Snapped off threaded stud that holds lug nut

i hate when that happens.

 

Just make sure the others are the proper tightness and don't try to set any cornering speed records and you'll be fine.

 

Maybe if you call it "backwoods engineering", she might be more receptive.

 

I love Cow - A - Socky!

I want one.

I actually replaced the threaded stud on a car I owned several years ago. Other than the fear I would mess something up, it was pretty straight-forward. As for driving with four of the five, no experience.....

 

Hey, you're both somewhere in the NW ... would it be considered a hillbilly repair if Kris did it?

Or, if you were to pull down the exact Toyota procedure from techinfo and your wife were to watch as you did exactly that, would she consider that a hillbilly repair?

I'm just trying to make sure I understand what makes something a hillbilly repair.

-Chap

 

I am wondering what caused the stud to snap. It seems reasonable to slowly drive to town as long as whatever caused one stud to snap didn't weaken the remaining four. To me, slow means 35 mph or less.

Does your wife have any particular reason to distrust your vehicle repairs?

Did the stud on a front axle or rear axle fail? If the front, are you comfortable removing the brake caliper and brake disc for access to the hub? If the rear, are you comfortable removing the brake drum? Can you obtain the correct replacement stud and stud extractor tool without having to drive 15 miles? Can you disconnect the 12V battery so that you don't end up with the skid control ECU logging DTC while you are messing around with the hub?

Spec is 76 ft.-lb by the way.

Probably, a hillbilly repair would be one which is performed without regard for the proper technique or tightening spec, and employs adhoc means rather than the correct tool for the job.

So for example, if Steve were to use a sledgehammer on the broken stud in an attempt to drive it out, and in so doing damaged the hub bearing or the wheel speed sensor, resulting in the skid control ECU throwing a fit and lighting up ABS/VSC/((!))/BRAKE warning lights, then his wife could fairly describe that as a botched hillbilly repair.

 

Using a hammer to remove the broken stud is the most common method. But there is a change that bearing can get some damage while doing that. To reduce the change for damage you can put the disc/drum and tire back in the car (or leave them on if you know at what position there is enough space for the stud to come out). Added weight will reduce the shock that the bearing gets a lot.

 

It would be far better to use a tool intended for the job, which would push the broken stud out without any risk of harm.

 

I've heard of over-torqued studs having a tendency to snap. I cannot speak from personal experience, although I remember once fetching my old Corolla from getting it serviced (no, not the local dealer, I think it was Midas) and I just happened to glance down at the wheels ( well, you do, don't you?) and noticed that one of the (4) nuts was almost off the stud! Well, that prompted me to buy a torque-wrench, and now I always do my own!

 

I tend to think each part in that area is necessary, but it seems that the exact number of studs and nuts can be flexible.

On my way from Lomé to Mango, Togo a couple years ago, the bus had a leaky right front tire. They got it to the bus station in Kara and we all stood around while they tried to change the tire. They got all the lug nuts off but one. That stud just spun round and round with the nut. We continued to wait and watch while they went and got someone with a big ol' right angle grinder.

We eventually went the rest of the way to Mango with 10 of the lug nuts in place because, at some time previously, they had apparently already had to cut off one other stud. Unlike some buses I saw along the road, we stayed right side up all the way and never caught fire once. Another successful trip through the African bush.

 

I'd second @Patrick Wong 's question, how this may have happened: anyone else taking the wheels off?

I'd get pros on it, myself. Google Eric the car guy stud replacement for one video.

 

Of course correct tool is always the better option. But finding tools like that can be very hard as most of people just use the improvised method.

 

Improvised methods are great! All it takes is looking up or knowing the recommended method and why it's recommended (e.g. thou shalt not bang on thy $300 bearing) and then you're in shape to improvise a suitable method. Two C clamps and a steel bar, for example.

-Chap

 

Well, this is one example of a tool that might be suitable which doesn't cost an arm and leg:

In that case I suggest you consider replacing all five studs on the wheel hub. The others may have been weakened by the loose wheel wobbling.

I've worked on autos since I was a teenager (hence almost 50 years) and have never had a wheel stud break on a vehicle. Of course I have never lived in areas subjected to winter salt and terrible metal corrosion either. In any event I would not view a wheel stud breaking as a normal event, rather it is something that should be analyzed and action taken to replace all suspect parts. After all, you are expecting the studs to hold the wheel to the car which certainly is a safety issue.

 

I lubricate the wheel studs and on a G2 I apply grease between the wheel and the hub. I leave the center cap off the wheel put it on the hub then fill that center hole with grease and put the cap back on. The hub castle nut is not corroded. First time I pulled the tire off before lubrication the wheel refused to come off. Had to drop it off the jack with nuts loose to break it free.

The nuts on the lubricated studs have never come loose but come right off with tool. I use CSP for this.

 

Do you torque a bit lower, with the lubed threads?