Flat tire need help , soon

[deamon3]

Ok few questions.

Are the bolts that hold the wheel on different sizes? Seriously , the tire iron fits on only one or two of the bolts , it doesnt fit on the others. The other bolt appear to be too big. Should I buy one of the X shaped tire irons at wallmart? They have different sizes on each end of the X shaped tire irons right?

Also , the jack the car comes with wasn't big enough. I had to borrow the jack from our f250 to get it high enough off the ground. Anyone else run into that?

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Lol, depending on where you put the jack will determine how high you can get it. I usually put it on the frame or under the suspension.

As for the bolts, if they're stock they should all be the same size. If you're having problems with having different size lug nuts, you can buy them at the store, which I'd recommend. You don't want to get stuck somewhere with different size lugs.

 

[deamon3]

Is that a possibility that someone put different sized lugs on it? Would diffrent sizes fit? They all look the exact same , the only way I can tell there diffrent is because the tire iron won't fit on some.

And I put the explorers jack on the lowest part on the car near the wheel and trust me it was not tall enough. lol. I tried really. The f250's jack goes only like an inch and a half taller but it'll work.

So how do I get the rest of the bolts off so I can put the spare on? (My spare looks like one of the recalled firestone tires, lol)

 

[little x]

You don't need a tire iron, just use a deep socket set and a breaker bar. I haven't used a tire iron yet on my truck in 5 years. They are just large nuts, nothing special about them.

 

[deamon3]

I don't have a socket set , or a breaker bar. They cost alot at the hardware store.

 

[patrick112390]

I don't have a socket set , or a breaker bar. They cost alot at the hardware store.

the size of ALL the lug nuts should be 19mm*

 

[deamon3]

Well I bought a universal lug nut remover. And yes they turned out to be different sizes. Two were normal sized , but the others seemed to be metric? Is that even possible? That you could have metric and normal lugs on the same wheel?

I got 4 of them off but the last one is striped and wont come off. Now what?

 

[boggs1227]

.

 

[patrick112390]

...if someone knows of a better way sound off but maybe you could just try to tighten it till it rounds the threads completelly off enough to just pull it off the stud (maybe use a drill with a socket adapter and spin it till it comes off) ,if it's on the front then you may have to get a new stud pressed in the rotor but if it's the rear wheel your may have a harder time replaceing the stud because it's on the axle ( more work and headache ) .

i would say heat, and vice grips... or you could cut/grind it into a square shape so you could grab it with lock jaw pliers

 

[Lux]

Buy a tire iron if you dont own any tools, i would say definitely.

As long as the thread pitch is right, you can have whatever size head on there. They make TONS of lug nuts with same threads, different lengths, shanks, style heads, etc. Someone just changed it somewhere along the time and you got different size heads, no big deal. You can buy all new ones for 20 bucks or so.

If the factory jack doesnt jack high enough, use blocks of wood, brick, a small dog, whatever to lessen the gap.

Go buy a cheap socket, a cheap one. Only time a cheap tool has a good use. SMASH IT ONTO THE STRIPPED LUG NUT. Get one to barely fit on it. When you SMASH IT ON, remove it. Throw it in the trash.

Wow guys.

 

[deamon3]

Ok update.

I was out working on it , trying various sized sockets with nothing fitting correctly. Everything was to big or too small. When a guy walking his two little ugly dogs walked by and asked if I needed help. I said yes and he came back with a very nice set of tools. Beleive it or not , he couldn't figure it out either. None of his metric or standard sockets fit on the lug. He to recommended that I use a torch and an adjustable wrench and try to get it off. He also recommended the smashing the crappy socket onto it and throwing it away thing aswell.

In the end , I found some cans of emergency tire inflater (in my parents car) that fill the tires halfway so you can move. I then took it to the gas station and filled it up. Its holding air but I think I will still take it to the tire shop and see if they can find out what when wrong with it , and make them take the stubborn lug off.

Its funny I ruled out the cans of inflater early because I thoguht they wouldn't work , but had I tried those first this would have been a heck of a lot easier, and less epensive.

 

[boggs1227]

edit: sorry my bad ....i thought you said you stripped the threads on the stud and could not get it removed .

 

[patrick112390]

Ok update.

I was out working on it , trying various sized sockets with nothing fitting correctly. Everything was to big or too small. When a guy walking his two little ugly dogs walked by and asked if I needed help. I said yes and he came back with a very nice set of tools. Beleive it or not , he couldn't figure it out either. None of his metric or standard sockets fit on the lug. He to recommended that I use a torch and an adjustable wrench and try to get it off. He also recommended the smashing the crappy socket onto it and throwing it away thing aswell.

In the end , I found some cans of emergency tire inflater (in my parents car) that fill the tires halfway so you can move. I then took it to the gas station and filled it up. Its holding air but I think I will still take it to the tire shop and see if they can find out what when wrong with it , and make them take the stubborn lug off.

Its funny I ruled out the cans of inflater early because I thoguht they wouldn't work , but had I tried those first this would have been a heck of a lot easier, and less epensive.

oh damn that ^ is an excillent idea! that i completely forgot about. when we have a used car come in with wheel locks on and no key, we find the closest socket that would only fit on the lug nut if forced on- then with a hammer, BANG the socket on that mangled lug! and twist away


oh and by the way, i know it was emergency, but that can of magic we call "fix-a-****" screws up your rim and makes the tech changing your tire's day oh so sticky and gooy! (im speaking from experience) which is why i have a plug kit n my trunk-the brown "worms"

 

[DeRocha]

Several companies make heavy duty reverse fluted tapered sockets to remove rounded off nuts and bolts. The reviews lean toward the positive side and it would be something I would try..lCraftsman 10 pc. Impact Grade Bolt-Out™ Damaged Bolt/Nut Remover

 

[deamon3]

I would rather pay someone else to deal with this stuff rather then keep buying tools and trying to figure it out. It will add years to my life. lol. Thanks all for your help and info and ideas.

 

[zukman]

Might I sugjest you ask Santa and all his elves for a set of tools and a repair manuel for your truck. It might just come in handy! lol

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

If you use Fix-a-Flat on a tire, don't tell the technicians. No place in Augusta will touch a tire now with that stuff in it.

 

[deamon3]

Lol, I just got back from the tire place. The technician said the same thing , not to use the fill stuff to make his life easier. What he didn't get is that it makes my life easier to use it. lol. Hes cleaned out the fill crap and fixed the hole for 21$.

Yea turns out I ran over somthing that poped the tire. It was a bone. Yea , like a tiny 1 inch sized bone from like a bird or a kfc about half the thickness of a pencil.

 

[elfexplorer94]

Well one possiblity could be that, the lug nuts are acorn and the chrome cover has come off of some of them and the ones without a cover would be a size smaller than those with the chrome cover. More than likely the ones with the chrome cover are a 21 and those without the chrome cover are a 19.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Well one possibility could be that, the lug nuts are acorn and the chrome cover has come off of some of them and the ones without a cover would be a size smaller than those with the chrome cover. More than likely the ones with the chrome cover are a 21 and those without the chrome cover are a 19.

But then why would he not have a tire wrench with the Explorer's jackset that worked with all of them and only some of them? I've done work on some friends Explorers with those covers, and they were all the same size.