Managed to get the seized locking wheel bolt off!

[AndySV1K]

So I’ve been having a bit of an argument with my recently acquired E86. In particular the bolts to get the wheels off.

It appears they were put on with a 30ft breaker bar and Thor’s hammer.

Very first thing I did was put the locking key into the FR bolt, pop! Snapped the key as soon as I applied pressure
Left that wheel alone and managed to get the FL off with a spare key I found in the boot tool kit (phew!)
After that I ordered 4 normal wheel bolts before doing anymore. Got 3 of the locking bolts out and then tackled the FR again, pop! Snapped the second key straight off

I have a 1m long huge torque wrench and I’m almost bouncing my whole weight to get the normal bolts out!

After this I knew it was going to be a battle of wills and I’d need the big hammer. First I managed to hammer in a T60 socket and it went in really well, was convinced this would work. Impact wrench on it and after a few seconds it spun and stripped the entire set of splines off the bolt

Left it a few days to regroup and calm down.

Well today I succeeded and it didn’t involve a single drill bit (was dreading having to resort to that).

So the solution I used was a deep 22mm standard hex socket on half inch drive. Hammered that poor little piece of shiny steel like it was my nemesis. (The second pic of my driveway shows the piles of rusty metal that fell out of the car from the hammering, not an accepted form of weight shedding I don’t think!). Whacked the impact wrench on it and about 10 seconds of full tilt it undone!! Wahey! Now I can carry on with the plan to swap the wheel bearings at the weekend.

I can’t remember ever having wheel nuts done so tightly!

Hopefully this might help someone some day

 

[brillomaster]

a good reason to ditch locking wheel nuts in my opinion. spanner monkeys can't be trusted not to do them up so tight only a silverback could undo them.

 

[colb]

A good reason to arm your toolbox with a set(s) of Extractor Sockets that have inside flutes spiral that they are set to are anticlockwise direction so when on a rounded off bolt head or nut the socket grips the bolt/nut harder and harder as it has force applied to it. Ebay sellers have them sets up to 19mm and larger sets up to 22mm that cover wheel bolts range of sizes. Great success using the 22mm one on a stuck Lambda Sensor that rounded off using Lambda sockets and ring spanners. Had to chisel the top of the sensor off to get the socket on the Hex but once on and a long breaker bar on it the sensor unscrewed.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=extractor+sockets&_sacat=0&_odkw=extractor+sockets&_osacat=0

 

[obewan]

Ordered colb, thanks for the heads up

 

[smorris_12]

I've long decided that a lot of spanner monkeys view all nuts and bolts as a personal affront to their masculinity and have to show them who's boss.

 

[pvr]

Ordered colb, thanks for the heads up

I ordered that last time when colb posted it - was a life saver on the ABS sensor that was married for life to the car

 

[Pondrew]

Well done OP. Perseverance paid off eventually. I know what a nightmare this can be!

Not sure bolts, or nuts, being done up massively tight is the problem TBH. OK, they must be done up overly-tight to start with, but I think these problems can occur if the bolts haven't been touched in a long time. The shoulders kind of 'weld' themselves to the flare on the wheels, probably due to being different metals. If that happens all the way around the shoulder, it will be stuck really tight, as you obviously have to 'slide' the two surfaces against each other to start to unscrew.

Not saying this is gospel just a logical explanation in my mind after having bolts refuse to move even with my behemoth of an impact wrench.
I have had nuts and bolts so tight it would be virtually impossible for someone to have put them on like that. You invariably get that 'crack' when they do eventually give way, which makes sense if the above theory is right.

 

[Rockhopper]

You should never use a torque wrench to undo bolts, is likely you've wrecked yours so check it out before you need to rely on to do up a fastening again.

 

[pvr]

You should never use a torque wrench to undo bolts, is likely you've wrecked yours so check it out before you need to rely on to do up a fastening again.

Impact, not torque I think

 

[Rockhopper]

"I have a 1m long huge torque wrench and I’m almost bouncing my whole weight to get the normal bolts out!"

 

[pvr]

Typo I guess as he was talking breaker bar

 

[AndySV1K]

It's correct, I was using a torque wrench (and an impact wrench). It's a really old wrench and I pretty much use it as a breaker bar as it's so big. Not too worried about it's accuracy and i reckon i'd have to really go some to damage it.

 

[Rockhopper]

Good stuff.