Changing a wheel stud, any gentle way to remove it.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Changing a wheel stud, any gentle way to remove it.

hawkeye5766 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

cdnpont wrote:
Helping a neibour remove a super messed up rear wheel nut today on his Daughters 2011 Dodge Caravan. They ruined it trying to remove it to change to the summers. Probably pounded on by a tire jockey. Had to eventually zip wheel the stud off near the rim and punch off counter clockwise around the remains of the nut.
Looks like replacing it should be fairly straightforward as Chrysler has conveniently located a stud out clearance hole in the knuckle assembly. Stud and nut are certainly easy to find.

Question: The minivans aren't know for having robust bearings, and I'm kind of worried about pounding the stud back out of the hub, and maybe ruining those aged bearing.
Any tricks to get it out a little more gently?

Thanks, Mark

You working on front or rear?? Is the rear not a dead axle?

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

I replaced three broken studs on our Ford tractor and used my air chisel (with the center punch tip) to remove and install them. I was amazed how well this worked. Might be a little less harsh than pounding with a hammer?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

No way to use a C clamp to press it?

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Yes, its the rear. So caliper and rotor off and you get decent access to the back of the hub. Maybe a big C clamp might just work. Air chisel is a good idea, but I'm still afraid of the bearing.

But I guess if the bearing goes out, then that's the cost to them of me helping out. I won't do a bearing for them though, only on my own cars.

I'm buying a lug removal socket set next time at princess...

Thanks guys.

oshawacliff · Poncho Master!

Some drills have an impact setting and you could use a large drill to attack the centre.

The impact feature might do the trick

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Got the stud changed. 2 quick raps on the stud and it popped right out. Getting the new one in...just a little more work. The splash shield needed a hole made at the top with a step drill to allow the new stud clearance in from the back. Easy...a quick punch mark and ram the step drill through the tin.

Added a dash of never seize to the stud splines and it pulled in with the help of the big impact gun, and a stack of greased washers topped with an old lugnut.

This little headache actually proved to be beneficial to my neibour, the van had a brake job in November...and I discovered that one caliper slider was missing a mounting bolt! Found one in my metric stuff and replaced it. I have to be honest here, I actually wouldn't trust anyone to my brakes but me. Some shops are just not what they used to be and are sloppy. The caliper carrier bolts were like they had been pounded on with a big impact, and all the components were covered in old scale and crap. I know it's been a while, but it's obvious there was no pride in the job and nobody bothered the clean anything up.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Wow, that's kind of an important bolt! Glad to hear the wheel stud swap went easy.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Thanks Carl, lucky it was the bolt at the trailing edge of the caliper shown. Had it been the leading edge, I think the caliper could have potentially driven up and out pivoting off the rotor. Rear brakes, so the danger would lay in a high speed emergency stop without one wheel brake functioning, aka as a spin out. City, not so bad.

Internet photo, Dodge Caravan RR brake assembly,