1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Lug nut stuck

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by The Mighty Mutt, Aug 17, 2024.

  1. The Mighty Mutt

    The Mighty Mutt Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2023
    11
    3
    0
    Location:
    Flagstaff, AZ - USA
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    One of the times my parents took their 2014 Prius to have winter tires put on, the tech that was working on it cross-threaded one of the lug nuts. Forgetting about this when my dad was putting wheel back on, the lug nut tightened down about halfway, but now it won't back out. We tried using intense heat and of course some penetrating oil, all in combination with a breaker bar. We have some high-torque impact drivers, but we're kind of afraid that it might start spinning the lug. One way or another, that lag needs to be changed out. So would it be worth the risk to break out the assault ratchet? Or should we try cutting/drilling the lug nut out? I understand drilling it would require a fancy cobalt bit though. Since the wheel is on it, an angle grinder won't work. Maybe chiseling?
     
  2. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2011
    744
    289
    0
    Location:
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    Chiseling will only serve to beat up a chisel [and likely tear up your knuckles]

    I agree that you need to replace the lug bolt.

    Do you have a sawzall?
    Or a cutting torch?
     
    TGrracie and The Mighty Mutt like this.
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,902
    16,209
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I think I might go ahead and break out the impact driver. I'd think about it this way:

    • Maybe it succeeds and gets the nut off the stud. Then I can take the wheel off, and press the stud straight out in civilized fashion, and press in a new stud. Studs are cheap.
    • Maybe it ends up spinning the stud in the hub. Then I'm going to want to replace the hub. Hubs aren't as cheap as studs, but they're not astronomical, and it's money I only have to pay in the unlikely event this happens, and it'll be a good story I can tell.
     
    The Mighty Mutt likes this.
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,361
    1,790
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    If you're beating on it you're going to push the wheel stud right out of the hub ring so if you can't get something a little bit behind it like a pry bar because it's not down all the way or you can beat on a socket that takes off lug nuts you don't have the keys to or the special socket for so it's digging into the metal and trying to rip it right out
     
  5. The Mighty Mutt

    The Mighty Mutt Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2023
    11
    3
    0
    Location:
    Flagstaff, AZ - USA
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    We finally got the damned thing out! Gonna have to replace the hub, but like you said, it's not horribly expensive. Thank you for the help!
     
    Tombukt2 likes this.
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,361
    1,790
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    What happened You can't just replace the wheel stud and pull it in I thought you could on me
     
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,902
    16,209
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    If the hole the stud presses into got enlarged and isn't a press fit anymore....

    Or if the hub just got banged on enough to make brinelling the bearing likely....
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,361
    1,790
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Usually what happens mistakenly is people smack on the lug nut with a hammer not realizing it splind and pressed in or pushed in to the hub face the circular part where the lug pattern is That's what I've noticed people do they smack on it they unsat it and then they Wonder why everything's spinning out of control they can't get anything behind it to get on it lol now you're screwed I torched a wheel one time of course the wheel was already damaged so it was not a problem but this exact same thing I hit it with my fine tip torch and turned it red hot to liquid and pushed it right through and it dropped onto the inside of the wheel width and then onto the ground still red hot The wheel was a little damaged but it was already very damaged and needed changing so this was the least of the problem after that happened and the rest of the lug nuts were removed with the DeWalt gun properly and the wheel sitting down so I can sit on it I literally took another lug nut from another Prius and smacked it through the hole brought it over with a few washers put it on the hole that I just blew the snot out of when it was red hot offered it up to the spline hole which is still there I didn't hit the hole I just melted the wheel stud which is already out of the spleen hole remember and I just took my pry bar and tap that with the end of my hammer and watched lug nut from the other car go right up into the business and then I tried it with my fingers the nut that is and then a wrench notice that it wasn't slipping and acting foolish and then I actually put the wheel back onto the correct tightness and my '09 has been like that until a year or so ago when I put new hubs in front with all new wheel studs and everything they come that way. I do realize if you wallow out the spleened hole you have a problem but usually that's hard to do when the wheels on You don't have access to do that You can punch the wheel stud straight back with the stuck lug nut on it and then it's just going to spin because you'll almost never get it back on the splines with the wheel on I've seen people loosen all the other lug nuts and try to use the wheel to pull just doesn't work My pin torch blew it right off if it would have been a style steel wheel instead of a aluminum job it would have been fine The aluminum even from the fine pin torch and it just touching around the edge of the hole made the wheel real ugly didn't disform it though.
     
    The Mighty Mutt likes this.
  9. The Mighty Mutt

    The Mighty Mutt Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2023
    11
    3
    0
    Location:
    Flagstaff, AZ - USA
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Since the lug nut was stuck at sort of a half in & half out position, there was enough exposed that I could use the edge of the angle grinder to cut a slot in the lug nut cap without damaging the wheel. From there we made a few more slots, and eventually there was almost nothing left of that cap. This exposed the threads so we could get more penetrating oil into it. Once that soaked for a bit, we tried the impact driver. Unfortunately, that caused the lug post to spin in the hub. But there was enough of a gap to get a large pry bar behind the wheel and put enough friction on the lug nut, keeping the post from spinning. Using the assault ratchet, we tried alternating forward a few seconds and back a few seconds to get even more penetrant into the threads. After doing this for a little over an hour, the damn thing finally came off. A new hub runs $30-$50ish on Rock Auto and it includes the wheel bearing and lug posts. What we didn't realize until this morning is that the standard 32mm hex-style socket I have wont work on these spindle nuts. They have some weird pattern on them. Looks like that's also available on Rock Auto
     
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    10,361
    1,790
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    That's the splined 32 mm it's a pain in the nice person they always changing something be idiots. You can get it right now the street at the parts store it's just a cheap jump black iron BS socket. Sometimes I blast those off and I put the hex back on on all of my cars here they're all the same but the spline works well is no problem Toyota just went to that I guess around between 04 and 9:00