Cannot remove lug nuts, suggestions?

Evening,

I cannot get the lug nuts off the stock wheel to save my life. I tried the tire iron that came with the truck (2011 double cab 4x4 off road package). It barely goes over half the head of the nut and when any reasonable force is applied, starts to eat into the metal of the nut. No nut movement.

I tried my breaker bar with a 21mm, same problem (and got the socket stuck for a couple minutes). Tried the 22mm with the same result. The nut head appears to start small (21mm) and end big (22mm).

I do not want to strip the nuts. I have an impact gun but am nervous to use it if I'm already beginning to strip the damn things by hand with only 50% force.

The dealership were the last people to work on it (free maintenance as a comp for their previous stupidity) but i really don't want to go back as they always manage to ding/scratch/mar the wheel finish.

Regardless of who did it or how they got stuck, they are stuck. Suggestions on how to remove without stripping nuts/breaking studs?

 

soak it in wd-40 over night.

 

but i'd go back to the dealership. if you manage to strip it, you're shit out of luck. let them fix their mess.

 

Realizing that you don't want to go back to the dealer, go and get new studs and lug nuts. Go home and then go at them with everything you've got. If they really are stuck, you will shear the studs. Replace the studs and nuts and enjoy some properly torqued lugs. And forever avoid said stealership.

 

not to sound like a dick but are you sure youre turning the right way? I only ask this because I had a friend that did that and tore the lug nut and bolt right off. but toehr than that put some pb blaster or wd40 and let it sit for a day

 

impact driver

 

Think i can just call them up and say i can't get the lugs off, fix it? I mean heck, what if i had a flat for real. All i was trying to do was check fitment of a potential new wheel...

 

^^ plan B. And i agree with the last sentence. Hence why I'm trying to do the maintenance myself.

 

I'm new to car maintenance, but not new to handywork. It's cool though, it's the equivalent of answering a technical problem with "is it plugged in?"

I'll try wd40 this weekend if the dealership falls through

 

i dont see why not, just tell them they torqued the shit out of it, and you cant get it off. it's shouldnt take but a minute of their time to loosen it.

 

Assuming you've removed the center caps, get a small pencil torch and apply a little heat, then try to back the lug nut off while it is still warm.

If that doesn't work, tap (don't wail on the damn things, just tap firmly) on them with a hammer after heating them again. Just 2 or 3 firm taps, reheat and try the breaker bar or lug nut wrench again.


If that fails, I'd go for the impact after I bought a new set of lugs and lug nuts. One way or another, those SOBs are coming off.

 

get the breaker bar and a 2ft section of pipe that will slip over the breaker bar, the longer the bar the more leverage. Have a buddy hold pressure so the socket wont slip off and have at it.

 

I'll give this a run first. Is there a good way to see if the studs are damaged? I'm going to be putting new wheels with new lugs on it soon so I'm not too worried about the current lugs being a bit rounded/damaged.

 

Use "PB Blaster" let sit for a half hour it works wayyy better than wd40. Then try the breaker bar again or extend the tire iron with a steel pipe but don't get crazy, cause you may snap a lug stud. Anyways the PB BLASTER is incredible, you'll be amazed. Good luck

 

So the dealership is ordering all new lug nuts for two of the wheels. The other two, the 21mm socket fits fine. The techs were completely confused on how two could be jacked up and not the other two, and how they got jacked up to begin with.

Went home and took my impact to the two good wheels and almost couldn't get those off (150ft-lbs!). Granted, it does take more torque to loosen a fastener than to tighten it but damn.

Oh, and the 17" black rock wheels clear the calipers

Thanks for the help. I've got a can of pb blaster in my tool box now.