To make a long story short I was taking my one tire off this evening and the one lug nut seemed as if it was badly cross threaded and coming off hard. Got it about halfway off and heard a snap and now the entire wheel stud and nut are just turning/spinning. So quick questions... Once I get the nut off can I replace the stud without removing the wheel hub? Is it likely the splines on the stud sheared off or would the hole in the hub be more likely to strip out and a replacement stud still won't work? And finally... I only like 2 miles from work and the speeds are just 25-30MPH..Will I be ok riding back and forth to work with just 4 lug nuts until the weekend when I can mess with this thing?

Thanks in advance

 

You should be fine. And IIRC, the hub is tough and the splines on the stud are weak. Not sure but I bet you can install a new one with the hub on.

 

Like cruiser said, its typically the stud splines and not the hub that strips. For the front you only have to pull the wheel, caliper, and rotor. For the rear, you only need to remove the wheel and brake drum. Pound out the bad stud, pop a new one in, add washers over the stud, and tighten a lug nut to drive it in. I have driven with only 4 lug nuts without issues, even 3 at times. I wouldn't recommend either but if the 4 lug nuts are torqued properly you shouldn't have an issue through the weekend.

 

x2


Turn your lug nut backwards to pull the stud in.

 

If it had not stripped you can always tighten them up until they snap off. You gotta remove the tire either way.

 

Thanks for all the input and advice. Went to Pep Boys after work and got a couple of wheel studs. They said they were the right ones for a '93 Cherokee but they sure look wimpy. Then had my brother drag his angle grinder outside and we cut the lug nut in half right down the center so it split in two. Now I can remove the wheel if I get a flat at least and will change the stud after work tomorrow or Friday.

 

Just a quick follow up. Finally got around to replacing the stud and it appears my studs were tougher than the hub! LOL. The splines on the stud still looked like new and the hole on the hub had very little spline left. I tried putting the new stud in but it seems as if it would not budge using the washer/lug nut method to pull it through the hole. Maybe an impact gun might do it but using my breaker bar it seemed as if it was not going farther than 1/8" in.

 

Make sure your washers are large enough to clear the stud, the threaded portion along with the unthreaded body. Also be sure the washers are centered and not off-center before tightening the nut.