How to Get a Stripped Lug Nut Off
Lug nuts are one of those things where it doesn't matter if they work or not 99 percent of the time. Most people can, and do, drive thousands of miles without any regard for the condition of the nuts that hold on their vehicle's wheels. But if the tire goes flat, and your lug nuts have been too stripped for your tire iron to catch, your car isn't going anywhere without a tow truck.
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Instructions
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1
Determine what socket would fit the lug nut if it weren't stripped.
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2
Select a lug nut one or two sizes smaller than this socket. One size smaller will usually work, but if you go more than two sizes smaller the next step won't work.
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3
Hold the socket, unattached to the ratchet, over the stripped lug nut with one hand, then carefully start hitting the top of the socket with the hammer. Keep pounding until the smaller socket has cut into the sides of the stripped lug nuts and gone most of the way down the lug nut.
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4
Attach the ratchet to the socket, set it to counter-clockwise motion, and proceed to remove the lug nut. If the nut you hammered onto the lug nut slips while you are doing this, then remove the socket and repeat steps three and four until the socket remains securely snug around the stripped lug nut until the nut's tension with the axle has broken, and been screwed all the way off.
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5
Reclaim your socket. Place the socket, now with the stripped lug nut stuck inside, securely in a vise. Either use a punch (a tool where you turn a crank shaft which slowly pushes a metal tube out of the apparatus to apply a great amount of pressure over a small area) to dislodge the nut, or use a screwdriver (one with small enough of a shaft to fit through the socket hold) as a chisel and tap the nut out with a hammer.
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Tips & Warnings
When dislodging the stripped nut from your socket, it is best to use a punch.
While this is the way that you can remove stripped lug nuts yourself, occasionally the lug nuts are secured too tightly for a socket not to rupture while trying to loosen it. In these cases, you need to bring your car to a specialist, since advanced methods of removing particularly difficult lug nuts can severely damage your wheel if not performed correctly.
References
- Photo Credit line of tires image by ashotoflife from Fotolia.com
