Locking wheel nut removal ?

[martinw]

My car came fitted with the OEM locking wheel nuts and the key (and a few spare standard nuts).

While working on the rear brakes, managed to get the locking wheel nut off one side by being fairly gentle with the breaker bar but there was corrosion to the pin holes in the nut.

Tried the other side (also corroded in the pin holes) and this will not move. As soon as you try to turn the key, it just slips.

Tried the old trick of hammering an undersized socket onto the chrome cap that extends beyond the head of the stud. Very thin metal (I found out afterwards) and as soon as I tried to turn it, it just sheared the cap off.

So now I'm stuck with this wheel nut I can't get off and can't move forward with brakes (and work on wheel arch).

After this problem, thought I would try and get the 2 front ones off and managed those ok.

First pic shows the problem wheel nut (the blue circle in the centre is the head of the stud).

Second and third is another wheelnut removed earlier (also cap sheared off) giving a better view.

And lastly, the key (there does appear to be some wear/distortion to the pins).

Have had a look at local firms offering a locking wheelnut removal service and most of them only seem to have tools suitable for screwing onto bolts (rather than nuts) and most will still charge a call out fee if they can't get them off.

I've just cancelled my RAC subscription, so can't call them......

 

So, any ideas/suggestions for getting this nut off ??

(Personally, think this is probably going to have to be drilled out with consequent damage to the wheel and/or stud)

[martinw]

UPDATE (for now):

Have contacted one of the local wheel nut removal firms. He's seen the pics and reckons he can get it off  and has never failed (yet !). No call out charge if he fails.

So going to let him have a go at it tomorrow late pm. £36 if he succeeds.

Will watch carefully on what method(s) he tries and will report back on outcome.

[dr_broon]

Good luck with getting it sorted. They're a really dodgy design - one of mine (don't use them anymore though) had also lost the chrome cap, but luckily was still able to use it. I'm sure that mine had more pins than that though (or more evenly spaced. 

[martinw]

1 hour ago, dr_broon said:

Good luck with getting it sorted. They're a really dodgy design - one of mine (don't use them anymore though) had also lost the chrome cap, but luckily was still able to use it. I'm sure that mine had more pins than that though (or more evenly spaced. 

As you say, a really dodgy/weak design. Especially for something subject to the weather. Once the chrome coating has gone, starts to corrode, then pin-holes expand with use. Gonna fail sometime. Wont be putting them (or any other type) back on. Just the standard OEM wheel nuts. Nobody nicks wheels these days ?

 

[martinw]

Well - Success !! 

The guy got the nut off, took him about 2 mins.

He used a high torque impact driver and a lump hammer and the original key. Told him that I had tried my impact driver (15 quid halfords special) without success. He said this driver was in a different league, cost about 100 quid and has so much torque it can snap sockets or the drive head easily.

If that had failed he said he had other tools for pin-type nuts that would do the trick and rechargeable drivers with up to 1600 ft llbs torque.

Didn't even damage the nut or key if I had wanted to re-use it (not).

So if you have a similar problem, may be worth calling your local specialist (mobile tyre fitters come across these problems frequently, mine was the 3rd of his today).

If in the Norwich area - pabrownmobiletyres - highly recommended !

[dr_broon]

So out of interest, just dug out my old ones, and the studs are more evenly spaced. 

 

Not sure if it would make a difference, but it feels like it should make for a more even force. 

I used to have to be extra careful with the one without the cap. 

[KiNK43]

Glad it's sorted.

[martinw]

Think if mine had the pin spacing like yours, would have had a better chance of getting them off. Guess Honda had a limited number of pin spacings available (almost like coding) and its just luck of the draw which ones you have on your car ?