org Member
![](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/support.gif)
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Alta Loma, California
Posts: 101
I took care of it today and 3d Man was correct. The nuts had loosened and then froze, thus creating a squealing and clunking/wobbling sound.
I went down to autozone and picked up 4 lug nuts and studs, 2 acorns and 2 open ended nuts, cause that is all they had. I got home....put the back rear on a jack.....put a block of plywood behind my front tire and removed the parking brake so the caliper would come off....put a breaker bar on the nut and put a 3 foot pipe onto that.....broke those sob's off. It turned out to be 4 frozen nuts, ....thankfully....which is exactly what I bought.........pulled the wheel off....unloosened the caliper bolts.....14mm.....lightly hammered the caliper off.....took off the brake pads on each side......unloosened the torque member bolts......17mm.......pulled it off and then pulled the rotor off. Then with 4 broken studs looking at right at me.....I hammered them *****3s out. They popped right out the other side and will not be missed.
I then inserted the new lug stud through the back....inserted 4 washers on the other side and put a lug nut on top of the washers.....I then used a crow bar through the studs to create some back pressure and began torquing the nuts to pull the studs through....this was the most grueling part because it took alot of force to pull them through. After the studs were in place....removed the washers...put the rotor back on....put the torque member back on....put the brake pads in there rightful position.....squeezed them together and put the caliper back on and screwed it in. Put the wheel on ...put the nuts back on....drove it around and no more clunking or squealing.
The dealer had quoted me $90 labor and $3.52 for a single lug nut and $6.45 for a single lug stud(
the dealer), not that I expected them to be cheap, I was just curious to hear their price and I was tempted to pay to have this done. I am so happy that I didn't now because this turned out to be really easy.
thanks for the advice from all of you.
I went down to autozone and picked up 4 lug nuts and studs, 2 acorns and 2 open ended nuts, cause that is all they had. I got home....put the back rear on a jack.....put a block of plywood behind my front tire and removed the parking brake so the caliper would come off....put a breaker bar on the nut and put a 3 foot pipe onto that.....broke those sob's off. It turned out to be 4 frozen nuts, ....thankfully....which is exactly what I bought.........pulled the wheel off....unloosened the caliper bolts.....14mm.....lightly hammered the caliper off.....took off the brake pads on each side......unloosened the torque member bolts......17mm.......pulled it off and then pulled the rotor off. Then with 4 broken studs looking at right at me.....I hammered them *****3s out. They popped right out the other side and will not be missed.
![happyface](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/happyface.gif)
I then inserted the new lug stud through the back....inserted 4 washers on the other side and put a lug nut on top of the washers.....I then used a crow bar through the studs to create some back pressure and began torquing the nuts to pull the studs through....this was the most grueling part because it took alot of force to pull them through. After the studs were in place....removed the washers...put the rotor back on....put the torque member back on....put the brake pads in there rightful position.....squeezed them together and put the caliper back on and screwed it in. Put the wheel on ...put the nuts back on....drove it around and no more clunking or squealing.
![headbang](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/headbang.gif)
The dealer had quoted me $90 labor and $3.52 for a single lug nut and $6.45 for a single lug stud(
![Countdown](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/countdown.gif)
thanks for the advice from all of you.
![doublethumbsup](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/dblthumb2.gif)
#17
Nice. Now put some copper anti-seize on the threads, and get a $30 torque wrench.
Every time your car comes back from any shop or dealer, back off and retighten each lugnut on the car to 80ft-lb. That should prevent this from happening in the future.
As for the bad tire wear, a loose set of lugs are probably the cause. But I still want to take this opportunity to soapbox about the difference between a joe blow shop alignment and an alignment done properly. I started using the alignment shop recommended by the local autocross racers, and the difference is immense.
Dave
Every time your car comes back from any shop or dealer, back off and retighten each lugnut on the car to 80ft-lb. That should prevent this from happening in the future.
As for the bad tire wear, a loose set of lugs are probably the cause. But I still want to take this opportunity to soapbox about the difference between a joe blow shop alignment and an alignment done properly. I started using the alignment shop recommended by the local autocross racers, and the difference is immense.
Dave
#18
Supporting Maxima.org Member
![](https://maxima.org/forums/images/smilies/support.gif)
Thread Starter
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Alta Loma, California
Posts: 101
Originally Posted by dgeesaman
I started using the alignment shop recommended by the local autocross racers, and the difference is immense.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lowpost99
1st & 2nd Generation Maxima (1981-1984 and 1985-1988)
7
05-16-2021 11:18 AM
londonflu
3rd Generation Maxima (1989-1994)
40
09-25-2015 09:11 AM
markevans999
3rd Generation Maxima (1989-1994)
7
09-10-2015 04:29 PM