One of the lug not studs broke when I was changing a tire. The other three studs are secure. Is it okay to drive a short distance with the front passenger tire mounted on only three studs?. Right now the car is still on the jack because I do not know if I should set it down.
it should be ok. I had the exact same situation about a year ago. I did drive around for about a week with 3 studs before getting it fixed.
You can certainly set it down and most likely drive it to the closest garage. Just be gentle and careful not to hit a large pothole.
Also I would guess it depends if your wheel sits on the studs or the hub.
I've had this problem before. Go easy on your car and don't drive far. Get it fixed ASAP.
Had the same thing 4 months ago thanks to Costco mounting my tire, seems they cross threaded a lug nut on the front passeenger side. Any way I had them reimburse for what it would have cost to have it replaced by my mechanic. It was around 90$ . And I replaced it myself only problem I learned is that 10lb hammer was alittle too heavy because I damaged the wheel bearing by hitting it too hard .So after 3 wheel bearing replacements in 2 months they finally realized that the hub was bent 8 one thousandths when the max is 2 one thousandths.It was just done yesterday we shall see how that goes. You can drive the car you may get a vibration because the missing lugnut detracts weight from that wheel and the tire will seem unbalanced. if you decide to fix it yourself get a lighter hammer than i used. it should have cost me 3 dollars had I not whacked the hub too hard. it cost me 300 total for bearing and hub replacement . good luck.........
I had Les Schwab do the same thing to me a few weeks ago on my '90. God, why do they only start the lug nuts HALF OF A THREAD before breaking out the damned air gun! Anyway, like Badandy I used a BFH to get the broken stud out. You can try to use a little hammer, but the stud is pressed into the hub pretty tightly and it will be slow going (if it comes out at all). According to the service manual, the stud is supposed to be pressed out with a special tool if it breaks. I only had to deliver about 3 good whacks with my big hammer and it popped out. I have not had any hub problems to report, but then again it has only been a few weeks.
The replacement stud only cost me a buck at the local wrecking yard. If you need to remove a stud at the yard, be sure to thread a lugnut COMPLETELY onto the stud to protect the threads when hammering it off. Otherwise, the end of the stud will mushroom, the threads will deform, and it will be impossible to put a lug nut on it. Try to be careful and this is a DIY job. Keep the car off of the freeway and go easy until it is fixed and you shouldn't have any problems. Damned tire stores! Regards, Aaron
After i get tires changed, I sometimes go through and loosen all lug nuts and retighten them with a torque wrench in th eparking lost. SO if I can;t get one loose or it was cross threaded...it can get fixed immediately. Some places also tighten the lug nigts so much that you can't get them off with the standard tire iron.
That is good advise. Also, if you ask really nicly, you can get the shop to use a torque wrench only. If they try and tell you that torque sticks are enough, you might want to find another shop. Someone in your town will surly do it how you want it done. Also, uneven torqued lugs can warp a rotor, so it is really nice to have them torqued evenly. Even wonder why your rotors warp quickly when you didn't abuse your brakes? You can also use some anti-seize compound on the studs. They should never be too tight. I only put 90' lbs on my cars lugs. Even more, I get them all even at 40' lbs and then put them to 90.After i get tires changed, I sometimes go through and loosen all lug nuts and retighten them with a torque wrench in th eparking lost. SO if I can;t get one loose or it was cross threaded...it can get fixed immediately. Some places also tighten the lug nigts so much that you can't get them off with the standard tire iron.
