Gotta Drill Out A Wheel Bolt

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

i went ot put my new wheels on my xsara today but found one just one of the locking nuts will not budge.

 

its one of them stupid ones with the pins that go in the holes and the holes have rounded and the pins have rounded and it basically aint even budging.

 

i took it to my local tyre place who are normally pretty good and they had a go but no joy and now they bolt is shagged pretty much and i think the only way to get it out if by drill

 

im not to worried about buggering the alloy as i'm putting new one anyway, and if needs be i'll cut the alloy off to get to the bolt but i'd like to save it of poss as the whole set is mint and not curbed at all.

 

any tips would help from someone who's done this before?

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Start as central as you can, then go up in size bit by bit. Once you get up to 12mm or so, take the other three wheel bolts off, and tug the wheel. This should break what is left of the locking nut, then you can remove the wheel. Then you will most likely find the remains will unscrew by hand.

[welshpug 1,655]

take it you have tried tightening the other bolts as well?

 

if so I can only suggest what tom said, or try getting a large nut welded onto the end of the bolt, often enough the heat of welding will make them expand enough to loosen them a lot easier.

[EdCherry 34 1 Cars]

Dont get in at 5000000000000rpm with the drill either, nice and slowly with cutting fluid + tom said will make it nice and easy.

[Baz 421]

Is the a circular section sticking out in the centre as there is with usual OE lockers?

 

If so, tighten the others up, and hammer on a sacrificial (14mm or so is usually about right) onto this section, hopefully it'll cut it's way into the locker well enough that you can get it undone.

 

There was a pretty decent thread recently containing loads of info too.

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

Big hammer and chisel to knock it round and undo it, Never failed yet

[wracing 19]

i find that welding a m12 bolt or nut on the end of the offending bolt helps the heat loosens the bolt and the welded on item gives you something to get hold of.

 

no risk of hitting threads or anything.

 

thanks

 

james

[omega 82]

im sure that someone sells special sockets to remove these,machine mart>draper?

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

Sealey do them around £20 for a pair iirc

[hcmini1989 16]

Sealey do them around £20 for a pair iirc

this would be the best bet but depends on how much room you have wich if it is the same bolts im thinking of these wouldnt work as there isnt enough room

so id go with toms method above

[Baz 421]

Here you go;

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...l=locking+wheel

[SurGie 54]

Big hammer and chisel to knock it round and undo it, Never failed yet

 

 

This way has always worked for me.

[Baz 421]

This way has always worked for me.

 

Not in a recessed hole with not alot of room around it, without mashing up the wheel it doesn't!

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

The one I did as described was a locker as the OP describes, in a Cyclone wheel in a customers 306 GTI6. No room around the edge. Drilling it as I described got them all off with no damage to the wheels.

[custard-rallye 25]

air chisel is another option or smack a impact socket on with a hammer if there is enough room between the bolt and wheel

[Alastairh 47]

Personally, an imperial undersized socket hammered on normally does the trick for me and that includes those types of lockers. In fact, the last Xsara i worked on, the locking wheel bolt sheared on me after having this done!

 

Al

[Baz 421]

air chisel is another option or smack a impact socket on with a hammer if there is enough room between the bolt and wheel

 

Air chisel i've also tried on a few to no luck, there's just not alot of room for error if you don't want to damage the rim.

 

And the latter is usually what i do, as i've already said, and;

 

Only the last couple of times, both on Goodwoods, they were the same type but not OE bolts, and proved to be a right struggle, the first one i had Dad drill out with a set of some expensive HSS bits, and the most recent he started to do the same last weekend, after i'd had the usual attack on it, drilled it a little but then thought he'd have a bash at it with a chisel, and strangely it came undone, despite me trying everything as usual a few weeks before!

 

Pilot hole first helps to centre the drill, then gradually increasing bit size makes it a little easier on you and the drill too.

[Rippthrough 98]

Yeah, you can't get enough force on a big drill bit without risking pushing one way and snapping it, best off doing it in steps so the drill bites and you get enough feed to stop the edge dying

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

right i made a good start today, i got about as deep as i need to with small bits working up to a 10mm then had to stop as this is the largest i have in my drill bit box (could have sworn i had a 13mm in there?? i'm sure the boy has had it ).

 

in answer to everything else

 

1. tried smaller sockets and got down to 11mm at which point the nut started falling apart.

2.tried an impact chisel to loosen it but it wouldnt budge.

3.went to tyreweb and they wanted 35 notes to remove 1 bolt so i told i would rather cut the wheel off than give them £35.

4.looked at reverse thread sockets but they only went down to 21mm?? and seeing as an 11mm socket was too big i gave up on that.

 

i did think about welding a nut on but they are so deep in there and the nut is so mangled i whought it was a bad idea.

 

i'm gonna 'borrow' some bits from work tonight and hopefully have it off by tomorrow with very little damage to the wheel (the chisel done the worst of it so far)

 

all im worried about is the xsara nuts are flat with a washer but then there is a tapered part beyond the washer?? i'm hoping that i dont need to go so far to remover the tapered bit and bugger the wheel hole. hopefull when i get the washer part off i can wiggle the wheel and snap the last bit out and just remove whats left afterwards.

[welshpug 1,655]

If you've got to 10mm already you may be able to snap it off fairly easily, but if you go down with a 12mm take care not to go too far.

 

If there's a tapered part under the head that sounds like a later car, late 306's and 206's had that type

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

If you've got to 10mm already you may be able to snap it off fairly easily, but if you go down with a 12mm take care not to go too far.

 

If there's a tapered part under the head that sounds like a later car, late 306's and 206's had that type

 

yeah its a 51 plate ph2, i will grab some bits but i'll give it a wiggle before i drill anymore.

 

depth wise i'm about half way through the tapered part, i didnt want to ga any firther for fear of leaving nothing left to get hold of when the wheel comes off.

 

having said that though the hubs gotta come off to do the wheel bearing anyway.

[Rippthrough 98]

If you've got a 10mm down there you'll probably be able to tap it around with a punch and hammer now - you don't want much larger or you'll strip all the threads out with it if you've gone that far, there should only be 0.325mm of material + the thread either side now if so.

Edited February 18, 2010 by Rippthrough

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

this is about where i am at now:

 

[welshpug 1,655]

I'd go a little further to the base of the taper

 

I doubt you'll have any trouble removing the remains, they usually unscrew by hand, remove the disc and you'll have enough to get a pair of grips on too.

[Rippthrough 98]

Yes, if you're central with the drill bit a little deeper shouldn't hurt.