lug studs stripped by tire installer???

1649 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by DanZ51, Feb 19, 2011

geroux

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2011

OK...so I had 4.88 gears and 35's installed last week, picked it up Thursday.
On Friday I was removing my spare off my WARN tire carrier. All the lug nuts came off easy except one, after about one turn it bound up. I kept turning and ended up spinning the stud in the carrier mount. Tried holding the stud with vise-grips and couldn't get the lug nut off.
In the end I ended up having to cut the stud off the carrier and wheel.
Now my carrier mount hole is f***ed. I called WARN and got the part number. Called the installer and told them what happened and they said they'd replace it.
But just to see if the rest were OK on the wheels I spun every lugnut out about 5 turns. All were OK except one on the front right wheel. It came out about one turn and bound up! Called the installer and am going in Tuesday to have them look at it. I'm gonna watch them turn that lug nut off! I can only imagine if it's f***ed I'm gonna need a new hub/bearing assembly.
Thanks for listening to me b**ch. That's not beach.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

'05TJLWBRUBY

· #2 · Jan 17, 2011

Wow, sounds like typical overzealous impact work. I rotate all my tires myself, but take them in to the monkeys to get balanced. I ALWAYS tell them torque to 100 ft/lbs. and stand there to watch. Even still, if they gang up on me and get 3 guys on it at one time, one of them usually always sneaks up on a stud so when I go to break it down later, there's usually always one or two that's WAY too tight. I cringe every time, expecting the worst. I"ll often go home and break them loose, then re-torque so I know it's right. But, that's almost as much of a pain as taking it in the first time. Sucks things have to be this way. I guess just one of the things we have let slip as standard practice to overlook the minor details...

If they do offer to take care of it, good on them. I had my old Jeeperman carrier strip the lugs on the back so they just spun out in the mounts. A simple tack weld held them in again-the threads were fine. On the bearings though-maybe you'll wind up with some new ones here... Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise?

Sorry for your troubles. Always something.

Best of Luck,

Mike

See less See more

gregert12

· #3 · Jan 17, 2011

Yep, I have had that problem before and had to change all the wheel studs. Now I use a breaker bar and refuse to have air tools touch the lug nuts.

geroux

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 17, 2011

It's not that they seem too tight. It's almost like they pulled a NASCAR pitcrew and started the lugnut with the impact wrench and it made it's own threads.
When I backed them off they started fine for about half to a whole turn and then jammed.

BLACK RUBI

· #5 · Jan 17, 2011

If you have a choice on where to take your rig for wheel work, I personally wouldn't go back to someone who'd screwed me over and refused to follow my specific instructions.

Elwarpo

· #6 · Jan 17, 2011

Had it happen to a friend, we were doing work on his TJ and we broke 3 studs trying to get the lugs off. The tire place denied everything even though they had done a rotation a few weeks before.

Norminator

· #7 · Jan 18, 2011

If you do end up with a bad stud on your hub, can't you replace the stud its self? I broke a stud on my stock rear axle and was able to knock out the stud.

geroux

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 18, 2011

Norminator...ya, you can, unless the stud spins and enlarges the hole like it did on my carrier mount.
Going to the place tomorrow that maybe did it. I guess I'll see if my hub is f***ed.

Phil_H

· #9 · Jan 18, 2011

Been there, done that, as the saying goes. An impact wrench is a great tool in the hands of someone that knows how to properly use it. When installing lug nuts the air valve should be set so that the max torque for the gun is considerably less than your final torque value. I've always been amazed at how many mechanics don't do this. Even taking the lug nuts off, if the air valve is set to max flow the speed of the gun can spin the lugs so fast that the treads are galled.

Another thing to think about when paying to have tires mounted/rotated is even if you see the mech using a torque wrench, when was the last time (if ever) the tool was calibrated? Granted, the leeway when torquing a 1/2 X 20 with 60° Cone Lug Nut to between 85-115 lb.ft is pretty great but unless that torque wrench is certified, it's just another wrench and you're guessing.

In the end, I'm like '05TJLWBRUBY and pretty anal-retentive about how my wheels get mounted and since I also run beadlocks, I am the only one that works on them.

See less See more

f9k9

· #10 · Jan 19, 2011

Don't any of your tire shops use Torgue Sticks?

See less See more

mariodesmo

· #11 · Jan 19, 2011

f9k9 said:
Don't any of your tire shops use Torgue Sticks?

X2
That's what the shops use that I go to...
These only tighten to the rated torque for each stick.

geroux

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 19, 2011

Reference start of thread.....Took it to the shop today and asked them to let me watch them take off the lugnut in question. They insisted on using an impact wrench. Sure enough it bound up and they kept going until the stud broke. They called it galling and said it happens all the time. They replaced the stud but it still bothers me that it happened on 2 out of 23 studs on a single install. What if I didn't notice it until I had to do a roadside or trail tire change? That would have sucked!
Now, I've been rotating my own tires and removing wheels for brake jobs etc for over 30 years and never had a lugnut "gall". What the hell is that? And is there any chance it only could happen when an impact wrench is used?

SweetPee

· #13 · Jan 19, 2011

geroux said:
Reference start of thread.....Took it to the shop today and asked them to let me watch them take off the lugnut in question. They insisted on using an impact wrench. Sure enough it bound up and they kept going until the stud broke. They called it galling and said it happens all the time. They replaced the stud but it still bothers me that it happened on 2 out of 23 studs on a single install. What if I didn't notice it until I had to do a roadside or trail tire change? That would have sucked!
Now, I've been rotating my own tires and removing wheels for brake jobs etc for over 30 years and never had a lugnut "gall". What the hell is that? And is there any chance it only could happen when an impact wrench is used?

The way I take their synopsis is that the threads were not lubed and thus the fastening of the nuts caused it all to sieze up. I call it plain, good old fashioned :bs: :bs: :bs:

Norminator

· #14 · Jan 19, 2011

geroux said:
Norminator...ya, you can, unless the stud spins and enlarges the hole like it did on my carrier mount.
Going to the place tomorrow that maybe did it. I guess I'll see if my hub is f***ed.

Yikes! I understand your pain now. What the heck is the rating on that gun?

'05TJLWBRUBY

· #15 · Jan 19, 2011

Yes, that's typically what's seen with the over-zealous impact gun users... Was mentioned above as well. I've NEVER had one gall on my own using standard wrenchs/sockets etc. but have seen MANY from tire shops that do that-because of the impact wrench, and the idiot running it. Used properly, they're a good tool. In the hands of most of those monkeys-this is what happens. Sorry you had to go through it. At least they fixed it for you-that's better than most. And, you're right-it REALLY sucks when you discover this on the trail. That's exactly why I mentioned what I did above about watching them, then torquing myself at home. Sad this has to be this way, but unfortunately that's what most of the shops do these days.

Best of Luck,

Mike

ruby2006

· #16 · Feb 11, 2011

ugh i feel for ya , im biting my nails and grinding my teeth everytime i take my jeep in to get balance or alignment ....

If ya do ask questions about how they're doing something what they're using etc. they just look at you with an expression that they do it everyday, i know that they do but i dont want my jeep messed up in anyway !

Hate them even getting in my jeep to pull it in !

DanZ51

· #17 · Feb 19, 2011

Nature of the game in a flat rate shop. If you got paid for .5 (30 minutes) to mount and balance 4 tires are YOU gonna dick around with a hand wrench to bolt them back on?

Good shops are expensive and even then the tech is getting a pittance of the hourly rate. My advise: go to the small owner/operator garage (less payroll, more pride), go to the cut rate tire shop (during the slow times) and slip the monkey a five for good work, or do it your damn self. :dhorse:

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.