How to Loosen Lug Nuts in Cars

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Nate McCullough on behalf of Expert Village. In the following clips we are going to talk about the proper way to repack grease and adjust your vehicle wheel bearings. In this clip I am going to talk about breaking loose of the vehicle's lug nuts. As you can see, right here we have our typical 5 bolt pattern. I purchased this vehicle a few months ago and I've just recently taken off the hub cap. As you can see, somebody has replaced this tire and had it off at one point or time and the person who did it had actually spun all the lug nuts down backwards. As you can see on the lug nut, there is a tapered portion. These are actually installed backwards. This nut needs to be taken off and discarded. The ends of it have been mushroomed which will make it larger than the appropriate size socket is if you don't have to drive it down. The reason why they are tapered is because they are called an acorn style lug nut. The reason why they have this tapered is because they are self centering. Each one of these will ensure that the rim is sitting directly centered on the studs. That will keep your vehicle from vibrating. We are going to have to replace these lug nuts being that the ends are all mushroomed out and ruined. Somebody before I purchased this vehicle, had got a flat tire and replaced it and spun them all on backwards. What we are going to do is start with any particular one, give it a good crank. You are going to want to break your lug nuts loose while the tire is on the ground being that if it was in the air and you go to apply leverage to it to break it loose, you are just going to free spin the wheel. All right. "