1. Home
  2. Volkswagen, everything else
  3. How can I remove a stripped wheel stud?

How can I remove a stripped wheel stud?

I have an old set of aftermarket wheels on my Rabbit that used studs and lug nuts instead of the stock type lug bolts.

I was getting ready to install a new set of wheels that use the stock lug bolts, when I discovered one of the old studs won't come out. The lug nuts came off fine, and the wheel is off the car, but the stud itself just spins and spins in the hub.

I tried using a pair of vise grips to "pull" as I unscrewed the stud. That didn't work.

I tried wedging a small screwdriver into the exposed threads of the stud, while turning the stud with an allen wrench, but that too just free spins.

I'm hoping someone here might have a tip on removing the bolt.

I'm assuming the threads in the hub are probably wasted, which would mean replacing the hub AND the wheel bearing. A bigger expense than I was hoping for. So, I'd like to at least attempt getting the stud out. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband
Loading thread data ...

Cut it off flush and drill the remainder out. Use a bit just slightly smaller than the diameter of the stud, then use a tap to chase the rest out.

Reply to
Erik Dillenkofer

Erik,

Tried your idea and it worked great! I started with a small bit, and then slowly widened it with a few different bits till I got close to the threads. By that point the stud kind of spun along with the drill bit out the back side of the wheel hub.

Unfortunately, the wheel on the other side had the same problem. I was able to drill and remove the stud, but I'm not sure if the threads are going to be usable. Right now I can't torque the lug bolt down, but the bolts I have now are kind of short. Proper length bolts should be here tomorrow or Friday, and hopefully they'll be able to reach back to good threads. We'll see.

Those studs were a real pain on all four wheels. Out of 16 studs, only four came out without problems. Two had to be cut off and drilled out. I had to grind some flats on the sides of the others so I could get a good grip with vise grips. It took a full day of work, but I finally got them all out and the holes cleaned up.

Anyway, Thank You for the tip. Exactly what I needed...

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

You could drill the hub out a little more and tap a larger thread. If you then use a heli coil thread insert you should be able to recreate the original thread. The heli coil metal is also stonger and inserted into a larger diameter thread will get greater purchase onto the hub than the original bolt. hence you should get a stronger finished thread.

You can get heli coil stuff from most good engineering shops / parts places.

poor mans way would be to fill hole with weld, grind flush , redrill and tap the correct thread.

Reply to
RipVanWinkle

Jim,

I hear you, and I'm guessing I'll end up replacing the one front hub. The rears hubs are in fine condition, the studs were just rusted (and loc- tited) in place and difficult to remove.

As for the bolts, the ones I have now are too short. They only engage a couple of threads on the front hubs. Obviously, I'm not going to be driving it around that way! I ordered full length bolts and they should be here today or tomorrow. If I feel there's even the slightest difficulty torqueing them down properly, I'll replace the hub.

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Jim,

I only had two studs (on two different hubs) that needed to be drilled out. All the other bolts came out, if not a bit reluctantly.

I ran a tap through all 16 bolt holes just to make sure they were clean and in good shape. The bolts I initially got for the wheels were too short, and could only engage a thread or two in the hubs. Proper length bolts arrived yesterday and I installed those in all four wheels. I had no problem torqueing any of the lug bolts down. All is good as new...

Now, on to brake work... :)

Anthony

Reply to
HerHusband

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.