Broken nut on wheel hub

R

rhapsodicboom

Member
Hello guys, so I was changing the shock absorbers and springs yesterday and ended up snapping the screw which connects to the wheel hub unit. Taken the unit out and took it to a few garages to get it drilled out and they saying that it's difficult because of the angle and best to get a new hub unit. Anyone got into similar problem.

If I get a new unit I've got the coupe e86 will the e85 wheel hub unit be the same regardless f year engine type ? There's a few on e Bay
 
 

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It has been known on here to drill that one out.
I soaked mine in penetration oil for at least a week before attempting to undo. Not much help now.

Good luck though.
 
They can be a sod to drill out but not impossible - if I were a garage I would pass on the chance of drilling it for you going to take more time than you would be willing to pay for - but change the hub and a quick few quid!

If you have the unit off the car and a power drill its do-able you need a good set of drill bits (and possibly the ability to sharpen them) and a lot of patience. Holding it in a drilling machine is not necessarily an advantage. Where are you based?
 
Crazy Harry said:
They can be a sod to drill out but not impossible - if I were a garage I would pass on the chance of drilling it for you going to take more time than you would be willing to pay for - but change the hub and a quick few quid!

If you have the unit off the car and a power drill its do-able you need a good set of drill bits (and possibly the ability to sharpen them) and a lot of patience. Holding it in a drilling machine is not necessarily an advantage. Where are you based?
Click to expand...

I'm based in West London. I was thinking of the same thing. I'll just order the hub from a breaker won't be too far off from getting it drilled and all that. Tbh it dosnt look in the best condition either. While I'm at it might as well get new anti roll bar links and top mounts. That way I've got a fresh suspension set up haha.
 
The last one I did (on a Galaxy) took me all morning. If you can't do it yourself then three hours of garage time is going to burn a hole in your pocket very quickly. I don't know what they are new but I bet its about the same as having somebody drill it out.

You're not close to me so can't help you out :thumbsdown:

Once you start changing things you won't stop! Remember to mirror any changes on the other side of the car.
 
Is there any part of the bolt sticking out the other side? If so you can try and get a set of mole grips on it and wallop it with a club hammer. Worked for me years back. You'll need about 3mm thread sticking out literally crush the bolt with the grips.
 
I did exactly the same when changing suspension on my e86 coupe... i feel your pain!

I bought a complete hub from a breakers, all hubs are the same regardless of engine and body type so no issues there! (not too sure about the M cars though!)

The size of the front brake discs vary across engine sizes as will the dust shield attached to the hub so that's the only potential issue you could face, unless you manage to find a hub from another 3.0si it's likely the brake dust shield would be too small, not a massive issue as it will still fit and you can always swap the dust shield from yours... but changing it requires taking the hub apart as the dust shield won't fit over the flange.
 
Yup, had this issue myself and got a hub off a 320d I believe, for the princely sum of £15. The face-lift does have larger disks so if you want the correct dust shield already fitted you'll want a 330i/d hub, or one off a face-lift 3.0 zed
 
If you are looking to drill out the bolt then using the correct drill bit is crucial. I can highly recommend the DeWalt Extreme 2 HSS Drill Bits which are available from Screwfix. These bits "laugh" at hard metals which otherwise ruin other steel drill bits.

TBH, you are always asking for trouble attempting to undo a nut and bolt when they are buried in dirt and rust. You should always clean the area to stop dirt jamming the threads, even if you can get get some movement when you apply force. It's far better to prepare the nut and bolt before you attempt to undo them by heating the nut with a small blow torch (up to a deep cherry red colour) and then soaking the area in penetrant spray and leaving for at least a few hours to permit the spray to penetrate along the thread. If you haven't got a blow torch or penetrant spray, you can also soak the part when cold in diesel. Getting lubricant of some sort on the thread of a jammed bolt is essential. Once you've got the first bit of movement, always spray some more lubricant so it can penetrate the thread some more.

Good luck!
 
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