How Do I Remove A Loose Lug Nut That Won’t Come Off?
Reader Question: Hi
I have a broken stud on one of my rear wheel hubs. The nut is still on the stud and just spins when I try to undo it. I have tried to find a way to cut it off or pull the nut so the stud grips and undoes but nothings working. I figure I might need to drill out the stud and nut… Any other ideas?
Cheers
Chris
Hi there Chris
Go see a mechanic that has a air chisel. I have found that using a chisel to cut off the nut works best with least amount of damage to the wheel. A “cut off wheel” might also work good too if you have room for it and you don’t think it will come in contact with an expensive aluminum wheel. 🙁
Blessings,
Austin Davis
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I have had some similar issues with what you are going thru…usually if it happens at cruising speed (55mph) one or more tires need balanced or have some damage to them causing the wobble…loose shocks on their mounts, especially the McPherson strut front shocks can bounce a tire pretty good…sometimes you can tell if it is the front end that is shaking or the rear end…they both are similar, but if you could eliminate the obvious tire issue in the front , the rear end will shimmy a bit while the wheel stays still…after checking out your idler and pittman arms, steering linkages and ball joints,i have seen where a drive shaft out of balance or damage by a stone causes a good shimmy as well…a possible sticking caliper or out of round rotor has crossed my path now and again…look for any signs of rubbing, dry grease joints, bang marks under the wheel wells…time to be a detective…drive it at different speeds, making turns while applying brakes…if your tacoma is 4wd, its possible the front transfer case might be stuck in 4wd…i had that happen on an explorer for the longest time and it made terrible creaking noises going over the simplest bumps…visually inspect everything front to rear…i had a friend play a trick on me by putting a tywrap around my drive shaft of my sedan…took me weeks to find out where the buzzing was coming from…good luck, buddy….its not fun, but also if you can get a Helm manual from the manufacturer, they are much better at explaining in detail what your problems might be as opposed to chiltons….Matt
I agree with the previous comments concerning your tire problem. I have experienced the same problem with passenger cars as well as SUV’s. Sometimes, when the tire is being balanced,and you have a sharp mechanic doing the balancing, he can spot an out of round tire and inform you that balancing will not help. They will want to sell you a new tire.