Rounded off lug nut, now what?

Long story short, went to put on spare, one of the lugs is seized, ended up rounding off, hammered on smaller size socket, made situation worse. Lug is recessed in hole in aluminum wheel.

Any help from the collective would be appreciated.

I think that there is a special tool for this. A tapered socket that you can drive on the offending lug and then remove...+

Try Sears of all places...

noddaz wrote: I think that there is a special tool for this. A tapered socket that you can drive on the offending lug and then remove...+ Try Sears of all places...

Wow, I had to drill one off once. I didn't have this tool.

Shotgun!

Drill it out, use a bit around the minor diameter of the stud threads, go slowly and keep trying to break the nut off, if your careful you'll leave the wheel untouched.

This is the fabled rounded off lug nut wrench?

whodathunkit?

noddaz wrote: I think that there is a special tool for this. A tapered socket that you can drive on the offending lug and then remove...+ Try Sears of all places...

Edit; D'oh... too late.

I had a sears one. Please, spend the money on something better! My sears socked split right down the middle. Now you have two metal wedges jammed in there, making it impossible to get anything else in there to remove it. I was able to weld a chunk of metal to it and work them out. Then I used a similar looking set from snap on, and it walked right out.

Air chisel. Seriously. Your lug is fubar anyway. Vibe the crap out of it and cut that nut off. Replace the lug stud when you're done.

That's actually a theft technique, but thieves used to use a hammer and chisel to shatter the nut.

Another thing I've seen is to bend the stud back and forth until it breaks, but that only really works if the nut is not seated (i.e. partially loose.)

One last idea would be to yank whatever is required to get to the back of the lug stud, use a torch to melt off the flange and pull it out from the back.

if the lug nut is capped (not open through like any old machine nut) weld a hex nut to the cap portion, hot and heavy plug weld style. the heat will help loosen the nut.

my .02

Drill the lug out. Start small and be sure it's perpendicular to the disc. Once the wheel's off, replace the lug bolt.

914Driver wrote: Drill the lug out. Start small and be sure it's perpendicular to the disc. Once the wheel's off, replace the lug bolt.

This. Once you get most of it drilled it will snap off.

Try hammering a junk socket just a couple of sizes too small on there. Remove as usual. I've never had this approach fail, but I have ruined many sockets this way. Happy Hammering!

wheelsmithy wrote: Try hammering a junk socket just a couple of sizes too small on there. Remove as usual. I've never had this approach fail, but I have ruined many sockets this way. Happy Hammering!

I've had this work, but my trick has been to hammer an 18mm socket on to what used to be a 3/4" lug nut. That's between 1-2 sizes smaller. 12-point seems to work the best, the newer the better too. The points are sharper.

I believe that was tried already

OHSCrifle wrote: I believe that was tried already

ok, your reading skills excell mine, but I'm really PROUD of my hammering skills.

Take off all the other lugs, then drive in a weaving pattern or a series of deep left and right turns. The side forces should make this lug loosen enough to take off with your hand or a set of Channelocks from the top. Be careful. Do it in a safe area like a parking lot. If the tire is flat or low, it will loosen sooner. I've used this method to loosen wheel locks after the owner lost the key. Good luck.

Am I correct in assuming the shotgun trick is a joke?

There are so many uncommon remedies on this site (like dragging a seized RX7 around the block), one never knows...

Jerry From LA wrote: Take off all the other lugs, then drive in a weaving pattern or a series of deep left and right turns. The side forces should make this lug loosen enough to take off with your hand or a set of Channelocks from the top. Be careful. Do it in a safe area like a parking lot. If the tire is flat or low, it will loosen sooner. I've used this method to loosen wheel locks after the owner lost the key. Good luck.

The engineer in me is vomiting. That cannot be good for the wheel, its seat, or the studs.

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

Agreed, and if it comes loose youre more likely replacing the rotor if not more of the car when it drags body panels and whatnot across the pavement

noddaz wrote: I think that there is a special tool for this. A tapered socket that you can drive on the offending lug and then remove...+ Try Sears of all places...

This ^^^ they're like berkeleying magic.

Pretty sure they used an air chisel when, on the first day of ownership of my first car (before I ever got to drive it), the flat tire was held on by some POS anti-theft, owner, owner's coworkers, friends and family, tow truck guy, shop #1, and shop #2 lug nut wouldn't come off even with the key. That was probably in 88 and yeah, I'm still bitter.

OHSCrifle wrote: Am I correct in assuming the shotgun trick is a joke? There are so many uncommon remedies on this site (like dragging a seized RX7 around the block), one never knows...

That technique also works on diesel rabbits very well with starters that are bad because they crank too slow to get it to start.

cwaters wrote: Pretty sure they used an air chisel when, on the first day of ownership of my first car (before I ever got to drive it), the flat tire was held on by some POS anti-theft, owner, owner's coworkers, friends and family, tow truck guy, shop #1, and shop #2 lug nut wouldn't come off even with the key. That was probably in 88 and yeah, I'm still bitter.

The anti theft nuts are the devils own invention, and most of the well made ones are so hard the magic socket won't bite, and weld won't penetrate enough to allow you to weld a nut...