Lugnut From HELL 

You know your day is bad when you are torching lug nuts

after one hour of dealing with chrysler lug nuts, i gotta take my wheelbarrow into the neighbors yard to retrieve all the tools i’ve thrown

Who was the "engineer" that thought capped lug nuts were a good idea? They're ridiculous.

"Automotive background" *buys Chrysler*

Probably should've hammered that bolt extractor on there and tried a breaker bar with a cheater pipe...

The easiest and painless way to fix these is to drill them out. Measure the height of the nut and the size of a stud, with a caliper. Take the drill bit, usually slightly smaller than the stud measures and mark it for depth. Most times it doesn't matter if you drill a little deeper, just be careful. A bit slightly smaller will compensate if your center or drill angle is off. Anyway, most studs are concaved at the end so locating center is relatively easy. Use a center punch to mark and start drilling. I have used the step up approach, starting with a small bit and incrementally increasing the size, but usually do this on a threaded hole that I don't want to damage the threads. In this case neither the stud or nut matter. The only piece that could be damaged is the rim. The drilling should leave just a ribbon of stud metal that will break right off with the wrench or impact. If you get it near perfect the stud should come off on the drill bit.

The lugnut from hell came directly from the engineering dept. at Chrysler. If a decent metallurgical spec was written in the first place this would never have happened. You recommend a hardened nut in the end….. this is plain to any engineer that specified an Rc number. But Chrysler decided to make it cute, and save .01 cents each. '' It'll last until out of warranty''

had a tire shop cross tread all the 16 lugnuts on my wife's corolla, when trying to remove wheels to replace struts I broke and therefore had to replace all of the wheel studs. I was one angry SOB

I always learn more when watching misadventures like this. Way to go, for rolling the camera even when things aren't going well.

I drilled straight through the wheel stud with a slightly bigger drill bit than the stud ....about 5 min of drilling

A tip from a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram technician: when you get a lugnut like this that won't come off, before you go for your breaker bar or your damaged nut/bolt extractor, take your 19mm impact socket, 18mm if the lugnut is missing the cap, and hit it with a hammer. A real hammer. I use a 4lb engineers hammer. Hit it. Really hit it. Put down your purse and hit it, little girl. 5 or 6 hard hits. The vibration from hitting it with the socket and hammer shocks the taper on the nut. Your impact will take the nut right off.

i would have lost my shit 5 mins into it

Lol Chrysler can't make lug nuts, the caps fall off or they expand and you're stuck hammering sockets on them

I had a similar experience with my 93 Jeep 4 banger when I first got it from my neighbor after it sat in his driveway for four years. I was attempting to put four tires on it and the "tire shop" couldn't get one of my lug nuts off. Just like you after bringing it home to my shop it took holy hell and fire to cut that lug off, I thought I'd never get it off I ended up just putting the torch head in the hole and going for it!! Fortunately I didn't do much damage, and like you I was able to move on.

Woah, thank you so much for posting this. I've never seen shop mishap like this. Didn't even know it were possible. Definitely keeping this in mind when shopping for aftermarket lug nuts

great vid, it shows how a real mechanic has to constantly think outside of the box to fix a problem. I also like it because it shows you're human and get just as frustrated as the rest of us sometimes.

I asked the shop not to use the air ratchet when tightening and they were happy to oblige. I always adjust to 90ftLbs when I get back home.

Baby was screaming. put on this video and he said, "whoa and I thought I had problems" and stopped crying. win!

I love watching these kinds of videos when I'm having minor car problems. I genuinely get great relief from knowing it could be so much worse

Lug nut manufacture is the same as Ford sparks plugs manufacturers goes on as one comes piece comes off as in 2 or more pieces !

i know this is after the fact but ive heard that welding a larger nut onto the jammed one then leveraging that one works

i have had a few that were like this, in my opinion its best to just drill the center of the stud out deep enough to pass the end of the nuts taperd part and when you get to a bit almost the size of the stud sledge hammer the back of the tire till it breaks, most of the time you can save damaging the rim too. It sounds like more work but its less frustrating than chiseling and torching the nut off and possible messing up the rim.

so happy for you and your new lift!

Next time, leave the two lug nuts closest to the damaged one on their studs, this will help relieve pressure on the damaged one. Then, you could try drilling the center of the stud out, start small and work your way up in bit size (drill slow with constant pressure). If the stud is too hard for your bits, get it red hot then allow it to cool to room temperature, this will anneal the metal and make it softer. When you drill the stud, you relieve some pressure on the nut. Try removing the nut after you have drilled the stud. Work your way up in drill bit size and continue to check if the lug nut is loose enough to remove. If you hit a point where there isn't much stud left, try applying a little heat to the nut, keep the heat off of the stud as much as possible. If it still won't budge, then drill the stud the rest of the way out. Use caution with the remaining stud, if it is exposed (sticking out past the nut), your drill bit will bite hard and possibly chip, use a junk bit until you get it slightly below flush with the nut.

That was a battle! Glad I didn't have to fight that war.

Hmmm at the end I was surprised you didn't tell us to use a torque wrench to tighten the rims to proper spec , I think this is key to not have problems like you just had , over tightened stretches the stud or bolt , warps rotors, and I seen rims fall off from this.

Brian; been here. Done this till I realized I was (over) WAY OVER, my head! Took the local trailer repair shop 2 hours to get the broken (Budd) thimble nut off, torch and all. Not pretty but he got it done. Lessons galore. Praise the man that created NEVER-SEIZE. You'd be amazed how many tire shops have tole me over the years to not use it on (18 wheelers) Horse puckey. With my Chicago Pneumatic, a hose, truck compressor and block of wood or jack, depending, I always got home. Great Tenacity on your video btw.

A Canadian Tire I went to put my lug nuts on with an impact gun... They were on so tight that I had to use a 3 ft breaker bar and jump on the end of it! To put that into perspective, I'm a 200lb guy... Thats 600ft-lbs of torque!!! 6 times the spec!

Buy a stronger impact gun that can break the stud. I have never had to torch a wheel nut off!

I find using a miniductor and twist extractor socket much easier. I personally heat the lug nut with the miniductor then hammer the twist extractor socket on. Using my 1/2 impact(Snap on MG725) they come right off. Without the finish of the rim compromised.

Kudos to you, Brian, for handling this like a pro! If this happened to me, I cannot say with a great deal of confidence that I'd be able to maintain my composure for that long while attempting to remove something as silly as silly as a stuck lug. Lol! Great tips as always my friend!

I was looking for videos of getting rusted lug nuts and found this old video of yours. When I used to tow I carried a loose lug cap in my bag for lug nuts that were missing their caps. I also carried a set of sockets that could take off lug nuts that required a key. I just snapped off 2 lug nuts on a wheel. Just ordered the studs in case the rest go south the same way. Glad that the paste worked for you. I would have drilled the stud out but hey any port inna storm. Happy Motoring.

Awesome job Brian! I thought I had it bad when I got my Camry back from a body shop with a 120lbs tourqe, this is way worse.

Bro when you pulled out that MacGyver Frankenstein wrench you made, I knew right then that you were desperate lol.

I use to work at a tire shop. I hated those tuner nuts, but they're way better then the normal lugs, the chances of cross threading, and damaging it is way less. Most tire guys will tell you, they hate them, but they will normally tell you, they're better. Thank you for the great videos!

When I encounter a problem such as thus. I grab my drill, and drill a 1/4" pilot hole through the center of the stud. So that it goes deep enough just past the tapper of the lug nut. (using a reputable bit) Then i get a drill bit, slightly larger than the stud threads, and drill through the 1/4" pilot hole previously made. (with another larger reputable drill bit.) Chinesium bits will brake in the stud, so don't use those. If you have a masonry carbide tipped bit. sharpen it the same as a high speed steal bit, and you can now drill through anything that is less harder than carbide.

My son and I had an adventure and cracked a breaker bar using leverage on nut remover. Our solution was to drill out stud using expensive titanium $15 drill bit while spraying walmart version of WD40. Dodge grand caravan. Did not ruin wheel or blow up house. Car tire place put lugs on too hard. They had fun getting the 3 others looose.

iam a lube tech a dealership and absolutly hate when I gota do a tire rotation on Ram trucks. I ran to a similar problem but hammered a 20mm socket and broke loose with a breaker bar. These lugs nuts are garbage

I recently went to get an allignment done and they over torqued my lug nuts when finished. I ended up striping the lug nut trying to take it off. So I had to hammer my 4 way onto the lug nut and put my breaker bar on the end to finally break it free. I literally got light headed trying to break it free

Funny watching this in 2022 because I had the same problem today. But the modern solution is a Milwaukee 18V 1/2 inch impact wrench. Snapped the stud right in half on a setting of 3 out of 4. This is my first Jeep and I have found so many ways that they made life difficult for anyone trying to maintain or repair their own vehicle. Thanks for the entertaining video.

hope you let all the air out of the tire before heating the wheel . I've seen wheels kill people from doing that

at 3:38, Brian's hand was like "WAPOW" and put his glove on faster than we could see it

Bryan, first of all...props for filming and controlling frustration! Second, I've been through that same procedure and it took me all day. I'm glad to see you got it done and that i'm not the only one that has used those methods. The welding grease is a great idea! I didn't know about that. I watch your videos right and left for things I am preparing to do. I like your style and how you explain things. Generally I get wrapped up watching several more because with every one I pick up a new trick. Like the grease! Thank you so much for what you do. On a side note, I read the comments below and see that i'm going to try some other methods first next time. Thanks guys!

A tireshop recommended McGard security lugs nuts. 1 year later, one of the broke on while on the stud. I had to take it to specialist to get it taken off. Then I started using the Gorrilla security lugs and then are amazing! Used the same ones for over 12 years, no issues!

I hate them type lugs with the caps.. what a mess... even worse is when you finally get the gumption to trust someone else with your car and they mess it up BAD! I recently paid 400 for tires only to have the shop do 1000 in body damage.. yea still trying to get paid 4 months later too!

A good tip is to use a holesaw in the stud size, the you can go all the way in :)

Happy Holidays! Kudos to your wife.

My wife goes "don't you have a plasma cutter". That dry response was great

I put those Gorrilla nuts on my '98 Sidekick, they came with the key, best log-nuts ever.

*6 FOOT PIPE, TURN CLOCKWISE, SNAP OFF THE STUD AND NUT, REPLACE, & ENJOY WITHOUT RUINING A RIM.*

Co worker at the shop had on of those today and to beat all it was a locking bolt in a Jeep. Thanks for the tip on the dip and the video!!!

Brian, it's so good to know that other people are faced with seemingly silly problems that can take up loads of time. I gave myself 2 hours to remove a 1992 Subaru petrol tank but one set screw that went into a captive nut would not budge. Heat? Not near a leaky tank. Mini grinder? no, sparks will fly. Undersized socket on a big bar - hooray it turns - well the captive nut turned and broke away. Power tools? Yes, via an inverter on a battery (no electricity where the car is garaged) but the vibrating blade tool gave up. Drill it out? My inverter is not good enough for a full size drill so when I have time I'll try with a small drill or a Dremel... (I've never had quality battery powered tools) 5 hours so far. I've been a mechanic since forever and I just hate it when this happens. Luckily it's not too often one is continually thwarted by one job. Best wishes.

i use refrigerant.(r134) freeze the lug and smash it with bar and a 3lb. sledge. thing just shatters off.

I put a video up of my dash cam showing how a shop screwed up the paint on my car and somehow got nothing but flack comments saying its my fault. Hope you don't get the same BS. It sucks when you have no choice but to take your vehicle to someone for warranty work or whatever that you cant/not allowed to do yourself and some jackass that shouldn't be allowed to hold a wrench damages your car. Hope they buy you a new rim and pay you for your time spent repairing the damage they caused.

no matter how advanced technology gets or whatever tools they come up- i still find myself reaching for my F'ING BIG HAMMER XD

Thanks for this video. I just got an old vdub with a similar problem. Got a few somewhat stripped lugs and one HELL nut. They tried to remove the nut, but it's soft, rounded, and cut into...guess I'll have to do your force method. Days of working on that single thing to get it cut down.

I had a used tire put on and they didn't final torque the lugnuts when they gave me the car back. I was driving about 10 miles home and heard a weird noise. milked it home to find two studs had backed out off the disk brake. although I could pull the spindle nut off, I couldn't get to the caliper bolts with the wheel bolted on. when I tried to drill it out, the stud spun. I ended up sticking needle nose vice grips on the lug and tried to drill it out with the highest drill bit I could fit in my 3/8" chuck. when that didnt work, i tried alternating between drill bits and dremel cut off wheels. after spending about $100 on drill bits and cutoff wheels, I bought a cold chisle set from harbor freight. I managed to get it off with just a few hammer blows on the one I started with, and about 10 on the one I hadn't touched yet. I was broke and a dumb 17 year old, so I bought a drill bit and cutoff wheels with every check, took me about 2 months. usually a stripped out nut isn't that bad. usually you can just hammer on a bigger socket. I do things a bit differently though. if ya can get it to grip good enough, the stud will usually shear off in the tightening direction easier then it will come off, so I just break the stud. they are cheap and relatively easy to do.

I had a 2002 Neon once. The best thing I ever did for it was getting rid of those 2 piece lugnuts. The local tire shop not far has solid ones that are chrome plated for a dollar each. I just told them to change all 20 of them if they had that many all matching (they had slightly different ones but I wanted them all the same). I never did have problems with the original lugnuts. That is because I knew the horrors of them and had them replaced first thing after getting that car. I don't know whatever the hell it is that possesses Chrysler to use those awful 2 piece ones but diehard Ford and GM owners probably thank God for not having to put up with those horrible things.

All that you had to do was to use a drill with a hole saw cutter. Usually a 5/8" or a 9'16" diameter cutter works. I am an auto repair tech with 41 years experience. I have removed many stuck lug nuts.

he's holding a oxy/acetalyne torch but uses his plasma cutter

This is why I always dab the lugs with anti-seize. I know, not 'spossed to but the torque doesn't go away. Not even a tiny superstitious lil bit.

I wonder if there is a relation to the failure of the lugnut and the use of impact to remove/torque? I always hand torque using torque wrench to the recommended specification. Then again I am not running a business and the extra 10 minutes to do the job is not an issue.

I am a Journeyman Toolmaker. I just had an experience where 2 of the lugs began to turn in the hub, instead of the nuts turning off the lug. I drilled the lug out, just below the depth of the nut. Then put a socket on the nut and easily broke the lug off. Remove the wheel, replaced the hub (holes for lugs were enlarged), and you was to go. No heat. You would have been able to get by with just replacing the lug. The nut probably seemed so soft because you "normalized" it with the torch, taking the hardness out of it.

Worked for 30+ years in auto repair defiantly know your pain done this same thing about 2 dozen times. The fastest way I found (worked for me) was getting a hole saw just barely larger than the stud. Drill down until you make contact with the brake rotor, most times then the rim will slide off. The stud will help keep the hole saw centered around it. Just gonna need some cutting tool coolant to keep the hole saw from overheating and failing. In the end there is no EASY way when the lug nut is concaved inside the rim.. Just (as I said) worked many times for me.. Nice video here by the way..

Well that's a bugger!

why didn't you just drill the stud ???? would have had no damage to rim ...

Good video !!! Ford Fusion has exactly the same problem. It is what happened to Hub Caps, they shrunk down over the lug nut. I replaced mine with regular 19 mm hex lug nuts that have a plastic cap over the thread ends. Strangely enough around here, they are not stocked at auto part stores, they are a mail order item only. They we cheap, including shipping 25 pieces for less than $20 .

Good info on those type of nuts.

Dude, you just destroyed a wheel for nothing! Unbelievable!! hack If you were able to get a grip on it with a socket, USE A LONG BREAKER BAR WITH THE WHEEL ON THE GROUND!!!! At the very worst, you would have broke the stud. I've done this hundreds of times without fail. I have NEVER damaged a wheel taking a lug nut loose.

You would’ve got it off faster if you used a breaker bar with the car on the ground, what automotive background you talkin about 😂

Good info. Thanks for sharing!

I had this problem where the former owner installed one or two aluminum lug nuts on each wheel; they were corroded on and instantly rounded with a socked. Most of them I was able to get at from behind the disc brake and grind the head off; then punch it through. Others like this guy; I heated and chiseled off. I did no damage to the wheel luckily, I just took my time. Total nightmare; I was lucky I never got a flat. Never use aluminum lug nuts; they should be outlawed.

Just drill down the center next time 1/8 bit 1/4 bit the a 1/2 bit Then they break off with ease

Fail ! You heat nuts and you freeze bolts.

Thank you for posting this. Same exact problem

Had the same problem when rotating tires. . Tire shop over torqued them with impact wrench. Was cross thread and outer cap broke off. Manage to get it off with extractor barely using a cheater bar.

Get that extension off the socket, your losing 50% of your torque.

"What it boils down to is somebody else worked on my vehicle and I trusted them to do a good job and they did a horrible job" #1 reason why I insist on wrenching my own stuff. (''cept my carb/intake lol) Another great video Brian! I've never faced this before but I've pondered maybe drilling through with a dremel bit and increasing the size until I can Herc off the hollow bolt. I dunno, admittedly stuff like this is my weakest area. I'd easily waste a day just contemplating the best procedure. I have a question for ya. You seem like a generally calm and reserved guy but when the frustration kicks in, do you start cussin' like an angry viking? If so, can we have a montage? lmao. I find my own strength increases DBZ style when I'm giving everything I got to a stubborn skidsteer lugnut and I let out a healthy "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU". "Soft nuts" Yup, sound like Chrysler! :~D

Well that was interesting. Step 1, as you mentioned, if the stock wheel lug nuts are in poor shape, evidenced by bulging or misshapen caps, immediately replace them with a set of quality 1pc lug nuts. Step 2. If the proper tool will not remove your damaged lug nuts, purchase a set of lock nut removal tools. Lock nut removal tools have an internal reverse thread and screw onto the outside of the existing nut until the torque required to screw them on exceeds the tightened torque of the fastener, then the lug nut comes off inside the tool. Step 3. If step 2 didn't work for whatever reason, or you don't want to purchase proper tools, use an electric drill to drill out the wheel stud inside the lug nut using a lug nut that you were able to remove to determine how deep to drill. The drilled out stud can now be easily twisted off, releasing the wheel. The interwebs can tell you your stud diameter with a quick search. You can use that information to select a drill bit slightly smaller than the stud diameter. Drill first with 1/4" bit to depth, then re-drill with final diameter bit. Use lots of lubricant to keep the bit cool. Avoid torching or hammering your wheel faces. This can actually wind up costing you more money in failed wheel bearings, damaged wheels, and other damage.

have the same lug nut from hell on my dodge durango.I used the chisel and dremel tool. Still there, unfortunately I dont have a plasma cutter

using extension with impact gun = lost some hammer efect as the extension flexes

Another reason not to buy a Chrysler product.

I didn't read all the comments, but drilling out the lug is the simplest solution. After breaking a socket (Craftsman 6 pt) with a breaker bar and no alternate 1/2" socket, I just drilled out the lug itself, with sequentially bigger drill bits. Eventually, it collapses and the nut can be pried over the remnant.

First time seeing lug nuts like this. Thanks!!

I have seen guys that thought they could put lug nuts on like the nascar guys, of course it would work sometimes but more times it would cross thread, if a person really thinks that they need to be able to do like the nascar guys, they need to get the right style lug studs and nuts, or just take the time to start them by hand and don't torque them down with a impact running 175 lbs air pressure, when I torque, I will use the impact to snug then I do the final by hand

my personal experience says Locking Lugs can be a real fucking Hassle...but Honestly that was way to-much heat. you welded the lug to the Stud first few minutes with it glowing red, you want it hot but not radiating on a visual level...Like hot enough to flash water to steam but not hot enough to make the rim warp...and try hitting the Locking-Lug with co2 when it's hot/they sometimes explode off the Stud!but one crack/split will have it spinning off.

great info. I will be going after a stuck and spinning stud on a big boat trailer, Its away from any welding equip so its map gas and vise grips,, or a offset wheel cutter

Glad things turned out ok. I never take my car in for anything except when I didn't have access to an alignment rack and that was a nightmare. The shop owner threatened to sue me for the bad review and only coughed up about 1/3 of the cost to repair their screw up when I took him to court. That's why people appreciate an honest and competent mechanic so much.

I had the same problem except the lug stud stripped in the hub in the process of getting it off

this is very useful especially when you are 100 miles from the nearest shop...

Remember to put the tool in safely with the tyre iron as well, so when you need it it is with the vehicle, not sitting on a rack in the workshop. Drill a hole through the tool ( hard yes because it is hardened steel, so go to an engineering shop and pay him to spark erode a hole through or drill it out with a carbide drill) and use a wire to tie it to the tyre wrench, or use a set of nuts that have a tool with a hole already. Already had to do a tyre change in the rain using a hacksaw to cut the bolt off as it had stripped. Was not a fun hour, but luckily I did have some hacksaw blades in the car and some electrical tape to wrap a handle on.

Land Rover does the same thing with there lugs. I spent a day and half getting a few off that someone crushed. Great vid! Keep em coming.

Great video, if you haven't noticed most of the capped nuts are tapered from the factory, at the flat end it is wider than the putter edge

You haven't lived until you're stuck on the side of the road with a flat and no key for the locking lug.

I learned a lot from this video. Thanks!

That nozzle dip seems to work well. In the same situation I have used tire lube compound with excellent results aswell (as long as you glob it on there) first heat it up then chisel away as much of the lug nut as possible. Then with just 1 other lug nut threaded on a few turns adjacent to the damaged nut I will hit it with the oxy/acet until it’s a cherry red pool and have somebody else smack the back of the wheel with a deadblow hammer it usually pops right off after a few good smacks.

scaffold bar never fails

I have a Jeep Cherokee I swapped most my lugs already. Never had one that bad. 3 seat bolts went like this though. Glad it didn't get to sledgehammering the rim to pieces.

You can also get one piece normal style...ask at Discount Tire it's what I did buying new tires I had them change out all the lug nuts as the caps on the Jeep OEM ones were falling off. Also had them put in normal valve stems and mount the tire sensors on a band.

you know someone goofed bad when you have to break the plasma out to get a lug nut off