Wheel hub nut screw snapped!

[metallicpearl]

Hello,

As described really - I tried undoing a wheel nut and it snapped the screw thread right off the hub!

Will this require an entirely new hub?

Ta

[Jocko]

The studs are actually bolts coming through from the back of the hub (item 18). It should be possible to carefully remove it from the rear of the hub and fit a replacement. They cost about £5 from my research.
Spray it with release oil, centre dab the broken stub, then try slowly drilling it with a drill slightly smaller than the stub. When the drill bites it may wind back out. I had this happen with my FIAT 126.

[sparky Paul]

No need for any drilling, the hub studs are pressed in from the rear on splines.

You should be able to use a hammer and a 6-8mm punch to drive the broken stud out from the wheel side, then knock a replacement in from the rear. The biggest problem is that you have to remove and insert the new bolt from the rear of the hub.

Is it a front or rear hub?

If it's a rear hub, it's easy enough - removing the complete hub takes a few minutes after removing the brake caliper and disk, and the job can be done on the bench.

If it's a front hub, I suspect that if you remove the brake caliper and disk, there will be just enough room to squeeze a new bolt in where the caliper sits, without removing the hub. You will have to flatten the lip of the brake disc shield towards the centre of the car and straighten it back afterwards. Just tap the new bolt into the hub from the rear, and pull fully home with the wheel nut after replacing the wheel. You may have to file a bit of a flat on the mushroom head to get it in past the hub carrier, or you may not - it depends how your luck is.

You really don't want to be removing the front hub if you can help it, it's a biggish job and you would have to replace the wheel bearing too, as it will be damaged whilst removing the hub.

You should get a new bolt for under £5, as Jocko says.

[Jocko]

No need for any drilling, the hub studs are pressed in from the rear on splines.

Now I look closely at the figure that is quite clear. My FIAT was actually a sheared wheel BOLT.

[Steve_M]

On the front there wont be enough room to remove and install a new stud without removing the hub, which would mean replacing the wheel bearing as well requiring a hydraulic press.

On the rear there wont be access due to the disc backplate design, so you would have to remove the centre hub nut (replace with new after) to remove the hub

[sparky Paul]

On the front there wont be enough room to remove and install a new stud without removing the hub, which would mean replacing the wheel bearing as well requiring a hydraulic press.

It can be done on the mk1 without removing the hub, but it is a tight squeeze. I've looked at a few pics of scrap mk2 hubs, and they look very similar indeed. Is there not enough gap to do it on the mk2?

Hopefully, it's a rear one!

[metallicpearl]

Many thanks for the deluge of helpful replies. Makes a change from my usual experience of other forums!

To confirm (sadly) - it's the front nearside hub that the bolt has sheared from. I'm prepared for some faff and I'd like to avoid having to take the hub off.

In any case, I've ordered a new bolt and if that fails, I'll only have spent £5. Many thanks for the heads-up on that one; saved me from buying a new hub!

[metallicpearl]

Hello,

Just to update - it's sorted!

I had to take off the wheel, pads, caliper and disc (had to drill out both retaining screws for the disc because somebody (presumably Honda) destroyed the screw heads). I then had to saw the existing bolt, drill into it, collapse it with a mallet and screwdriver, saw the OTHER side off so the bolt head would clear the hub and then tap It out. I then had to enlist the help of my pops, who used an angle grinder to grind away some of the new bolt head AND some of the hub so that the bolt would slot in.

Pain in the arse but it's done now.

[sparky Paul]

Smashing. It might have been a pain in the arse, but it beats taking the hub out, I can guarantee that!

[Jocko]

Excellent. Another option would have been to glue the broken bit to the wheel and then sell the car. 

[metallicpearl]

Excellent. Another option would have been to glue the broken bit to the wheel and then sell the car. 

 

[culzean]

I have an extendable wheel wrench but only use the extended length to remove the wheel nuts, and the much shorter collapsed length to tighten them.  Mind you those impact drivers that some tyre places and garages still use have a lot to answer for - the nut torque on a Jazz IIRC is about 110Nm,  those impact wrenches can exert much more than that and capable of shearing or stretching a stud.  Impact wrenches are normally used to unscrew corroded or over-tightened nuts,  but the over-tightening is normally because some muppet used an impact driver to tighten them in the first place.