Broken wheel studs while sitting?

[Big A]

My truck sits parked 99% of the time now, unless I need to haul or tow something, which averages about once a month. The last time I drove it in January all was good. Forward to last Saturday and I leave to go pick up a trailer for a charity event, and on the slighest turn on the highway results in a serious vibration. I'm thinking a loose or busted tie rod, but it turns out to be two sheered wheel studs. This really concerns me because the truck had sat unmoved since the last time it drove fine.

Have any of you experienced anything similar? I'd understand a vaccuum line getting brittle and cracking from sitting, but a wheel stud?! The truck sits outside, so the possibility of criminal mischeif crossed my mind, but the studs were obviously sheered off and not cut. I suppose loosened lugs could cause it after driving a distance, but the vibration was present as soon as I left last Saturday.

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is to check your lugs before driving if the vehicle sits outside.

[KBScobravert]

My truck sits parked 99% of the time now, unless I need to haul or tow something, which averages about once a month. The last time I drove it in January all was good. Forward to last Saturday and I leave to go pick up a trailer for a charity event, and on the slighest turn on the highway results in a serious vibration. I'm thinking a loose or busted tie rod, but it turns out to be two sheered wheel studs. This really concerns me because the truck had sat unmoved since the last time it drove fine.

Have any of you experienced anything similar? I'd understand a vaccuum line getting brittle and cracking from sitting, but a wheel stud?! The truck sits outside, so the possibility of criminal mischeif crossed my mind, but the studs were obviously sheered off and not cut. I suppose loosened lugs could cause it after driving a distance, but the vibration was present as soon as I left last Saturday.

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is to check your lugs before driving if the vehicle sits outside.

low level sabotage

[Baron Von Crowder]

Someone loosened the lugs

[JimD]

Were the other lugs loose?

[DC COBRA]

My truck sits parked 99% of the time now, unless I need to haul or tow something, which averages about once a month. The last time I drove it in January all was good. Forward to last Saturday and I leave to go pick up a trailer for a charity event, and on the slighest turn on the highway results in a serious vibration. I'm thinking a loose or busted tie rod, but it turns out to be two sheered wheel studs. This really concerns me because the truck had sat unmoved since the last time it drove fine.

Have any of you experienced anything similar? I'd understand a vaccuum line getting brittle and cracking from sitting, but a wheel stud?! The truck sits outside, so the possibility of criminal mischeif crossed my mind, but the studs were obviously sheered off and not cut. I suppose loosened lugs could cause it after driving a distance, but the vibration was present as soon as I left last Saturday.

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is to check your lugs before driving if the vehicle sits outside.

Had a customer's suburban suffer the same feat, it had aluminum wheels and believed somebody tried to steal them and didn't complete the job. Right rear wheel sheared all the studs, lost wheel. About an eight mile before loosing wheel he was picking up some lugnuts lost on the road. Damn Thieves. Stock aluminum wheels were bringing about $12-15 at the scrappers a piece, pretty good payday for someone.

DON

[Big A]

Were the other lugs loose?

I haven't had a chance to check yet, but I've got replacement lugs to throw in later today or tomorrow, and you bet your ass that I'll be checking the other 3 wheels.

I don't get it though, I barely have any friends out here, much less enemies. My truck was broken in to when I was in TX on business in February, which had to be thugs/kids, becuse all they got was a 15 year old Kicker 10" and an extended wrench. They didn't even take the amp for the sub.

Come to think of it, the wrench had a socket sized for my lugs on it, because I had recently done the front brakes. Maybe the kids that took the sub thought that it would be "funny" to loosen my lugs as they left. I am glad that the wheel didn't come off on the highway, that could have potentially gotten deadly. Great prank.

[Big A]

Had a customer's suburban suffer the same feat, it had aluminum wheels and believed somebody tried to steal them and didn't complete the job. Right rear wheel sheared all the studs, lost wheel. About an eight mile before loosing wheel he was picking up some lugnuts lost on the road. Damn Thieves. Stock aluminum wheels were bringing about $12-15 at the scrappers a piece, pretty good payday for someone.

DON

Only the driver front was affected as far as I can tell, which isn't even the easiest wheel to get to the way it's parked. As loose as the other three lugs were, they could have taken the wheel and tire if that was the intention. The more I think about it, it was probably the thugs that sole my stuff, thinking it'd be "funny." They had to do just the one wheel though, because had they done the passenger side as well, the truck wouldn't have been undriveable. The passenger front wheel is the most accesible where it's parked too.

[kingjason]

Nah you are reading to much into it. They probably worked loose and you just didnt notice it the last time you drove it. Then you took off in it the other day and did some thing that made it worse and snap. I have had that very thing happen to me. I drove to Seagoville one time early in the morning, worked all day and when I went to leave I noticed the clunking. Got out and had three broke off. Tightened them up and drove all the way home on three. I was pretty nervous since that thing had 35x14 inch tires on it. Where it was parked no one would have been able to mess with them much less steal them.

[kingjason]

I haven't had a chance to check yet, but I've got replacement lugs to throw in later today or tomorrow, and you bet your ass that I'll be checking the other 3 wheels.

I don't get it though, I barely have any friends out here, much less enemies. My truck was broken in to when I was in TX on business in February, which had to be thugs/kids, becuse all they got was a 15 year old Kicker 10" and an extended wrench. They didn't even take the amp for the sub.

Come to think of it, the wrench had a socket sized for my lugs on it, because I had recently done the front brakes. Maybe the kids that took the sub thought that it would be "funny" to loosen my lugs as they left. I am glad that the wheel didn't come off on the highway, that could have potentially gotten deadly. Great prank.

Maybe they worked loose after the brake job also. We did the brakes on my neices car not long ago, drove it around a little to make sure they were fine, then parked it. Then my father in law goes hey did we tighten the lugs? Nope LOL, they were loose and we couldnt even tell while driving it.

[Big A]

Maybe they worked loose after the brake job also. We did the brakes on my neices car not long ago, drove it around a little to make sure they were fine, then parked it. Then my father in law goes hey did we tighten the lugs? Nope LOL, they were loose and we couldnt even tell while driving it.

I hear what you're saying, but there was no wobble or any sign of anything amiss the last time I drove it, and then the next time it took it out, the problem was immediate. I would rather believe that you are right, and they worked themselves loose, but the break in makes me wonder. If it's my bad, I can only imagine how bad the drive would have been had the passenger side come loose as we. Ironcally I tightened the lugs with the 3' wrench that was stolen after the break job. I've done pads on several cars over the years, and have had to remove wheels for various reasons, and this has never happened.

The ONLY time it has happened was on my Mom's car as it sat in the driveway, while we were on vacation, and it was obvious sabotage, as all 4 wheels suddenly had loose lugs.

I need a 2-car garage, an acre and a half, and a shotgun.

[Big A]

I finally got a chance to get out there and knock them out, one came right out, and the other budged aboout an 1/8th of an inch and wouldn't go further. After let it soack a few minutes in WD40 I tried heating the hub around it to get it to exapand, and it still wouldn't let lose. I coated it in WD40 one last time, and am gonna try again tomorrow after it's soaked in.

Are there any other ideas that you can suggest to get this thing out? I'm hoping that the WD40 penetrates more over night, but if it still doesn't wanna come out, I don't really care to spend $200+ on a new hub.

[mikeb]

I finally got a chance to get out there and knock them out, one came right out, and the other budged aboout an 1/8th of an inch and wouldn't go further. After let it soack a few minutes in WD40 I tried heating the hub around it to get it to exapand, and it still wouldn't let lose. I coated it in WD40 one last time, and am gonna try again tomorrow after it's soaked in.

Are there any other ideas that you can suggest to get this thing out? I'm hoping that the WD40 penetrates more over night, but if it still doesn't wanna come out, I don't really care to spend $200+ on a new hub.

Mega heat? Bigger hammer? The studs are an interference fit and they should come out with enough wailing on them.

[kingjason]

Go get you a cheap air hammer they will come out like butter and go back in the same. Took me about 1 minute to knock 16 out of my f350 and they go thru the Rotors and hub.

[Big A]

Go get you a cheap air hammer they will come out like butter and go back in the same. Took me about 1 minute to knock 16 out of my f350 and they go thru the Rotors and hub.

I don't have air though, and being that I haven't worked in the garage much since I sold the stang, I can't really justify getting a compresssor at this point. Do they make an electric version? I know I've seen electric impact wrenches, wouldn't something like that work.

Being that it sheered off about an 1/8th inch before the hub, I have a feeling that it may have mushroomed a little as I was smacking it.

[Big A]

Mega heat? Bigger hammer? The studs are an interference fit and they should come out with enough wailing on them.

Yep, all it took was a bigger hammer. The new studs are about a quarter inch shorter, will that cause balance problems?