Seized lug nuts?

USAFisnumber1

I would spray them with penetrating oil and let it sit over night. I would use an "X" lug wrench making sure I got the right size on the nut. I would do it while the car is sitting on the ground, not on jack stands. That way the tire can not rotate as you try to undo the nut and it can not fall of the stands. Once I get them all loose, then I would use the jack stands.

Anonymous

Heat them up with a propane torch? add penetrating oil and let it sit for a couple of days.

don r

I had this problem 48 years ago on a 1963 Olds F85. My dad solved it for me telling me the lugs on the left side were threaded backwards from the right side. Check your vehicle for this possibility.

arther

sit it on its wheels and crack the nuts put a pipe on the wheel brace if you have to keep the brace square so you don't break the studs off once the nuts are cracked jack it back up . All ways crack the nuts before jacking up.

Anonymous

Determination gets them off. Car has to come off the stands. . Get a cross bar which has 3 or 4 different socket sizes on it. There are Xbars that you can buy at the Cheapy store(you know what stores those are) Pretty with lots of chrome. Chrome is not strong. You want the ugly none chromed one, the one used in a TRUCK. It is a tool. and thrown in with the spare tire and forgotten. . I have a couple of different ones. The cheap shiny chrome and the older one which I mainly keep in the shop. I have used the wheel wrench gm supplies with their cars and it fits sloppy and have used my pipe on them and bent them all to ratshit. Plan on bending them. The cheap ones will do that(now garbage). Now you need a metal pipe that will fit over the socket and go to the center. I got a 2" 4 foot pipe(approx) of heavy steel. There is no way I am going to bend it as the pipe wall is 1/8" thick. Where from? Maybe a metal scrap yard? If not 4 then 3. It is an extension of your weight on the wrench. You do not want to bend the pipe. That is useless . Get stronger pipe...and jump on it and see if you can bend it. No bend? good. Put on the tool you got "I use the Xbar" and slip the pipe on it on the side you will be pushing down on. You are going to step on the pipe with your body weight on the end and even doing the diving board jump on it. If the stud breaks, so be it. You can always buy another stud and nut, take off the drum and pop out the broken one and put in the replacement. (I have only had that happen once in recent memory) Every other time the nuts let go;or the socket split or got rounded(this is the problem one) 4 years is nothing. Try 40y. The nuts that were the hardest to get off were the ones under a hubcap protected from the rain and snow.. The other side was open to the elements and they came off easy. Interesting; making mental note. It will come off. Even if it has to be you and a buddy standing on the pipe. Do note that British made cars and some machines have many bolts that "Tighten" when you go counter clockwise. So use your fingernail and follow the groove to see which way to rotate...to unloosen. At worst, you need an oxy/acetylene cutting torch and cut it off or rent an electric impact driver and try that before the torch. Or get another wheel.

J

well the easiest is gonna be dropping the tires back to the ground though you could try wedging a cinder block at the base of the tire and try and get enough friction between it and the tire to get the nut to break loose. However breaking a seized lug nut while the car is in the air can be dangerous. also a sudden sharp force could break the nut loose before the tire could rotate so hitting the lug wrench with a hammer might break it lose as its like a one time impact from an impact wrench a few times and you could possible break the lugs loose. This can however damage your lug wrench as well However i would still recommend lowering the car back to the ground or at least down onto cinder blocks under the tires so you don't have to jack the car all the way back up for the jack stands.

FlagMichael

If you have room and the nuts are open end, clamp a pair of vise grips as hard as you can on a nut, then spray penetrant oil on the end of the nut at the threads and on the tapered seats. Repeat for each pair of sides on the nut. Forcing the threads together opens up tiny gaps 90 degrees away from them, breaking embedment and letting the penetrant oil get in. I don't have a way of measuring how much it helps but it has never let me down when I could use it.

Edna

I wanted to change a tire on my car that was sitting in my drive, and I couldn't get the lug nuts to turn. I called a mechanic and he came to my house, and he couldn't get the lug nuts to turn either - no matter what kind of equipment he used. They wouldn't turn on any of the wheels. When new tires had been mounted, whoever mounted them had screwed the lug nuts down so tight that they were impossible to remove. I drove to the mechanic's garage and he found that the grooves in the nuts had been stripped when they were tightened. He had to cut the lug nuts off all four wheels.

Anonymous

M; Fatigue and Snap? Tire shops Routinely Overtorque to 100 lbs. with an air wrench. Say: "It's Federal law !" (Most are speced to 60). NEVER do final tightening with a breaker bar, always use anti-sieze and the wrench the car Came with ( unless you routinely carry a BB and socket in each vehicle.)

curtisports2

Soak them in WD-40 and wait an hour. Try again. Repeat as necessary. It takes time to penetrate four years worth of oxidation.

duck you sucker!: With the car On the ground

With the car On the ground: Spray Good Liquid Wrench or Break away. Soak 'em 24 hours. Do NOT use that Pansy sheet metal excuse for a wrench they give you with the jack. Get a 1/2" drive socket to fit plus a 1/2" drive 18" breaker bar--And, a 1" pipe a foot long after that. Stand on it. Break one loose at a time. Always go in the pattern in your owner's manual. After they are loose, Then, U can jack it up. You look Silly chasing lugnuts off the ground unless you put car in gear and have a friend push on the brake. Put Anti Sieze on them when you are going to reinstall. Use that pansy wrench, Only, and Hand Tighten; Only. ( Because you probably won't have the socket/breaker bar in that car when you break down.)

Rolomatic

Candle wax and a small torch (repeat several times), it works great on large rusted lug and exhaust nuts. You only need enough heat to get the wax to melt and wick up into the rusty threads so just slightly hot. Heat the bolt a little bit and press the wax candle into the treads at the nut head and repeat several times. The wax is actually less messy and works very well as the wax vapor penetrates better then solvents do. A hair drier will also work well to heat the studs up, then just press the wax into the bolt threads to melt. Take it or leave it advice from a MN native that knows what rusty lug nuts are like to remove when seized. If they are cap nuts on cast aluminum wheels, they usually break off and need new lug studs installed. If you don't have a 4 way lug wrench, get one. The 4 way helps to prevent rounding the nuts & snapping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qqMXXGgFQg

thebax2006

If having the tires on the ground and using a breaker bar and socket doesn't work use a torch to heat the lug nuts first before you end up snapping the studs off.

paul h

Candle wax and a lighter/propane torch will often work on corroded nuts/bolts....see video.An old mechanic in a junkyard taught me this trick and he knew a lot about removing rusty fasteners.You can use crayons as well as a substitute for candle wax. The trick is that the wax will seep/wick into the threads with heat applied to lubricate them enough for removal .Place the car/tires back on the ground to provide more resistance to the tires/wheels turning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFdFsfSAuyc

Barry

WD40 overnight then a breaker bar.

Brandon

Soak the lug nuts in coke a cola for 24 hours

SumDude

What is wrong with an impact gun?? Tire shops use them - which is partly why the lug nuts are hard to get off (plus some rust, etc).## EDIT: (Try renting one?) Would a mobile car repair service with a bigger, better air powered impact gun do better? {idk the cost. I do figure hiring a tow truck to take the vehicle to the shop is too expensive.}

T

Soak them

Robert M

spray down with PB BLASTER >>>>OR use a LONG HOLLOW PIPE to increase the TORQUE needed to break them free >>>>OR>> drive cr to OIL CHANGE CENTER and PAY them TEN BUCKS to loosen them for you. The LONGER the tool is the BETTER! Many times even a POWER TOOL will not help! .. >> WHEN you finally get them OFF, copay the threads with ANTI SEIZE compound, as the NET time they will loosen much easier! NEVER attach the WHEELS with a POWER TOOL! There are TORQUE NUMBERS to follow so you do NOT have this issue a SECONG TIME! GOOD LUCK!

Otis

Get a long length of metal tubing (like scaffolding) and slide it over the end of the wrench. The extra leverage should shift it. Failing that take it to a tyre fitter and ask them to do it.

John

Use a 4way lug wrench. Start at the top lug nut. Put the correct size of the 4 way on the lug nut. You can use the car or your buddy for balance. With 2 side of the tool straight out to each side stand on the left facing arm of the lug wrench. Jump up and down with all your weight if you have to. If that doesn't work invite your fattest buddy over,& let him do the dance with the ugly girl. Good luck!!!

Mj

Heat. Use a propane torch. Best have a fire extinguisher handy.

Brian

Well, if they were seized you probably want to call the police. But in all likelihood the police probably won't do anything unless the lug nuts are solid gold.

M.

The impact gun is needed to shock the rust. I bought an old Ranger pickup and only half of the factory nuts would come off with a breaker bar. I got a few more off with the impact gun. I got a few more off with a torch and the impact gun. The last two I had to slice in half. Then a wire wheel got the rust off. I use anti-seize on the studs now. No more problems. Some people are against using oil or anti-seize on lug nuts. The tightening specification is for dry threads. So something slippery on the threads will overtighten at the torque spec. That could cause a stud to fatigue and snap. I always tighten my lug nuts with a breaker bar, never an impact gun.

Anonymous

Heat. Acetylene torch

thegreatone

You mean "fused" lug nuts? It looks to me like they rusted onto the car. I would say they froze to the car due to winter, but you said the car was sitting for four years. So, it's possible that they rusted onto the car. A mechanic might be able to get them off for you, and I think you should buy new lug nuts. Oil might work, or soaking them in water for a while, but a mechanic is the best bet. I don't actually know, for sure, what to do, but this is all I can think of.