Stuck Lugs

[dwarner61]

Hello,

Got a problem that I haven't come across in the Forums yet (but may have just missed).
I'm a new Festy convert ('92 Festiva GL, 113,000 miles) and have really enjoyed driving it so far.
However, I am having a problem with the front passenger side wheel. The tire was a little low on air and I took it to a local tire shop to have it repaired. They removed one of the lug bolts but could not budge the other three. I took it to a second shop where they ended up using a 5 foot cheater bar and even with two guys bouncing and hanging on the bar, they could not budge it either...now the three remaining bolts are half stripped as well. I've had all of the bolts from the other three tires removed just to make sure and they came off without a hitch...it's just the front passenger side wheel.
I've temporarily fixed the tire with fix-a-flat but I know I'm going to need to get this taken care of soon.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[Epixstar]

i dont know about yours but mine are studs is that what come stock on festivas, loosen other lugs and drive around on a bumpy road for a few minutes or try dosing them with penetrating oil

[Pgh5spd]

There are several possibilities, most of which are obvious like the threads are filled with rust, or it was cross-threaded at one time. But one thing that isn't usually considered is the taper seat. I've had some that I thought were welded in, altho not as hard as yours, but when I finally broke the bolt loose the threads didn't seem so bad - instead it seemed like it was the taper seat that had been giving all the resistance. Those tapers really add a lot of holding power, especially if they've rusted up.

So, you might try spraying WD-40 or equivalent on the bolts, and also give them a whack with a hammer and then more WD-40. Let it penetrate for a day, too. Are you in a roadsalt/rustbelt region?

[Guest]

I've broken a few 14mm sockets and even twisted a few stock Festiva lug wrenches before I bought a set of 1/2" deep impact sockets and a breakover bar. Then add a cheater pipe along with that wd-40 and normally they should come off. Worse come to worse you may have to replace the hub..

[gdawgs]

A 3/4" drive impact wrench would probably do it. Buying one is spendy, and finding someone who has one might not be so easy. I'm not even sure if they make 3/4" drive sockets that small.??

[dwarner61]

Thanks to all for the advice/suggestions.

To answer Pgh5spd, I live in Kansas City, KS so our winters are definitely not what I would call extreme.

In response to xpnsyd, I'm thinking that I may indeed have to end up replacing the hub. Typically, would a good mechanic or body shop guy be able to remove the wheel from the hub (presumably by drilling out of the bolts) without doing too much damage to the alloy wheels (it's a GL model)?

Thanks again for all the input.

[Guest]

it shouldnt be a problem.. large drill press and patience.. :wink: