[Ferroequine]

So I finally get around to changing over to my winter tires tonight. All goes well with the first 3, until I get to the right front wheel. One of the bolts is STUCK. Badly. And it is the lock bolt. After a LOT of grunting and sweating, and with a 1" drive I happened to have, I was finally able to get it to start budging. It was stiff the whole way out.

Once I got the bolt out, I inspected the threads, suspecting the shop may have cross threaded it, but it appeared fine. It did have a bit more rust on it than the others though. I ran one of the other bolts through the hole a couple of times to see if that would clear it out, with only limited success. I had to work to get a bolt back in there again.

Should I be worried? Is there something I can do to loosen it up a bit so I don't have this same problem again? Is my lock bolt now toast due to "stretching"?

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

That's an odd one. If the thread appears okay, my instinct would be to remove the bolt and put some copper grease on it and re-insert.

Tigger.

[DaFlake]

+1

A light coat of copper grease (anti-seize) will keep it from seizing up next time.

[Nath316]

what is happening is the surfaces are bonding

the grease will help

also maybe spray some pentrating fluid (WD40) onto it, leave for a while then insert / extract a few times then add the grease

[MINNOW]

A number of my wheel bolts were the stickiest they have ever been, when changing to winter wheels a couple of weeks ago.
Seems unusual as I did not drive the car any differently or longer distance this past summer.
They did appear to have more visible rust than ever before.
I sprayed them all with WD40 and popped them back in, hopefully next spring they will come out a little easier.

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINNOW (original)

A number of my wheel bolts were the stickiest they have ever been, when changing to winter wheels a couple of weeks ago.
Seems unusual as I did not drive the car any differently or longer distance this past summer.
They did appear to have more visible rust than ever before.
I sprayed them all with WD40 and popped them back in, hopefully next spring they will come out a little easier.

WD40 is not a lubricant, it is a solvent. All that will happen is that the lugs will dry out and bond again. My advice is to get some copper paste (anti-sieze compound) and pull each lug, coat it lightly and re-torque it.

[Nath316]

erm WD40 is an oil hence it is also called pentrating fluid

However, I would not use just that on a set of bolts that may seize unless I was regularly going to undo and re set.

Copper Slip grease would be better hence the reason I said both earlier

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nath316 (original)

erm WD40 is an oil hence it is also called pentrating fluid

WD-40 does contain oil (light mineral oil) and can be used as a light lubricant (mostly marketing) but I would never recommend it to use on anything other than rusty door hinges. The primary ingredients in WD40 is solvent based, hence the word penetrating. This is what allows the oil to get in. It can damage paint (clear coat damage is questionable as the WEB site claims to clean tar off of a car. I personally wouldn't do it.) and does not do well under high heat conditions. The best way to clean the lugs is to pull them, use a steel brush to clean them and then apply the copper paste. WD40 has a job, just not in the lug department.\

Quote: Originally Posted by Nath316 (original)

Copper Slip grease would be better hence the reason I said both earlier

This wasn't a ding on you, just a ding on the product. I don't like WD40 as it is used WAAAAYYYY to much and when not needed.

[Nath316]

DaFlake thats cool I knew it wasnt a digg but i wanted to clear up my thoughts

you are right and as i said I wouldnt use just WD40

I agree about not needed as well

[minicabrio]

WD = Water Dispersant

The company have marketed WD40 as an oil (wrongly IMO), but its main job is to disperse water. Its great for distributor caps on classic Minis on damp mornings though, but shouldn't be used to lubricate metal on metal contact

[Nath316]

DaFlake Thats cool and no probs

[xtremepsionic]

Best to use tools when loosening lug nut - Yahoo! News

Hey atleast you didn't do this Vee

[RS3TURN]

Quote: Originally Posted by minicabrio (original)

WD = Water Dispersant

Correct, and the 40 is because it was the 40th formulation that finally worked!
Vee, I wouldn't be worried too much if the threads looked fine.

The stock lock bolts are crap. I got rid of mine long ago.