`Seen the utube hot 100 on the subject. Driving a 12pt socket a little smaller than the lock diameter is not working with the sockets I have. The `points' do not hold i.e. make small impressions in the surface of the lock cylinder. The socket spins reluctantly. I cracked one cheapo 3/4 half inch drive socket and got no movement. No socket I've used yet has worked and they are all 1/2 drive from my tractor tool box. I have applied graphite suspended in penetrating oil and left it over night.... Might as well be super glue.

Got the bright idea to jack it up and take off all the other lug nuts to possibly allow a small amount of movement to lessen the friction. [ I have a large lug wrench 20 inches or so long.... Useless!! I had to put a section of pipe over the handle of the1/2 inch ratchet handle an move my hand almost three feet away from the socket to break one of the nuts loose another one was almost that tight. Yada yada .

What can I try? I can't drive the XJ cuz the sidewall of the tire delaminated and I had to drive 14 miles at 20 mpg to get home. PLUS there are three more to go. I used my knee to apply pressure straight down the length of the lug wrench while twisting CCW to remove said lock. The business part of the key bent like cheap steel. The size of the lugs is 3/4 or the metric equivalent which is 22mm I think. Makes me think of combination bump/powder skis. Which, to a real skier means they suk at both jobs.

I need to get these off four days ago. there must be some of hardened steel extractor for these things. I still have three more to get off when and if I get this one removed.

I'd love some workable suggestions please.

Ron

 

Do you have a local tire shop or auto garage?Both will have a special locking lug nut socket that will remove it but damage it tho.So have 4 more lug nuts ready to replace it.Or you can search locking lug nut removal tool and buy one yourself if you want to.

 

what rims do you have, sometimes those extractor sockets won't fit in the lug hole if they are aluminum rims.

if you take it to a shop, mention what you need done, if they say right away they can do it, good. if they say, well,,, we need to book it in and torch it off, walk away. go to another shop that is either more confident or useful. some shops will say it takes lots of torching/cutting, but then they just use a tool and it's done in seconds, but charge you for 1.5-2.0 hours.

 

Some options...



Same tool at Oreilly's

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...M980/N1772.oap



More expensive, but here's some kits if you are interested...

http://www.autozone.com/ratchets-soc...set/965865_0_0


Just some options. The first one is inexpensive, and probably available to you locally. Worth a shot.

 

Looks like I owe you abuncba beers andrewmp6. If you are ever in central N.M. email me.

I can't drive the thing cuz the left front tire delaminated and I barely made it home @ 20mph. But I'll jump on that search string. Wish you the best.

Ron

 

Thanks a million I'll get by O'Reilly's and check those out.
Ron

 

I had a lug nut round off, and with the aluminum wheel fitting around it so snuggly, I couldn't get that extractor socket to fully seat on it, so it just wouldn't get enough of a bite. I ended up just drilling out the stud. Yes, it was a major pain in the back side... yes it did take over an hour of drilling. Yes it did work in the end, but it was enough of a struggle to convince me to ditch those wheels.

FYI, I found that reverse threaded extractor at my local auto parts store, so didn't have to wait for one to get shipped in.

 

Thanks Heap, I wouldn't have the patience for that. But I hear ya on the wheels. Aluminum is the pitz for seizing up at the drop of a hat.

Ron

 

you guys are scaring me! i have a key thats been working. should i get new nuts ,regular, while i can?

 

Well I've had other vehicles with them and had no troubles. Problem is profit!!

Air wrenches are cheaper faster S***ty. This is also the ethos I have assigned to corporate earth. power is always abused and these locks are just another place to abuse it. If you are the person installing and removing them it's a workable solution to stave off a small amount of fear and loathing. But it's sure screwing up a portion of my life these days. In the middle of this fiasco I set my vice grips down and in an instant the are gone from the known multiverse.... at least till I stumble across them again. I usually don't mind being 73 at all. But my zipidy ends in doo doo for the foreseeable present!

Ron

 

I never use locking lug nuts or the cheapo chrome acorn ones.The cheap chrome acorn ones are known to rust from the inside out and fight you to remove them.Locking lug nuts don't work anymore,No one steals rims anymore they steal the whole car now a days.And plus you can buy a master lock set to every locking style made or you can carry the 3 or 4 different size locking lug nut removers in your pocket.And plus most people lose the key to them or the cheaper ones break or don't like coming off.

 

Any auto parts store carries lug nuts but its up to you if you keep the locking ones or not.

 

i would ditch those locking ones now, while you still can.

 

Harbor freight sells a bolt extractor kit, it comes with different sizes that you hammer on over the bolt/nut. It actually works pretty well and may do the job for you. Plus you would have it for when you need it later.

 

To hell with locking lug nuts. They don't slow down thieves enough to be worth the owner's aggravation. I use to scrap cars and caught hell dealing with them daily. The stripped nut removers typically made easy work of them.

Here's a different idea. I used this one on my 79 Camaro when I lost the locking lug nut key. I welded a 5/8 nut to the face of the locking lug nut. Burned it in nice and hot w/ my stick welder, the mig didn't have enough oomph to penetrate the cheap steal of the locking lug nut. Let the weld cool a bit and take it right off. Cost you maybe $2 worth of nuts at the Home Depot, if you don't already have them in a drawer. I was yanking the wheels off to swap them out, so I didn't care about the finish on the wheel. If you do, I would say put duct tape all over the face of the wheel to keep the spatter from burning the finish.