How to Change Broken Lugs

Changing a broken lug

The tires and rims on all vehicles are held on by lugs and lug nuts. The tire slides onto the lug, and the tire is tightened down by the lug nut. Once that a lug breaks or comes out of the lug hole, you must replace it. One broken lug can put too much pressure on the other lugs and cause them to break. A broken lug is dangerous and can cause the wheel to come off while you are driving down the road.

Things You'll Need

• Jack
• Jack stands
• Lug wrench
• Allen wrenches
• Ratchet
• Sockets
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Hand-held sledgehammer
• Center punch
• New lugs with washers

Instructions

1. Move the car to a level surface, if possible, and turn the engine off.

2. Jack the end of the car up where the broken lug is located. Place jack stands under the frame of the vehicle on both sides. Make sure that the jack stands are evenly and securely in place.

3. Remove the tire that has the broken lug. Remove the lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise. Pull the tire off of the car. Set the tire to the side.

4. Locate the rear of the broken lug to see if you will have room to hammer the new lug in place. If not, you must remove the brake caliper. Do this by removing the two Allen-head bolts that are holding the brake caliper in place. Take a flat-head screwdriver and stick it between the brake caliper and the brake pads. Pry the brake pads together. Slide the brake caliper off the brake rotor.

5. Locate the bolts on the face of the brake rotor. The brake rotor will have either two bolts holding the rotor in place or two threaded holes. Most vehicles have just two bolts holding the rotor on. Remove these bolts with a ratchet and a socket, and slide the rotor off the hub. If the rotor has threaded holes, find the proper-size bolts that match the threaded holes. Screw the bolts in. As you screw, the brake rotor will slowly come off.

6. Remove the broken lug by first checking to see how much of the lug is broken off. If there is still a significant amount of the lug sticking out, hammer the lug out with a hand-held sledgehammer. If the lug has broken off even with the hub, use a center punch in the center of the broken lug, then hammer the lug out. The lug will be stubborn, so hit the lug squarely on the center until it comes out of the rear of the hub. Use this same process for removing any other broken lugs.

7. Slide the new washer over the new lug, and align the new lug up from the rear of the hub. Line up the splines on the lug with the grooves inside the lug hole. Hammer the lug straight inward with the sledgehammer until the lug stops against the rear of the hub assembly.

8. Put the brake rotor back onto the hub assembly, and tighten the brake rotor again. Slide the brake caliper back over the brake rotor, and insert the two bolts that hold the brake caliper in place. Retighten the brake caliper bolts.

9. Slide the tire back onto the lugs, and screw the lug nuts onto the lugs. Tighten the lug nuts. Jack the car back up and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle back to the ground.

10. Pump the brakes so that the brakes reset back to the brake rotor. Test-drive the vehicle, then place the vehicle in park. Put the lug wrench back on the lug nut and see if the lug is still tight. If not, tighten the lug nut until the lug stops turning.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have to turn the lug nut on the new lug more than the other lug nuts. If the new lug is not hammered into the rear of the hub assembly all the way, it will cause slack, and the new lug will have to be tightened down more than the rest of the lugs until it stops turning.

• Wear safety glasses when hammering on steel or metal.

References

• J-Body: Broken Lug Replacement Instructions
• Dseries: DIY Broken Lug Replacement