Breaker bars & locking nut removal kit

[wemorgan]

A few questions:

My wheel nuts have been over torqued by the previous owner. I've already sheared off a socket adaptor, so now I think I need a quality breaker bar. There are lots of sale online, but can anyone recommend a high strength one that is man enough for the job? (I need 17mm)

Also the locking wheel nut socket has been lost. Can anyone recommend a particular removal kit?

Thanks.

 

[Dieselman]

A decent tool shop will sell a quality breaker bar. 600mm is a reasonable length for lots of controllable torque.

For locking wheel keys, if they are the original wheels try the SAAB dealer.

 

[trapperjohn]

Carbide tip drills are good!! for removing locking wheel nuts.

PM Ian Flannigan he seems to have a neat way with them!! Locking wheel nuts that is.

 

[wemorgan]

For the wheel nuts I was thinking along the lines of this:
Laser 3939 Wheel Nut Remover 150mm 4pc

~£70 is too much though.

If I buy this: http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...&sa=X&ei=WHmRTs3VEc2q8APh3uwP&ved=0CFIQ8gIwBA

do I need to buy the impact driver as well?

I was using a 1m metal bar extension to my 3/8 socket set when the adaptor sheared off. All the breaker bars I've seen have a knuckle joint for the socket. So can I assume a 1/2 adaptor will suffice?

 

[Dieselman]

Hammer a socket over the locking bolt head, torque the breaker bar up and whack the end of the socket to shock it.

That will undo any jammed bolt.

 

[wemorgan]

I presume I need a sacrificial 17mm socket for this job, rather than knacker up my nice set?

 

[Will]

Pop down to your local tyre place, they'll probably have the bolts off and loosened for you in minutes.

Bung them a tenner or so for their troubles, everyone's happy

 

[Dieselman]

Pop down to your local tyre place, they'll probably have the bolts off and loosened for you in minutes.

Bung them a tenner or so for their troubles, everyone's happy

Excellent idea.

I presume I need a sacrificial 17mm socket for this job, rather than knacker up my nice set?

If you really want to do this yourself just use an impact socket, they are designed for impact.

 

[wemorgan]

Do they have a special tool or are the air guns all that's need? Just curious.

 

[st13phil]

It's the hammer action of the air wrench that does the job.

 

[Will]

The air guns operate with impact, so are excellent for loosening tight fasteners such as wheel bolts.

They'll probably have some experience with missing locking wheel bolt keys, so I expect most place will have a kit or some old sockets for this very reason. After all, a tyre garage sees dozens of cars every day of the week - nothing new to them

 

[wemorgan]

Thanks chaps.

Garage looks to be the cheapest and easiest option......just my luck to get a puncture on the way there

 

[EuroCarParts]

Hammer a socket over the locking bolt head, torque the breaker bar up and whack the end of the socket to shock it.

That will undo any jammed bolt.

Dieselman is bang on the money - this is the method most garages will use...

I have used the Laser tool and it worked fine on cheap sets of lockers, however they won't work on Mcguard or other insurance approved locks.

This is a very handy tool to keep in the garage:
MASTERPRO 7PCS WHEEL-LOCK REMOVER SET

However, when you weigh it up, even £30 to a garage for their time and effort removing it, is a bargin!

 

[jaymanek]

We have lots of sets of removal tools but like ECP says, they only work on rubbish lockers!
We normally have to sacrifice an old socket to get the better nuts off... and thats if there is access.

 

[wemorgan]

Thanks again. This is the locking nut

 

[jaymanek]

thats the "hammer on a multi spline type socket"...

Shouldnt be an issue but it works much better with an air gun as it shocks it free... a breaker bar will usually make the socket slip.

 

[EuroCarParts]

Thanks again. This is the locking nut

By the looks of it either methods should work

a) Use the key, Hammer it on with a breaker bar and while one person turns the bar, the other needs to hammer the key/keep it pushed in.

b) Use a cutting tool to cut into the head of the bolt (its reverse thread so you turn it the other way to tighten) and once it reaches the base it will (in theory) begin to loosen the bolt

c) Use a smaller socket (17mm or the like) - hammer it onto the head of the bolt, and force it loose, however this may slip and/or destroy the 'sacrificial socket'

 

[Tiff]

That looks like its recessed a long way into the wheel- these can be tricky but your type are the easiest to remove. Avoid using the cheap "breaker bars" that you get from Aldi's etc, as they dont have a 90 degree bend on them so are much more likely to slip ( and you end up punching the ground- very painful) I've got loads of old 16 point sockets in my toolbox in all variants- AF, metric and Whitworth, so it's just a case of selecting the size that is going to get a good bite on the outer surface of the locker.Whack it on HARD using an old extension bar, then use the extension resting on an axle stand to keep it 90 degrees from the wheel, then use the torque avaliable from the long bar.. slip an extra lenght of pipe on it to give more oomph- trolley jack handle is ideal. Aim to be 100% sure you'll get it first time otherwise it gets more difficult as the locker gets chewed up.

Impact sockets are usually 6 sided,so are much more difficult to smash on to the locker- remember and wear goggles as most sockets are hardend steel and can shatter and splinter into a million bits... nearly lost a finger years ago extracting a bearing cage with a big hammer when the bearing exploded and caught my finger on the way past.

I find an impact gun can make it more likely for you to chew up the locker- but this isn't an exact science... whatever works for you! Never failed to get a locker off in 20 odd years yet though.

 

[W4SIM]

This has worked for me on several occasions and il probably do it if the same thing happens again . . . . easy method, not really for the faint hearted though.

1. Remove all the normal nuts, then put them back on by only a couple of threads each so they're not touching the wheel itself.

2. Go for a gentle 10 minute drive around some corners

3. With all the pressure now being on just one nut it will start to come away, but just incase things get a bit hairy all the other nuts are still in place to catch the wheel from falling off.

You'll hear a few unholy sounds as your driving around but thats a good thing, it means the nut is coming off. You might want to stop and check every so often though just to see where the wheel is in relation to the hub at the point of the troublesome nut. If its come away slightly then job done, the nut has come free. Just go home, jack it up, push the wheel back towards the hub and simply undo the nut with a socket that just abouts gets some grip on it.

Trust me . . . . i wouldnt say it if i hadnt done it a few times myself

 

[wemorgan]

Update:

1. I found the security wheel bolt key in a hidden storage compartment beside the boot! The previous owner must never have known it was there since the two new front tyres have had the security bolts removed and replaced with standard bolts.

2. I bought a cheap TUV approved extendable 1/2" wheel brace. Hey presto the bolts undid.

Now having also serviced the car I think I'm now ready to start using it