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Remove Thread-in Wheel Studs


enginerd

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We broke a wheel stud at the last race (5 years old at this point) so I’m replacing the rest of them just to be safe. (The car rolled up to impound after the race and my teammate said “why are there only 3 lug nuts?!?!”)

 

Getting the broken one out was quite a task. These are the ‘thread in’ style (because BMW was/is stupid in this design area) and were installed with some serious threadlocker and  double nutted to 70 ft-lbs. 

 

I ended up succeeding by welding a bolt across the stump to make a ‘T’, which I could get the box end of a long wrench around to pry at it. Probably took 40-50 ft-lbs to break it loose.

 

Do do you have any better ideas? If not I will be welding bolts across all of the studs to turn them. 

Edited by enginerd
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Heat, lots of heat (propane torch) and an easy out will get most of the stubborn ones, at least it did for me.  Had to get to the backside of one of the studs and heat it up pretty good, was able to thread it out the back using a set of pliers.

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1 hour ago, enginerd said:

We broke a wheel stud at the last race (5 years old at this point) so I’m replacing the rest of them just to be safe. (The car rolled up to impound after the race and my teammate said “why are there only 3 lug nuts?!?!”)

 

Getting the broken one out was quite a task. These are the ‘thread in’ style (because BMW was/is stupid in this design area) and were installed with some serious threadlocker and  double nutted to 70 ft-lbs. 

 

I ended up succeeding by welding a bolt across the stump to make a ‘T’, which I could get the box end of a long wrench around to pry at it. Probably took 40-50 ft-lbs to break it loose.

 

Do do you have any better ideas? If not I will be welding bolts across all of the studs to turn them. 

 

You can't get the non-broken ones out by double-nutting them? There are stud removal tools that should work, especially if you don't care about damaging the threads since you are throwing them away. Heat will definitely help with the threadlocker. 

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1 minute ago, NigelStu said:

With that many hours on the studs, I would just replace the whole thing the studs are installed in.  It's probably time.

I haven't heard of an e30 rear wheel flange hub thing ever breaking. You think I should replace it too?

 

Also, I improved my technique and got the rest out pretty quickly with the MIG welder and some scrap bolts.

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