Wheel nut

[taxi ray]

I have snapped the locking nut on a Mercedes a class, I know that I will need to weld a nut on and release it that way.
Do I need to disconnect the battery and alternator and ecu, everyone has a different solution.
I have an old oxford so the actual welding should be fine.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Can you Borrow a surge protector? I think HSS used to hire them.
I would disconnect the battery, alternator. The ECU should be ok.
Get the earth lead as close to the job as possible.
If you have access to an Air wrench you can use the sockets what have a course thread to remove them.
My mate charges £20 to remove the broken one, it may be in your interest to check out your local garage's.

 

[taxi ray]

There is no way you could use a socket, the locking device is round, so when it snaps off you have nothing left.
The actual locking part of the stud looks to be about 5mm of locking device stuck onto the end of a stud, it just sheared clean off, and looking at it closer half was clean metal and half had already corroded, possibly making it very weak.

 

[rikrobson]

Is it a spinny one? If not get something on it. Laser do lh spiral sockets
If not and you need to weld something then attach the earth close to the weld. On the. Hub. And disconnect the battery

 

[doubleboost]

Hold the part you are going to weld to the stud (I use box section & weld from the inside) in a pair of mole grips .
Attatch the earth to these not the wheel or the hub
I use a surge protector across the battery (I have forgot to use it on many occasions)

 

[brightspark]

electricity takes the shortest path from a to b so i dont see how anything can get damaged unless u have your earth return a distance away from your job

 

[Bill Edwards]

Post up a photo. I'm not saying we'll come up with a removal method which doesn't require welding, but we might!

 

[taxi ray]

This is a photo of the stud and the broken piece. I tried drilling it but it is very hard, I managed to chisel the edges and have now managed to hammer a socket onto it, I will try and release it later.

 

[Bill Edwards]

If that fails, see if you can find somebody who'll lend you the proper socket extractors that are designed to grip onto these.

 

[doubleboost]

That will need the welded box section treatment
Nothing you can buy will get a grip on that

 

[doubleboost]

Irwin boltgrips not any use? (seemingly harder than toolsteel)

If I remember correctly there is no room at all around the bolt

 

[taxi ray]

I hammered a socket on, sprayed it with wd40, left it a while and managed to get it out, it was a lot tighter than a locking nut should be.

 

[zx9]

I hammered a socket on, sprayed it with wd40, left it a while and managed to get it out, it was a lot tighter than a locking nut should be.

Well done getting the old bolt out and thank you for updating the thread.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Surely a locking wheelnut should be done up to the same torque figure as the normal wheelnuts? It's doing exactly the same job...

Haha, 'should' be!
There was a thread on here very recently, I think the poster had to cut and smash an alloy wheel up because of an over-tightened locking nut!

It seems that plenty of garages using an impact wrench, not a torque wrench, to do all the wheelnuts up, even the locking ones.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Ah, here we go, that thread I mentioned: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/had-to-cut-a-wheel-off-an-alfa-today.57116/

 

[ajlelectronics]

I hammered a socket on, sprayed it with wd40, left it a while and managed to get it out, it was a lot tighter than a locking nut should be.

You might have been better using a penetrating oil, rather than a Water Dispersant. Even 50/50 ATF and Acetone will work well, otherwise PlusGas, GT-85 and Duck oil have good reviews. The benefit of mixing your own is that you can brush it on, just where you want it.

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Haha, 'should' be!
There was a thread on here very recently, I think the poster had to cut and smash an alloy wheel up because of an over-tightened locking nut!

It seems that plenty of garages using an impact wrench, not a torque wrench, to do all the wheelnuts up, even the locking ones.

seems its taught that way nowadays, apprentice at mates garage was took on 2 years into his course, was taught to buzz everything up with a rattle gun then tweak with a torque wrench. Soon got him out of that habit when he got docked for over tightening a bell housing and cracked about 4 lugs off. Same lad hadn't been taught why mild steel seizes into ally holes