[SimonGTV]

Just doing some tinkering on the cars and thought I'd try my new impact driver on an F1 style wheel change. All was going swimmingly until I realised it's shacken the studs out of back of the hub instead of loosening the nuts so the studs now just spin with the nuts still tight!

It's a good job I like a challenge!

 

[RobM]

Oooh - that sounds a bit tricky.

Can you gently do the nuts back up (manually, not with the impact driver)? It might re-seat the back of the studs so you can then undo the nuts (manually)...

...or maybe use a trim removal tool (see pic) to carefully pull the stud outwards, and use a spanner to tighten the nut at the same time?



Loads of fun...!

 

[SimonGTV]

Cheers, yes I got them off eventually. Thankfully there was enough to get a screwdriver, then a small crow bar then a spanner behind to pull the stud out and loosen the nut, phew!

 

[RobM]

Glad to hear that, Simon. Take care with that impact driver....

That said, I've been using an air impact wrench on all my wheel nuts (currently five cars) for 20 years and have never had this problem. I'm starting to wonder if I've just been incredibly lucky - or whether you've been incredibly unlucky!

You need to use quite deep impact sockets for wheel nuts, so there's room for the nut to wind its way into the socket: if the nut hits the end of the socket, then the impact driver can rattle the stud loose.

 

[Joe90GT]

Just doing some tinkering on the cars and thought I'd try my new impact driver on an F1 style wheel change. All was going swimmingly until I realised it's shacken the studs out of back of the hub instead of loosening the nuts so the studs now just spin with the nuts still tight!

It's a good job I like a challenge!

Blimey Simon - your like Unlucky Alf at the moment

 

[RobM]

On the positive side...

Sooner or later someone on the forum will post the question "How can I remove the studs that the wheel nuts screw onto? They seem really tight, and I don't want to bang them with a hammer 'cos it'll ruin them".

Well, Simon's your man: try using an impact driver (preferably with a not-very-deep impact socket) and push hard while undoing the wheel nut...