How to remove security lug nuts without the key?

Yes, it's unfortunate but the car I bought has a security lug nut on each wheel and unfortunately, the car did not come with the "key" which lets you plug a socket in on one side and the other side into the star-lobe shaped lug nut.

I was told by a tire shop that he can probably get them off with a torch but it would cost $10 per lug which equals $40.

Isn't there some way that a do it yourselfer could handle this? The socket is round and I think about 22 mm in diameter. Here are what my ideas are:

#1) Weld or braze a large socket onto the surface of the nut and then let cool and then put in the 1/2 inch breaker bar. Only thing is, I'd have to buy a brazer but I wonder if that would work? I am not sure what type of metal the lug nut is - if it would be compatible with whatever I chose as the filler rod and ditto with the socket.

#2) I think there is probably at least 1/2 inch of drill space on the top of the security lug nut to drill and tap and put a bolt in with a nice size head on it (before I reach the stud). But I need to loosen counterclockwise and this would also probably loosen the bolt before it loosened the lug nut unless I could somehow glue or use some type of strong cold weld or loctite on the bolt or solder or weld it in there (or braze).

I've seen "screw extractors" at Ace Hardware but they don't seem to be made to do the high torque stuff needed on a lug nut. All you can do is put a wrench on their end and rotate. That's not gonna do the job, I don't think! Any good ideas would be appreciated.

Reply to
August
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counterclockwise

You have a couple options:

Buy the key. Could be McGard or the stock security lug.

Break the stud. Hit it with a big hammer and just break the stud off. You'll have to get a replacement stud and install it. Depends on what kind of stud they are. I'd say they'd run as cheap as $6/ea.

Buy a security lug remover. It's an oversized socket with teeth that you hammer over the lug and the teeth bite in to the lug. That gives you a socket to turn the lug.

Hammer a regular socket over the lug and hope the socket doesn't slip. I'd suggest a 12 pt socket.

-Bruce

Reply to
Bruce Chang

The easiest way I know is to go to a dealer for that car. Almost all of them have master keys... ... or so I have been told. The previous owner of my car removed them with hacksaw and chisel. Needless to say, I have some bad lugs...

PoD

counterclockwise

Reply to
Paul of Dayton

I've seen a tire shop hammer a socket over them and take them off with an impact. Hammered on the outside of the socket and worked the lug out.

A couple of things I would try if I were in the situation;

  1. Hammer socket over
  2. Grind flats onto ouitside and hammer socket over
  3. place large nut on top and weld from the center
  4. I've seen stud extractors (a little tool that fits over a stud andhas a knurled wheel that digs into the side of the stud as you turn with a socket wrench). I would see if I could find one large enough to fit over these locks
Reply to
bobby

Reply to
Stan Kasperski

counterclockwise

Should you like one more tip that has NEVER failed me: Get a mid-size-to-small chisel and hammer to 'drive' toward the loosening direction(usually counterclockwise). Move slowly around the circumference, and soon you will "see that wonderful first move". HTH & good luck. sdlomi PS: Sorry you have only 4 lugs--else you could use each of 5 suggestions and determine which works best!!! PSS: Check with several tire shops, and you should find one nice guy who would be happy to accommodate by using his all-purpose tool, at far less than $5 per lug--maybe buy him lunch! When in a decent-sized town, this has always worked for me too--and I've never had to pay anything! Of course, I live in a state where things are much slower than some places where they might be too busy to help someone in distress; yet, I honestly believe there's someone in EVERY area who would be so nice--just find him.

Reply to
sdlomi

Matco and others make a tool for this. I believe it was around $200 for the two different tools one needed for all types of nuts. No torches.

Reply to
Clifton T. Sharp Jr.

If the wheels are factory stock, try a dealer of that brand of car. They may have all of the possible factory stock lug nut keys for use when working on cars brought in for service. And then either buy the matching key or replace the lock nuts with a regular ones.

Reply to
Timothy J. Lee

Lots of dealers have master sets for the nuts.

I had a friend come over recently needing to break one because the tire went bad and he, like you had no key.

Found the key! It was stuck in the end of the stock tire iron stashed away with the jack under the back seat.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

August wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Hammer on an impact socket. Remove with an impact wrench. This is what worked for me when I had a key actually wear out...

Reply to
Brent P

Approximately 11/4/03 06:14, August uttered for posterity:

With a tough and hard enough socket, I've heard claims that you can just hammer it on enough to get the nut off.

Your best bet is to try a local specialty wheel seller that sells your brand. There aren't that many keys, odds are they would have one that fit and could either remove them or sell you the key.

Some car dealers also have keys that fit, mainly so they can work on your car.

Another thing to consider is a Dremel or drill with a cutoff disk or tungsten bit. Carefully grind flats on the keyed nuts and then use an ordinary wrench.

Reply to
Lon Stowell

I had a really good time with an air hammer.. :-) The lug lost.

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A bolt welded onto the top would have worked too.

__________________ Note: To reply, replace the word 'spam' embedded in return address with 'mail'. N38.6 W121.4

Reply to
Barry S.

Yeah, I tried it but I think I need a 12 point 22mm very thin wall. All I have at the moment is a 23mm thin wall that I can bang on but it can't grip the round lug strong enough to make it turn. Unfortunately.

I don't think the security key came with the pacer wheels. I think they bought them extra and I have no idea who might have made the security keys.

Not my dodge dealer. She acted like I was crazy for calling and said that would cost alot of money to have them banged off with a hammer and chisel!

These are very hard lug nuts. I tried to drill a small hole on one of them with a drill bit that came with a drill and tap set and I couldn't even get anything going. Very hard material!

Reply to
August

No, these are pacer wheels but I don't think the lugs came with the wheels. Probably not eh? (Seeing as how the previous owner, whoever that was, had a WASP security alarm installed and seemed to be very protective so I assumed he or she probably also put these lugs on too.)

Sears automotive department told me they would take them off for $5 per lug, $20. That's not the end of the world, if I have to do that. And the good thing is he said if they break or damage something in the process of doing it, they have to pay for the repair. I like that.

Reply to
August

Yeah, Mac Fullbright where I live has this set of "sockets" that are just round and sells for $60. But I don't know if my socket size is covered. Probably need to check on that. They also sell a cheaper set that has serated pointed corners (probably 24 point or something).

Reply to
August

Excellent tip. I appreciate it very much!

I have a local guy that will drive me around town to get the parts for my car and then drive me home to go get the cash to pay him, all on his gas but he'd not be happy if I didn't give him a little cash.

It would have to be buffet style for sure.

Reply to
August

Thanks everyone for the helpful hints. Definitely, alot of things to try if I try and do it myself.

Reply to
August

Yeah, I saw a small set of these at a tool store recently, but I don't think the sizes of the lug removers in that set are large enough (I need

22mm or 23 at most), but that was the $25 set.
Reply to
August

Have you tried going back to the previous owner and asking for the key?

Reply to
E. Meyer

Approximately 11/5/03 13:35, August uttered for posterity:

Thus the suggestion to use a Dremel with a cutoff disk or tungsten. If somehow you can confuse the cheap mild steel drills usually supplied with a drill set with genuine quality tools, you may want to have someone with a bit more mechanical background take on this task for you.

The only thing a tungsten cutter won't touch is titanium or tungsten in which case you spend a coupla more bucks and get a diamond cutter. If that won't cut it, have those nuts preserved, they are obviously of non-earthly origin.

You'd still be better off hitting the specialty wheel makers. Whether or not the locking lugs were supplied by the wheel maker or not, there really honestly and truly are not that many folks that make locking nuts, and a good specialty wheel seller [they also sell locking nuts] is the most likely place to have a key. If not, see Dremel, tungsten, diamond.

Reply to
Lon Stowell

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