Hi there, I’m having trouble with a locking wheel nut on our Mk2, the previous owner rounded it off & looks like they have taken a chisle to it and made a mess of things, when i looked in the boot there is no locking key! I have managed to get three off by hamering a 14mm socket on, but the fact remains that i will have to drill the stud out on the smashed one. I have tried this but the stud is hardened and my drills won’t touch it. Is there some kind of hardened drill bit i need to get? also is it an east job to fit a new stud?
Doesn’t the stud come out of the hub if you hammer it from the threaded end? They usually are on splines and should come out but you will have to take your caliper off first.
Even if you could get a drill bit that was capable of cutting into the stud you would probably overheat the tip as you wouldn’t be able to get enough pressure on a hand held drill to start the drilling process. Also if it is as I am sure it is , splined, you will knacker the splines up and then you will require a whole new hub.
If we new where you lived, someone local to you may be able to help you.
Just re-read your post, if you haven’t got the nut off, you could try using a Nut Splitter.
Polly, I think the wheels still on the car. Can you get an angle grinder near enough to cut a notch, and then attack with a good sharp cold chisel. The stud is probably stuffed but they are easy to replace-------
Thanks for the help, will have another go this weekend, replacing the stud is no problem, getting the wheel off is the tough one, no chance of getting a angle grinder in. also the nut is pot hard, had a go with a cobolt drill bit but no luck. i will keep trying.
Years ago, I had the same problem with a locking nut; soft outer, hard inner. Sockets, chisels, had no effect. Had to get a blue flame on it to warm it up. While red hot, it just span off with a pair of small molegrips. Burnt the paint on the Watanabe wheel though.
Recently, I lost a wheel lock. I didn’t bother tryiong myself this time, just paid a garage a tenner to swap them all out for a fresh set. Garages have impact drivers. You can get a locking wheelnut remover from halfords (laser tools), which is an impact socket with a reverse threrad. You need an impact driver to get it to chew into a wheel nut. Might have been what the garage used, as it took them two minutes to whip off all the locking nuts without bother (these were Mazda splined nuts)
