Broken wheel lock

are you driling the stud or nut ? try drilling the nut with a small drill bit and a punch to crack it maybe

 

maybe try and remove all the other lug nuts and hit the wheel with a sledge to get it to crack free. Not much material there.

 

The studs are installed from the rear side of the hub and have a spline head with a lip that keeps them seated.

 

The lug snapped below the end of the wheel stud so there's not enough room to get a socket around what's remaining and the mounting hole on the wheel.

 

@rpktaco The head of the lug snapped off, leaving the stud exposed so I've been stepping up the bits to see if that gets me anywhere. Chisel is probably going to be the next step.

 

I had the same experience at a local tire shop. I had to take it to Toyota and their tool wouldn't remove my locking nut in perfect condition. Ended up with a $200 bill to have a stud drilled and replaced. I immediately replaced with McGard lugs. I recently went with gorilla spline drive lugs. The McGard worked, but were really tight with a thin walled socket, so I opted for something that I could easily change. Good luck OP, but drilling through the stud seems to be the best fix. Get a good bit, and let the bit do the work, no need to put tons of pressure and burn the cutting surface up. a decent lube will also keep it much cooler and keep the cutting surface sharp longer.

 

I just went through this thanks to Mavis tire. Use a Dremel with a small carbide deburring bit, it took me about 45 minutes to remove the remainder of the lock this way

 

@Vann No Dremel, looks like I'm stuck drilling..

 

That would be my next step as well, a chisel to split the locking lug nut to spread it out and make its ID larger.

If it's possible don't drill the stud, drill the lug nut. I'd still try a chisel first to split the nut.

 

I’m aware of that. The spline portion should still fit through the rim though.

 

@Gus87 Ahh, I misread your post. Good idea, I'll take a look and see what I can do.

 

There is no way you're going to get to the back side of the stud. If I were doing this, I would buy cobalt drill bits in 1/4", 3/8", and 15/32". Drill slow and use cutting oil. If you break off a drill bit, you're screwed.

 

A drill is still your best bet.
But you need to know how to use it correctly, and not many people do.

First of all, you need to use a fairly strong variable speed drill.
Drill slow.

Second... you need to use cutting oil.

Most people drill too fast and dry, this causes the tip of the bit to get really hot and burn. What you really need is to keep the speed low and steady, and keep the bit lubricated. This will cause it to stay cool and last a lot longer.

Use a drill bit wrong, and it will be destroyed before you dig a quarter inch in.
Use it right, and it will cut hundreds of holes before you have to sharpen it.

Another thing you can do, especially since its an awkward position to be drilling into and you have to use a hand drill instead of a press, is to start with a smaller bit. I'd probably start with about a 1/4" bit and cut a hole right down the middle of that lug. Once you are far enough in with that one, switch to the big bit.

 

I'd still try the hole saw. I'm thinking that the nut is softer that the stud. Just my .02
Good luck in any event with minimal damage to the rim.
Edit:
Wow, apparently I think faster than I swipe. I need to proofread before posting. Lol

 

What was the end result?

 

@Gus87 Lots of cold weather and snow within the last week slowed me down, I'll keep you posted once I'm able to focus on it more.

 

Oh I understand that. We started to warm up and level off in the low 40's. Best of luck to you.

 

I got mine off with a smaller chrome socket banged it on with a big mallet and used a breaker bar

 

@Gus87 I appreciate it. No space in the garage at home, I've got shop space but it's a ~20 min drive. I'll have another vehicle soon so that'll either free me up to give this more attention or buy more time to continue procrastinating lol.

 

@Joker56ace Think I'm too far gone for the socket trick or an extractor on one of the locks, or at least have too much time invested into drilling already that I need to see if it's a more viable option. The problem is that the lock snapped below the end of the wheel stud so there isn't a whole lot of surface area for a socket/extractor to bite since what's left of the lock is close to level, if not below the lug hole and I don't have a set of thin wall sockets.