Went to local Wally World to have tires rotated and balanced. (Man... those people are slow!)

I was informed that the passenger front wheel had a cross threaded stud and the wheel could not be removed.

How do I get this thing off by myself and how hard is it to replace the stud. The offending lugnut looks to be a different design than the other 4. So i suspect some clod put the wrong nut on the wheel when the previous owner had new tires put on.

Thanks

 

Wheel studs usually aren't that bad. You'll need to press the old stud out somehow. If it were me, with the tools I have available... After removing the rim/tire, I would cut the stud down, using a scrap piece of steel, make a makeshift press by drilling two holes spaced to go over the adjacent studs, using them & their lug nuts to press the stripped stud out. Then pull the new stud back in with a few large washers and a throw away lug nut. If all else fails or you don't have the necessary tools, there's always the BFH approach.

Studs are available at pretty much any major parts store. Just try not to cut the nut off on your rims with a torch if at all possible. If possible, remove the 4 other lugs, then, with the offending lug on the top, pull out on the bottom of the wheel while attempting to remove the lug. This will help pull it past the stripped part and should coax it off. If you have air tools, all the easier.

 

If the lug is on cross threaded no big deal. The BFH approach works well. I just replaced 2 studs on my front drivers side. I had to remove the caliper to get some room to replace the stud. Once I hammered the old studs out, I tapped the new ones in lightly, then used one of the lugs and an impact gun to pull the stud in all the way.

 

I gather the lug nut is still stuck on the stud?
If so, find a decent tire center or automotive service center. You want an impact gun with enough power to twist the lug nut off. Who cares if the stud breaks, your going to replace it anyway. If you lived near me, I'd tell ya to bring it over.

My impact gun puts out about 600ft pounds of torque, ususally I don't have any trouble twisting off cross threaded lug nuts. Usually the stud breaks off inside the lug nut.

If that isn't an option, your gonna have to do this the hard way. Drill a pilot hole through the lugnut (if it caps the stud) and all the way to the base of the hub in the stud. Then you have to drill out the stud from the inside of the lug nut, all the threads. The impact gun is your fastest method. Drilling takes a long time (45 mintues or so isn't uncommon) and a couple of bits.

Once you get the lug nut off. Use a hammer to beat the stud out. They are just held in place with splines. They pound right out. You may have to remove the caliper to get the stud out from the back side, or back in. I prefer the double washer and lug nut method to install the new stud. Push the stud through the hole, pop the two washers on, put the lug nut on, and crank until the stud seats to teh back side of the hub, or at least close to it. No need to get it seated all the way. Within a fingernail thickness gap is fine. Any bigger of a gap and you risk the stud turning in the hub, that aint good.

Once you get the tires back on, crank all the lug nuts to 100ft pounds. Spec for our trucks. That one may take more cranking then the rest, thats ok, it is seating all the way. Check them all again in 500 miles, especially if you have aluminum rims.

The shop I used to work for, we charged $20 for the first two studs repalced. Having powerful impact guns make the job easy. Call around to different tire shops and see what they charge. I am not a fan of Wal-Mart. This is a simple fix in a decent shop. We would have called you and told you the problem, yet still finsihed the job. Then ask if you want to pay the $20 for us to replace the stud. Most guys with mechanical skills just buy the parts from us and do it themselfs.