Over tightened wheel nuts

[Andyvandy]

HI,

I need to remove the wheels yesterday on my Westy so I can sort out the brakes and thought nothing of it until I couldn't shift the nuts!
It seems the last garage it went to have severely overtightened the nuts.
The van isn't drivable as it has no brakes so I cannot easily get it anywhere for some one else to get the nuts off

I borrowed a length of scaffold pipe from the fabrication shop at work and managed to loosen one, the rest won't budge. The bar with the socket just bent (1/2" socket)
The one I removed showed no real evidence of corrosion being the cause of the nuts not coming loose.
I have now broken one 1/2" 19mm socket and bent the bar (old socket set fortunately)

It seems to me that I have a possible number of solutions-


Try using a 3/4 socket and bar etc.

Buy a gas welding kit and heat up the nuts and see if that will help free them off

Buy a nut cutter and split the nuts.

Any advice would be very welcome as it is really frustrating wasting time I don't have trying to get the wretched nuts off!

Thanks

Andy

[silverbullet]

Makita 18v 1/2" drive impact driver is your friend on a job like that. Preferably the BTW450Z (440Nm)
Impact drivers will loosen stuff that mere brute force cannot shift, as you have found out.
Or just go to an independant tyre place and offer the lads a few quid for the tea and biscuits fund (turn up with biscuits, even better) and tjey will sort you out.
Big gas heat will just get you the fire brigade.

[clift_d]

I would have thought either a 3/4" impact socket and proper breaker bar OR a 19mm slogging spanner should do it.

E D I T: Breaker bar would be best

[silverbullet]

Slogging spanner makes me think of wire wheels on classic cars, inexperienced owners and expensively dented wheelarches...

[marlinowner]

I use a spider wheelbrace, opposite end resting on axle stand or trolley jack, then a sharp rap down with a sledgehammer shifts most wheelnuts.

[Andyvandy]

Thanks very much guys for your support!

I have bought a spider wheelbrace and sledge hammer!

Taxed our newly bought LDV 3.3 Tonne van so I can pick up a large compressor from work (which I need to fix!), I can then use a borrowed air-driver on the wheel nuts and see if that works.

The Makita looks really nice but at £200 + and no real need for it after the job I will keep that option as a last resort. But thanks Silverbullet for the info.
Hopefully one of these proposed solutions will work....

What is it about these vans that in spite of all that they throw at us we just have to keep them on the road.......
Other sensible folk probably go out and buy a nice newish T5 etc.
I won't start on about the other jobs that need to be done like - fixing the power steering, water leak etc. etc.

Thanks again

Andy

[bigherb]

I use a 1" breaker bar with a 3/4 reducer but a 3/4" bar and scaffold pole with an impact socket usually works, but I have even bent them, when they have been over tightened the cone of the wheel nut digs into the steel wheel locking it on.
Don't use a bi hex socket it will more likely round the wheel nut off and support the socket with a bar to the ground to stop it twisting off.

[itchyfeet]

Breaker bar here too, mine is 1/2 inch and 24inch long, they are stronger than normal 1/2 inch t bar + pipe
I keep it in the van, they are not expensive.

[Smcknighty]

Mine rounded

I used these with a massive breaker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Irwin-Bolt-Grip ... moval+tool" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Was sceptical but worked like a charm on three very stuck nuts

[silverbullet]

Irwin Nutbusters. Everyone should own a set. Brilliant.

[Andyvandy]

Bought a braking bar and impact hexagon socket and finally managed to remove all the nuts.
One held out valiantly until the end but finally let go!
All the studs had remnants of copper grease evident once the nuts were removed.

I still have the other wheel to do!

The front bolts came out without any problem.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Andy

[clift_d]

Well done.

I think VW say not to grease the threads on wheel nuts as it can mean that they get significantly over tightened for a similar torque. Clean all the threads off thoroughly and then torque to 133Nm on tightening.

[Andyvandy]

Thanks Clif

[Andyvandy]

I managed to get the wheel nuts off the other wheel without any problem?

I did notice that one of the nuts was different to the rest in that it is chrome finished and is not threaded all the way through, the 19mm socket didn't fit it too well either.
Also the stud it screwed onto is a smaller diameter than the other studs?

Any idea why that would be?

Andy

[CovKid]

Nope, just change it.