I have a locking wheel nut that I can’t remove. The original key had four pins that fitted into four matching holes in the nut. Due to one slip of the wheel brace the edges of the holes became rounded off so that the key pins couldn’t give the necessary torque to remove the nut.
The first photo shows a nut I did remove, showing the four holes that got damaged,
and this photo shows the nut that got damaged. As you can see I’ve had a good go at removing it.
Has anyone got a good idea on how to proceed? I have tried a pair of wheel nut removers from Halfords. One is too small for the diameter of the nut, and the other is too wide for the reveal in the wheel. Is the only option left to drill the nut away bit by bit, or is there something that can fit around the nut to grip it, even though there isn’t much room for that?
Ooowww! Not nice, you have my sympathy. Apart from finding a wheel nut removal socket that will fit in the hole in the wheel you may have to revert to drilling it. Trouble is, to drill the conical part of the nut you’ll probably end up damaging the wheel. I’d drill straight down the centre of the stud to the same diameter as the stud, the nut should then come off leaving you with a stud to replace. It may be worth popping along to Kwik Fit or similar first to see if they have anything that will get it off. There are various locking wheel nut removal set on the market. Some people try welding a socket or another wheel not onto the locking nut but I’m not sure that you’ll have the access.
I had to have another wheel nut welded on top of my locking nut to get mine of , if you go down this root, make sure you put plenty of masking tape on your alloys to protect them, otherwise you will mark them. I had three of mind done .
if you got a mark 3 and they are genuine locking nuts ,a set of removers will not work the locking nuts has a plastic slip collar a round them, to have them welded of should be your last resort ,best of luck
Are you in either the RAC or AA as both have the Dynomec kit on board, I also have this kit and I have not come across any I can’t remove with it and that includes the NC type with floating collar.
If I lived in your area I would gladly remove them for you but sadly I’m not.
If the air in your tyre has been accidentally let out[8-|] you could call one of the above for assistance to help put your spare on obviously telling them you have lost the locking nut key.
Hopefully a friendly patrol will remove your stuck nuts, then it’s always a good idea to offer them a drink to remove the others on your car as they don’t have to remove the remaining nuts, you may get the odd grumpy patrol unwilling to help or one that’s just been given the job 10 minutes before there shift ends, but I won’t go into patrol deployment on your thread[:-d]
The kit I have is essentially a two prong chisel, it’s not but it is an effective description, that have to be hammered with some force into the nut such that it can actually get purchase on the metal, by force I mean 4 pound hammer, It’s not pretty but it works but the nut is toast afterwards.
I wouldn’t say it is something that you hope to get done as a favour though as once you start, there is no going back, and it is not always quick.
Its worth checking the locking socket as i’ve seen some of the posts get pushed into the socket so they dont make correct contact with the nut. The sockets are drilled to match the nut and then have posts pressed into the holes to make contact, they can often be pulled back out with a decent pair of pliers.
I’d give the AA or RAC a call. If you’re not a member, find a friend who is and ask them to come round and call for you as a favour. Standard membership covers people for problems with any car, not just the ones they own.
Years ago, I had one of these type of locking nuts stuck; attempts to remove it using the key resulting in the key breaking, as well as the replacement key. Garage got it by using a hot torch, and getting the stud red hot; then then could spin off the nut with a pair of small grips. The wheel needed repainting but was otherwise fine.
I lost the lock key for my Saab a couple of years ago. Finally got all four off by sacrificing a socket of slightly smaller diameter. This was hammered on to form a good interference fit, then simply undone with a 1/2 inch breaker bar. A 12 point socket is needed. The theory and practice behind this method is that the socket is harder than the nut and if smaller it will cut into the nut to provide grip.
Just taken a second look at the picture of your offending locking nut. It may not be possible for a socket to fit between the locking nut and the wheel. If this is the case then you could try a smaller socket on the next smallest part of the nut, but because it looks like its only a few mm deep, the lead-in chamfer on the inside of the bottom of the socket may need to be ground off so the 12 points (double hex) can get maximum grip.
I thought you’d all be pleased to hear that the offending wheel nut is now off and in the bin. I used a Norwich mobile tyre fitting company called ‘Pure Tyre’, the work was done on my drive in 15 minutes, and I can recommend them without hesitation. (He tells me that he used to be Kieron’s boss at STS Tyre Pros, and they put me on to him). Now I can get all four wheels off I’m ready for the Norfolk Fives’ Hands Free Tech Day on Sunday. See you there.
