usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Well, here I am running errnads and gathering things needed to solder in my new caps in the ecu. Car is driving fine, and then my ABS light comes on..... A few minutes after that, it feels like my driverside front caliper is locking up! I pull over and notice the whole inside of the rotor is chewed up. Could it be the pad, maybe the lower ball joint? I managed to get the car home, and try to take the wheel off. But cant do that because then one of the dang wheel studs starts turning with the lug nut!!!!

I'm so pissed off right now its not funny. The way my wheels are made, there is no possible way to cut the lug nut off. So I'm thinking my only option is to get the car in the air and take apart the suspension and brake lines to get to the back of the hub?

Anybody have any advice for me?

Oh, and it sucks because I was just about to do the brake upgrade next week!

Legender

ouch... that sounds horrible. I hope somebody with more knowledge than me can give you some direction...

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

I haven't looked at it too much. I had to leave for work, so I just left it in the garage. I'm hoping that i can turn the wheel and have access to that one stud from the backside and maybe cut it off from the back of the hub. If I cant do that, I'll have to take everything apart and then put it all back together. I was planning on putting on the big brakes next week along with new ball joints, but I guess that has just moved to the front of the line.

deanshark

My advice would be bring it to a tire place (a good place, not Town Fair Tire) and see if they can get the lugnut off. I'm sure they have run across this before. They might have a trick to get it off. Then you can at least take the tire off and see what ya got back there. Probably charge ya $20.
Have them loosen all the lugnuts incase it happens to another one, so you dont have to go back again.

EDIT: Oops, I just read it again, problem with your brakes. maybe you can jack it up and at least see what that problem is. Maybe it's just something bent that's hitting the rotor and you can bend it back so you can drive it.

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not going to take it anywhere. One because of the brakes, and two because I don't want some guy jacking up my wheel thinking he can get it off.

The way my wheels are made. The lugs sink into the wheel pretty far, and its a tight space. Only enough room for the lug nut key to slide into and thats it. I'll put it to you this way. If you slide a lug into one of the holes you cant even get it out with your fingers. So there is not cutting the lug nut off or anything like that. It will have to be done from the backside.

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Ok so I have a few ideas to try when I get home tonight. First, if I have the room to get my cut off wheel or grinder to the back side of the hub, I'll just cut it off and replace stud.

If that doesnt work as planned, than I'll try idea number two. I'll throw a couple spot welds on the back of the free spinning stud and see if I cant back the lug nut off. Then grind the welds and replace the stud. i think this one will do it, if I cant cut if off first.

Wish me luck!

LScowboyLS

It takes a bit of "MacGyver" to be a good mechanic

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

I think so too. I'll post my results in a few hours. The goal tonight is to get the darn wheel off. Then saturday I'll look at replacing all the front end parts including the brakes. I'm kinda excited to get the big brakes on the car. I'll have to ride around with the front calipers un-powder coated for a bit though. Still havn't ordered the powder.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

The socket is hardened, put it around the lug then drill it using that as a guide/shield. Use a cheap socket, not a Snap On. The backside approach is easier if accessible.

Failing that, you wanted an excuse for new wheels...

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

LOL, everybody likes new wheels, but I'm super happy with my current ones. Plus my wife knows that I have my stocks sitting in the corner of the garage!

I get off work in about 15mins, so I'll be home to work on it in a little while. Might grab some beer on the way home.

deanshark

Damn, how late are the packys open down there?? Your second idea sounds better then the first. Spot weld it so it dont spin, get the lugnut and tire off, grind off the welds and it should come right out. That's probably what a tire place would do, maybe one of their tricks of the trade. No need to try to cut it off from the backside, especially with not too much room.
Good luck getting it off.

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

I think the stores stop selling beer at around 12-1am. I skipped the beer tonight and just came home.

I got the wheel off. Before getting too serious with it, I got a better look at things. I noticed that when looking at the back of the stud while turning the lugnut, the stud was not moving! So I guess some how the lugnut got screwed up and cross threaded or something. So using a four way bar and pushing my feet on the bottom of the wheel with the one lugnut on the top, it slowly backed off. I had to push so hard on the wheel that I bent the one stud it was stuck on. Not that it matters anyway, I'll be replacing it.

Ok so the wheel is off, and went ahead and pulled the caliper and rotor off for a better inspection of the back side of the rotor. The backside of the rotor has some deep scratches in it, but from I can tell it really doesn't look like anything fresh. They look like they have been there for awhile. I think I will just go ahead and replace everything anyway while I have everything apart.

Another good thing happened.... I found the reason why my ABS like came on and most likely why the brakes were acting weird. Took the wheel off the passenger side to find the ABS wires all ripped up from the tire. Guess I'll get a little pre-practice before doing the caps for the ecu!


Depending on how I feel Sat, I might just throw it back together and wait til I get the parts that I really want (slotted/drilled rotors front and back, red stuff pads) and I'm still waiting for my damn brake lines from luxury mods that I bought two weeks ago. No shipping info yet or response from my emails!

dengman

I've replaced two studs on my front.. two of my lug nuts were either loose or oven tightened

deanshark

Glad to hear ya got it off. There's always a way to do everything, ya just need to think of it. Your brake might have felt like it was locking up b/c of the chewed up rotor. (depending on how bad it is) The pad could be catching on one of the deep grooves.
Someone didn't do proper maintanence, huh? You should change them ASAP.

I did my daughters brakes last year b/c she said "it just started making noise." As I pulled the rotor to get it off the lugs, it snapped into 4 pieces. Just started my ***.

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

I've had the car about a year now, and I've already done the rear brakes. Now time to do the fronts! Atleast I'll get the big calipers on there. I ordered some EBC red stuff pads. My buddy works at lexus as a tech and got me the lower ball joints for the 95 brakes at $62 each. With the discount at Sewell, they wanted $72 each, so I saved an extra few bucks there.

Still no word on my darn SS brake lines from luxury mods!