by William Collins

Created on: December 27, 2009

Replacing a car wheel stud may seem like a difficult job, but it's relatively simple. This article will show you how to do it the quick and easy way.

The wheels of your car are mounted on bolts, called "studs", and held in place by "wheel nuts" that screw into the studs. When the wheels are improperly mounted, the studs can be damaged beyond repair. In many cars, studs are mounted on the front or rear brake disks. If your car has rear drum brakes, then they will most likely be mounted on the rear axle.

To replace the wheel studs, you will need the following tools:
*  Floor jack and jack stands
*  Socket to remove the wheel nuts
*  Mallet
*  New wheel stud
*  Anti-seize compound
*  Large washers
*  Impact wrench or ratchet wrench
*  Torque Wrench

Lift the car with the floor jack; make sure you support it with jack stands.

Remove the wheel with the damaged stud.

Make sure there is space behind the broken stud. Many cars have a hole or space behind the front wheel that you need to line-up the stud with. Just take a look or feel to make sure the stud has clearance to come out.

Line up the stud with the hole or space in the backing plate and give it a strong whack with a five-pound mallet. Two or three hits should do it.

A stud has splines near the head to keep it from turning, it's press fitted into the hub or axle. Insert the new stud and line it up with the splines.

Apply a tiny amount of anti-seize compound on the stud threads. Just a small amount will go a long way.

Insert several large washers, larger than the stud shoulder, on the stud and install the wheel nut.

This next step can be done with an impact wrench or a 1/2 inch ratchet wrench; one is faster than the other but they both work well.
While feeling the head of the stud, behind the disk or axle, with your finger, run the impact wrench slowly and tighten the nut onto the stud.

Make sure you feel the head as it goes in;  you need to stop when the head of the stud touches the back of the disk. Don't over-tighten the nut or you may damage the new stud's threads.

Remove the wheel nut and washers, apply a light coating of anti-seize to all the wheel studs; make sure you don't get any on the wheel nuts.

Replace the wheel, and torque the wheel nuts, with the torque wrench, to the specified amount for your particular car.

Breaking or damaging a wheel stud can be a frustrating experience, but replacing it is not very difficult if you have the right tools and knowledge.

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