Yahoo Autos How To Remove a Locking Lug Nut Without the Key
It’s springtime! Time to start working on your project car, learn a new wrenching skill, discover what everything is under the hood (and how it works), or just spruce up your daily driver. All month, we’ll be looking back at our best informative, maintenance and DIY articles from Jalopnik’s near 20-year history to get your ride ready for the road.
Lug nuts hold your wheel to your car, so you’ll need to take them off to change a tire or work on your suspension. That’s easy unless one of your lug nuts is a special “locking type.” Oh, yours is? And you lost the key? Don’t sweat it, we’ll show you how to get that sucker off anyway.
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The demo you’re seeing here is with a “Gorilla”-type locking lug nut on my battle-worn Toyota Tundra with aftermarket wheels. We had it easy because the nut was easily accessible and surprisingly compliant, but this process should essentially work no matter what your setup looks like.
The best part is all the tools needed should be things in any garage anyway, but here’s what you will need for the job.
Tools Needed
12-Point Socket (your size my vary)
Breaker Bar
Hammer
Torque wrench
A new lug nut
Time Required
Three to five minutes per wheel, or about one beer for a whole car’s worth.
Step 1: Look for the Damn Key
Don’t give up so easily! Did you check that old tool box you never use? All your car’s little storage cubbies? Text the guy who sold you the car? It’s all worth a shot. Make sure you really don’t have the key before you start attacking your car with a hammer.
Step 2: Figure Out What Size Socket Is “Close” and Make Sure It’s a 12-Point
If you really can’t find the key, it’s time to commit to hammering this sucker into submission. You’re going to simply smash a regular socket onto your locking nut and move it with brute force.
Your lug nuts, even those super-strong lockers we’re dealing with, are most likely made of softer metal than a good socket. At least, you’re sure hoping so right about now.
Try a few socket sizes on your nut until you find one that makes you think, “Yeah, I could probably ram that thing on with a hammer.” Then, ram that thing on with a hammer.
You want a 12-point (as opposed to a six-point) because it will be better at biting. You’re dealing with an unusual shape, remember? The extra “teeth” will give you a better chance of getting traction on the lug nut.
Step 3: Smash That Socket Onto the Locking Lug Nut With a Hammer
I mention this again because it’s the fun part. A regular hardware-store-clearance-rack hammer should do the job just fine.
Go as straight as possible and slam that thing until it’s on very securely.
Step 4: Apply leverage
If you haven’t experienced a breaker bar yet, you’re in for a treat. This is a tool you can go cheap on because it’s literally just a metal rod that clips into sockets, but once you’ve got one you’ll be amazed you’ve ever lived without it.
Now what makes a breaker bar great is basic physics. Your little ratchet is probably six to eight inches long, which can apply a little bit of force. The massive length of the breaker bar lets you leverage your strength significantly more, effectively turning even a scrawny jamoke like myself into Iron Man for a fleeting moment.
But with great power comes– you know the rest. Apply your newfound force too quickly and you might just grind your locking lug nut into oblivion. Pour it on slow; you’ll be surprised how little you actually have to move the nut to break it free.
Step 5: Revel in Your Success! Also, Inspect the Stud for Damage
Alright, it worked! I hope. Check out the threads on your wheel stud (the thing your lug nut just came off of.) If they’re damaged you’ll have to replace it, which is another slightly harder job. If they’re okay, get yourself a new (non-locking) lug nut and torque it down as per your vehicle’s instruction manual!
Don’t forget to stop and torque it down again to the same spec after you’ve driven ten miles or so.
