Before I did my brakes I took my car to local shop I always to go get an oil change, they said I needed front and rear rotors, which I don't so I did my brake pads myself. I did rear front passenger brake pads with no prob got to driver side wheel and 2 of the 5 lugs were hard as heck to get off. I struggled with the first of the 2 and finally it comes off. I look inside lug and part of the "screw", can't think of correct work, is broke off in it. Same with the second.. I finished installing pads but can't get a lug on the 2 "screw's" that have the ends broke off.. I think when the shop checked my brakes they put the lugs on too tight.. What should I do??

 

Are you talking about the studs that the wheel nuts screw onto? If so then it sounds like whoever put on the wheels last probably cross-threaded them and there really is no good way (other than luck) to get them off other than to break the stud. Call Dave B. (search for him, he has an 800# and works at a Nissan parts shop) and order you a handful of studs. They are only a buck or 2 each. I know because I did the same thing but instead of forcing it off -- thus breaking it--I called Dave and ordered 4 just in case and was ready to replace the one I eventually had to break. Good luck. If it is not the stud then I have NO idea what you're talking about.

 

man that sucks... the problem with your situation is that you tried taking off the lug nuts yourself... It will be difficult to show the Oil change shop that they were at fault.. My friend had the same problem with his lexus, and he just too the car back to the shop and had them loosen the lug nuts and then have them tighten them by hand with a tork wrench... You can try going to the shop but i'm pretty sure they'd argue saying you took the lug nuts off incorrectly or give you some other bull ****... you might be SOL =p

 

Yeah I thats it the bolt that the lug goes onto. Where can I buy them at and are they hard to install??

 

Yeah I should have done that before I broke them off..

 

I haven't done this on my Max yet, but I'm pretty sure it's the same. Just take a hammer and hit the end of the stud driving it towards the car until it breaks free. It's usually just held in place by crusty crap/rust. Then pull it out from the backside of the hub and take it AND a good lug nut down to your local auto parts store.

They SHOULD have something VERY similar in stock. It's usually slightly longer which is fine, but do NOT go shorter. As long as the lug nut screws on, it will work fine.

Also, while your at the local auto parts store buy some HIGH TEMP wheel/hub bearing grease, it usually states it's for disc brakes, and coat the threads of the studs and lug nuts EVERY time you remove and reinstall them. Antisieze compound will work also, but IMO the grease works better.

Last, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS reTorque your lug nuts EVERYTIME they are removed. Especially, when lazy SOB tire shops put them on with AIR tools. Otherwise, your going to have more stripped studs, warped rotors, and the worst thing possible is a flat tire on the side of the road in the middle of BFE with nothing but the MickeyMouse lug wrentch in the trunk to fruitlessly attempt to break them free.

 

I'm getting some from local Nissan shop for $2.19/each. Do you have to hammer the stud in from the back when you install the new one??

 

Again I haven't done this on a Maxima, but so far on the cars I have, the studs just drop in and the lug nut holds them snug. It's just over time that they "fuse" to the backside of the hub and need a little hammering to come free.

I'm pretty sure a standard studs' shank is square and will not rotate, so all you do is push it in from behind until the head of the stud is flush with the backside of the hub, then install the wheel and lug nuts as usual.

Keep me posted on how it goes. Thanks.

 

Aiight I'm buying them today, thanks for they help. I'll keep you posted...

 

Just bought studs.. I was surprised that they are kinda small. There like 2in. I'm gonna install as soona as I get off work..

 

just replace the broken studs..

 

Ok install wasn't too hard.. Here is a pic of what studs look like...

To install studs you have to take off caliper (2 bolts in back). Take out both brake pads. Take off bracket that caliper was attached to (2 big 16mm bolts behind rotor). Slide rotor off to see plate that studs are attached to. Hammer out stud that you want to replace. Stud will come out from behind plate (I found it better to replace all 5 b/c mine didn't look good, so had ridges that were missing). Once you hammer out the stud, you will have to put car in neutral with e-brake on so you can turn plate. There is a piece of metal behind the plate. Best way to describe it is that it is a half circle that has a small circle on the other half. The small circle is where you can pull the stud out at. So you have to turn each one to this small circle, take out old stud and install new one. I sprayed WD40 into each hole that stud goes into before I installed new ones. You will need to hammer the new one in. The edge of the small circle will get bent when you hammer. Once your done you can use the back of hammer to bend it back. Once all studs are in put rotor back on, caliper bracket, brake pads, then caliper. Before you mound wheel you can use antiseize on studs to help from have to break another one.

Results: Car drives without any shake infront on side that has new studs. I used to always have a little shake infront every since I had car but not anymore. I'm gonna to do the left front side tomorrow as well..

 

If I were you, I wouldn't go back to that garage. And I hope you torqued your lugs so as to avoid the same thing from happening?

 

Why did you have to remove the calipers? I guess, I'll have to take a look this weekend.

I think the half circle your talking about is the dust shield.

Good job and thanks for the heads up!

 

Yes, that's what it looks like. It's a lot easier with the rotor off. You can do it with the rotor on and the caliper bracket off, but then there will be nothing holding your rotor on unless you use your hand. Also you might hit it when your hammering. Not sure if you can do it with the caliper bracket on. I just decided to get everything out of the way when I did them so it would be easier to see and install.

 

Wheeew...I'm glad...othewise I would have had to gripe about Nissan "engineering" again.

I believe the "caliper bracket" your referring to is the Torque Plate.

 

Probably is. I'm not to good with terms, b/c don't know them all. So I just give stuff the best name I can think of.

 

IceY2K1, do you know the name of the plate that the studs go into??