CivicStan

I'm in the process of trying to lower my cars with lowering springs and new struts so when I go to take off my front passenger side tire i notice it is hard to take the lugnuts off...I think the guys at the shop doing my alignment screwed up tightening my lugnuts back and bam the lugnut screw broke off....I figure okay I have three left I will just tighten the rest and postpone this job until I get it fixed...Nope....a second one broke off. Now I'm just seriously frustrated. Now I'm here asking is it a hard job to replace those lugnut screws myself? Does anyone have any experience doing it? I drive a 2001 Sedan LX by the way.

got2run5

Mine were stripped when I was having my bearing replaced. Had to have a machine shop press new lugs into the hub.

Edit: And hell no, what would make you think of driving with only 3 lugs

ezone

Hey, you really only need one......but it's gotta be really really tight!!!




/I keed, I keed.

CivicStan

Only to drive to a shop to get it fixed. You think I'm just going to rock out with 3 lugs? no no. But if this is a job I can do myself then I'm not taking it to a shop. I will just have a friend take me to autozone..pickup the screws and back to my place to fix it.

CivicStan

Well I had a friend take me to O reillys to get the lug studs and new lugnuts but it seems as if the wheel bearing is in the way to get the old studs out and to put them in....has anyone done anything to get theirs in without having to take the wheel bearing apart? It looks like i may be able to file the area down to get them in...what do you guys think?

ezone

If the hub has to come out of the bearing in order to do a job that will be SAFE, then by all means do it the right way!
(I have done this and successfully reused the bearing after the one race was pressed out.)


Depending on the situation, I have shaved down an edge for clearance. I wouldn't cut off more than about 1/6(ish) of the wide part though since that's all there is to keep it from pulling through the hole.

Much like in this pic, I'd have no problem shaving this much off the edge for clearance (but I would not shave much further than shown here):

CivicStan

Thanks for the feedback. I tried filing the area down and tried filing the studs down as well but it isn't working out as I'd like. I think I may have to go the route of taking the hub out...I really didnt' want to do this because I feel I may damage it while trying to knock the hub out but I seem to have no choice.

ezone

How about.....Remove the complete knuckle, take it and have the hub pressed out, change the stud(s), then press it back together.

CivicStan

Well I don't own a press. You think if I took it to some mechanic they could press it out and replace them for me? Thats really the only option I have it it takes using a press to replace the hubs

ezone

Sure. Call first, ask if they have a press and can do it...
I suppose not all shops have a hydraulic press, some might send that work out to someone else that has a press.

OTOH I'd think that ANY machine shop can handle it.


I'm just thinking that you trying to beat it apart with a hammer and maybe some sockets isn't the best option, that's all. It's up to you though. I hate to see stuff ruined.

CivicStan

yeah I think I'm going to go with that. This has just been going on for two weeks now. I just havn't had the time to work on it except for the weekends. The design is really stupid. Something like this should not be as hard as it is to replace.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

It is amazing that a servicing issue so easy to recitify has been unchanged for YEARS, come on.

All others have provisions to change studs out easily. They DO break !

ezone

They DO *get torn up by morans overtorquing and using high powered impact guns*!
FTFY

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

^^ Yes sir, one of the other reasons I do my own tire rotations.

CivicStan

You have no idea how mad I was when I saw I can't replace the studs without pulling the hub out. Its just taking my hub somewhere will take so much time and I have to rely on friends to take me places right now since my car is not in any condition to drive.

CivicStan

UPDATE:

Well After a lot of trial and error on trying to get these things replaced I figured I might as well just get a new spindle. I looked online and found a pull-a-part auto salvage that alread had one off the car. Everything seems to be in tip top shape on it. The studs look in good condition so I'm going to try installing it tomorrow. Only issue I'm having is seperating the ball joint from the Lower control arm. God it is a pain in the neck. When I had my 97 Maxima i seperated it easy as pie. Now that thing seems to be in there good. I saw a method about using the suspension weight and ground jack with a socket wrench or something. I'm going to try and look it up...that seems to be my last resort from getting this thing off. I'm riding around in a rental right now....i'd rather have my civic to be honest..

CivicStan

Well nothing was working to get the darn thing seperated so I just went on ahead and cut it thinking it would be easier to get out. Not a smart move I guess. The lower peice seems to be stuck in there and does not want to come out. I think I may need to heat it up and bang on the bottom to get it out but it is in there good. Seems like they freaking cemented the thing in there. Any ideas on how to get this out? I got a picture included on where I am at. I got a brand new spindle to put on so all I got todo now is get this stupid thing out

ezone

Sorry, I got busy. Had to buy a washing machine today.



Looks like you took something that should have been simple, and made it a lot more work than it needed to be.

It might be too late for you, but you need to know this preferred method anyway. Skip to about 36 seconds.




Next option, set the stud of the ball joint on a jackstand, place a socket or some other tube over the top part of that cutoff stud, and beat the snot out of it downward. The jackstand should cause the stud to be pushed upward into the socket, while you beat the end of the arm downward.


HTH

CivicStan

Yeah eZone I have tried all those things...It looks like I'm going to have to replace the lower control arm...Which is not the route I was wanting to go but it looks like its my last resort. I'm going to order one here in a few. It is just a shame I had to go through all of this just to replace some lug studs...oh well....I guess this is the time to replace my struts as well...got two brand new front struts sitting in the closet....

ezone

Last thought

Take the control arm off the car, take it to a bench vise.
Beat the stud out.
Reinstall arm.

The majority of ball joints and tie rod ends use an interference, tapered fit. The design of the tapered sides gives the union extreme holding force, therefore they are very tight when you need to break them apart.

CivicStan

Didn't think of that. I will give it a shot...if I can't get it to come out then I will just go get a new control arm i guess...appreciate it all ezone...once i get this car put back together i will post an update.

CivicStan

Well I replaced the Lower control arm with another one and put everything back together and it all seems good....only issue now is i get a really bad vibration when i accelerate. I also noticed when I shift from D to R it gives a jerk..much harder then It usually does....I thought something wasn't tight so I checked everything and its all good and tight...I'm wondering if it is the axle which seems wierd becuase I didin't really do anything with it except put it in the spindle and take it out. I propped the car up on stands and put it in drive and I hear the chugging and the jerking....No way I'm driving on that....I fix one problem and end up with another....wtf

ezone

My first thought here:
If you overextended the axle, the inner CV joint guts can pull out of its cup and a roller could drop into the boot, and cause all sorts of headaches.