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How not to remove a wheel nut

Falcon1Falcon1 Elite Ranger
in Zocalo v2.0
Darwin award worthy for sure...

[url]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/13/shotgun_mechanic/[/url]

Comments

  • Vorlons in my HeadVorlons in my Head The Vorlons told me to.
    Whatever happened to righty tighty lefty loosy?
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    Someone did a little too much righty tighty, hence no lefty loosy...unless, of course, it was a mid-50s Chrysler. In someones infinite wisdom (a marketing guy I'm sure), Chrysler designed the lug nuts in such a way that from either side, you turned the wrench toward the front of the car to loosen. This of course required left-handed threads on the right wheels, which resulted in numerous twisted-off or stripped lugs when unsuspecting owners tried to change the tires.

    Jake
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    What a moron! Honestly! :D
  • Space GhostSpace Ghost Elite Ranger
    While I have often thought of blasting things with a shotgun out of frustration, a metal wheel has not been one of them. :D
  • StingrayStingray Elite Ranger
    It's the tools, man, it's the tools. :D
  • E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
    Just what size nuts they use in those?

    Just interested because I've been many times twisting 10mm bolts (with rusted nut) to half because there wasn't time to wait hours for lubrificants to loosen them and nut didn't open voluntarily...
    Never measured angle but IIRC they bend about 50-90 degrees and give some weird red-brown (maybe near rust colour) smoke before they finally break. Also after that they're about burning hot to touch. :D
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    But that's how you open stuff in FPS games!

    :p
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    It was probably a good idea at the time ;)

    ET: I did that a year or so ago! Wasn't very happy about the replacement part :p A little too much twisting of the exhaust manifold stud...and then everything felt real easy. And then I had two studs.
  • Vorlons in my HeadVorlons in my Head The Vorlons told me to.
    Guess that guy had never heard of a cheater bar. A blow torch on a seized or rusted nut can also do the trick.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Don't forget the rust-loosening power of creative profanity.

    I also broke a wheel stud once with a breaker bar. I guess it worked. :p
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    [QUOTE=Sanfam;167084]It was probably a good idea at the time ;)

    ET: I did that a year or so ago! Wasn't very happy about the replacement part :p A little too much twisting of the exhaust manifold stud...and then everything felt real easy. And then I had two studs.[/QUOTE]

    Oh, I know that feeling, and it is a gut wrenching one too...especially when said fastner is deep in the engine bay.

    Jake
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Thankfully, this was conveniently close enough for me to see it sitting there. lodged inside the head.

    I'm actually a bit proud of my solution. I had about 3mm of extension beyond the head to grasp, so I ended up using JB Weld to fuse another nut to the remaining threads and a ton of PB Blaster over a day and a half, followed by a breaker bar. It came out.
  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    Yeah, i broke a lug wrench last time i tried to get a tire off my car, cheap assed metal!
  • croxiscroxis I am the walrus
    I just use my mind, doesn't everyone?
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    I would, but for some reason I find my mind only fits metric fastners. When it comes to SAE sizes, I have to go get a wrench.

    Jake
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    I could use your powers, Freejack. I'm going to be merging two cars this next week. Lots of metric fasteners to abuse with my quality Harbor Freight impact wrench. lots. so many. Though on the upside, I just locked in a deal for a tranny/clutch system combo.
  • ChaosedChaosed Ranger
    I get someone else to do it.
  • Falcon1Falcon1 Elite Ranger
    I always found dancing up and down on the bar helps loosen a stiff nut. No seriously, works a treat trying to get nuts loose on tractor/combine rims.
  • Vorlons in my HeadVorlons in my Head The Vorlons told me to.
    [QUOTE=Sanfam;167087]Don't forget the rust-loosening power of creative profanity.

    I also broke a wheel stud once with a breaker bar. I guess it worked. :p[/QUOTE]
    I'm more of a fan of the "if it doesn't budge you just need a bigger hammer" method.
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    My dad was working on his board about a decade back and undoing some old bolts he didn't want anymore. He was going to unscrew them so he could reuse them later. But they were so rusted together his air hammer actually twisted them in half instead...it got them off, but not in the expected way :D
  • E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
    [QUOTE=Vorlons in my Head;167135]I'm more of a fan of the "if it doesn't budge you just need a bigger hammer" method.[/QUOTE]Now isn't 1kg sledgehammer normal tool for first try?
    Along with steel pipe for giving longer lever?


    Also oxy-acetylene torch is good for getting jammed parts separate... as long as they aren't combustible and tolerate heating required for use of thermal expansion.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Lesson learned today: Shitty Harbor Freight tools are actually [B]more[/B] shitty than I expected them to be. :P After taking them out of the picture and adding copious quantities of loctite hi-temp, I think it'll stick. And good thing, too. it's getting cold out here.

    Working on transverse engines makes me wish more cars were RWD. :p
  • ChaosedChaosed Ranger
    If that had been a wing nut it might have worked. :D
  • TyvarTyvar Next best thing to a St. Bernard
    Detcord! if that doesnt work we graduate to drilling to set charges! :D
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