2004 Pontiac Vibe lug nut stud broke

[cookiedough]

I had to take the 2 front tires off my kids 2004 Vibe with 150K miles on it and am sure OEM rotors/calipers/etc., etc.   Anyways,  I never have done this ever before, but snugged up 4 of the 5 lug nuts no issues and 1 of them kept spinning fairly easily never fully snugging up and then all of a sudden turning it with 4-way lug wrench snapped the lug nut stud off.  I got the 1cm hanging out of the lug  nut out was threaded on fine nice and straight so the stud itself snapped is my guess due to age I guess? 

Looks like I have to remove tomorrow sure 2 bolts holding on the entire brake caliper and attempt to remove the left front rotor as well something I have not done before and since they are OEM rotors from what it looks like all rusted, etc.  might not come loose.  Any tricks on removing that front rotor entire assembly to attempt to shoehorn that 2 to 3 inch Dormann lug nut stud I bought at AutoZone today for 3 buck?

 Luckily,  I brought my lug nut in to make sure the threads worked since the first one he gave did not thread on at all,  2nd one was fine no issues hand threading it, while the 3rd one was good 3/4's of the way on so bought 2 just in case I mess up the threads ASSUMING I have enough room in the back to get that lug nut stud back in the hole without removing even more stuff from behind, not sure???  Never broke a lug nut stud off EVER before and did not try to crank it on super tight just kept spinning fairly easily with a lug nut wrench never tightening.  the other 4 tightened NO problems. 

Can you drive with 4 of the 5 lug nuts snug safely forever on a car?

[John Schmidt]

Probably for a long time on fewer lug nuts. When I was a kid someone removed all the nuts off my left rear wheel, I'm assuming they had a beef with me over something. As I walked up to the car luckily I noticed that wheel was sitting at an angle so I checked and they were gone. Why...I have no idea. So to get home I removed one nut from each of the other 3 wheels, now all four had reduced nuts. Frankly, I forgot about it until one day my dad noticed it so I picked up some add'l for all four corners. I probably rode around without all of them for over a month, however I wouldn't recommend it as a general practice.

[cookiedough]

agree 4 of 5 tight should not be an issue, but I got to Autozone today 6 p.m. closed 7 p.m. and picked up 2 (only needed 1) but the first one I wanted to make sure threaded on my lug nut and it did not the threads were buggered up so 2nd one went on just fine and so did the 3rd.  Lucky I asked to take out of bag 1st one to try first.  ONLY 3 bucks per bolt (rockauto was 1.40 each but 7 days shipping plus 3 bucks shipping so not worth waiting for).

I watched utube videos and as we all know take with a grain of salt, but only 2 17mm bolts rusted on holding entire brake caliper assembly and the rotor should hammer out with a rubber mallet tapped from behind and in front to loosen it to pull it off.  Then,  spin the hub supposedly there is a cutout in front of backplate so can tap out broke off lug nut stud bolt and tap in new one, then put washers in front and use lug nut to seat all the way flat in from behind the lug nut stud bolt.    Seems pretty straight forward but when I do something like this utube videos always seems simpler than it does when I do it for real.   

I once broke off about 8 years ago an old spark plug I could NOT get out and snapped it off on my dad's old 1986 caprice classic some near 30 years old at the time took it to a repair shop and he said it was not that bad to get out since ON A HOIST is a lot simpler to get out from underneath vs. on top of car only charged like 10 bucks so assuming he got it out pretty easily after I used probably a 1/2 can of penetrating oil on all 8 old spark plugs since were in there LONG time guessing 100K miles or so and 15-20 years or so.

am hoping tomorrow morning a  2-3 hr project since kid has to work tomorrow 4 p.m. and 3 hour drive north so gotta start out hoping 8 a.m. done 11 a.m.  when a balmy 43 degrees outside.        I could give  him my car to drive I guess while I putz with it when warmer mid-day tomorrow in the 50s though? but then have to drive 6 hours (back and forth ) yet another whole day wasted.

Always something isn't it?  I never thought that lug nut stud bolts could break like that especially not cross threaded 16 years old all original must be taking it's toll on metal parts?  Must have had a weak metal part or something since not like I crank super tight with 4-way lug wrench very rarely hear a CREAK meaning they are on super tight and these I did not just keep turning and turning not tightening up only on this one.

My luck tomorrow morning using a breaker bar with 17 mm socket end to remove those 2 rusted on brake piston brackets bolts (entire assembly) will not work or worst case I snap them off as well cranking on them as hard as I can to remove.  Is suppose to be only around 80 ft lbs. torque but guessing are on there  much tighter than that over the decade plus.    I looked at brake pads while tire off and will do for now tad bit over 1/2 gone,  if not tad more,  but before winter should really replace both front brake pads and rotors and do it all right both new will probably last the rest of the entire cars useful life with 150K miles on it now.    I hear those old 1.8L toyota matrix/corolla engines last 250-300K but by then the rest of the car will probably fall apart.

All fall and winter long runs very well but every time since last fall when cold starting even if warmed up 5 minutes or so in cold weather or even now warm weather but not as long first few minutes running ONLY idling NO gas,  if shift outta park into reverse or into drive the car makes a LOUD buzzing noise like something is rubbing or loose only idling NO gas.  Utube videos suggest either tranny or engine mounting bolts (rubber inside worn away) but the noise goes completely away after first 5 minutes of driving or when you step on the gas off idling only.   step on gas it goes away unless super cold out like in the winter but eventually goes away totally once engine warms up based on temps.

[cookiedough]

JOhn,

speaking of lug nuts coming off,  I still remember when me and my older brother me in my 20's took an old camper too old/heavy for my brothers 2.8L V6 S-10 truck  (engine so-so but brakes on truck sucked was older 1988 s-10 at the time)  and hauled it in the dark heavy rain Thanksgiving weekend deer hunting time.  Somehow the darn lug nuts of the trailer right side rim EVERY ONEl came off in dark rush hour traffic bumper to bumper in heavy rain the rim/tire went bumpy bumpy bumpy very bad banging all over in wheel hub opening in the rear right side (lucky right side not left into heavy traffic) us in right slower lane until the rim/tire came out into the grassy area.   WE took 2 of the 4 wheel lug nuts off the other side and ran with 2 lug nuts to nearest station we luckily found still open at night and bought 4 more lug nuts but is possible I guess in a pinch to run on 2 of 4 lug nuts.   So, am sure 4 of 5 lug nuts on a car should be fine for awhile right?   Can you say a PAIN in the butt to attempt to jack up a trailer that is resting on the hub assembly in bumper to bumper traffic with cars whizzing by us doing 65 mph in heavy dark at night downpouring COLD rain?    WE got lucky for sure not dying or killing anyone else that night when the tire with rim came off that fender well.

[matt]

Depends on state laws for one, In new Hampshire it is a inspection item
Besides that wheel may not fall off but if one stud broke that easy not sure how others are
Next thing the car has what's called a floating rotor the lug nuts are the clamping force and if not all there rotor more than likely to warp fro. Missing lug

[Jess from VA]

At 15, I was pumping gas at a Mobil station.  I got told to go with another guy in the station truck (3/4ton with tools, charger, tow package) to go do some job.  Rolling down a main drag (divided 2-lane), the front left wheel came off and dropped the truck on the hub.  That was exciting.  

The wheel, traveling about 40mph, continued down the road straight and level for quite a distance.  I was keeping my eye on it as I supposed the boss wanted it back.  Way down the street, it came to a cross street, and executed a perfect left turn, crossed through traffic, and motored back onto some subdivision.  Being the designated lackey in this operation, I was instructed to run down down there and retrieve the dang thing before someone took it.  The driver couldn't drive up there.   So I ran and got it and rolled it back to the truck (through traffic).

The boss/owner was a mean old drunk, and it took him no time to discover the guy who had rotated the tires on that truck a few days earlier, and fired him.  The lugs on that wheel had only been finger started, not tightened down, and that led to the excitement.

Of course there's probably no one on here that hasn't had the fun of having a flat out somewhere, and discovering that the last time it was put on by some shop, they leaned on an air tool for five minutes, until the lugs had 450lbs of torque on them,  and then you had to jump up and down on the crappy lug wrench to break all the lugs loose.  Of course those lugs need to be tight, and shops don't want to get sued, but I think the guy on the air tool is just screwing with customers for pure devilment.  This is why I never rely on crappy elbow lug wrenches, and always buy a good 4-way for every vehicle I ever owned.  But I've had to jump up and down on those too.        

[cookiedough]

Depends on state laws for one, In new Hampshire it is a inspection item
Besides that wheel may not fall off but if one stud broke that easy not sure how others are
Next thing the car has what's called a floating rotor the lug nuts are the clamping force and if not all there rotor more than likely to warp fro. Missing lug

trust me, that rotor will NEVER come off or wobble enough to warp.  I spent first 25 minutes using breaker bar and 17mm socket to get 2 brake caliper brackets off easy enough going well until 6 hours later that one rotor will NOT budge using a heavy ball peen hammer and wooden block and sometime NO wooden block unable to get rotor pulled OUT.    ONLY thing I saw that might be holding it up since NO rust left I pounded am sure 1/2 lb. of rust all over out,  is there is 2 small threaded holes one on each side of rotor and has a small bolt or screw might be threaded about 1cm in that hole and that bolt/screw maybe snapped off long ago but the threads are still there on those 2 small bolts holding the rotor from being pounded out?   ONLY thing I can think of?   I read up on gear presses which seem to work well with 3 arms going around the rotor and centered in the middle of rotor using wrench/socket, etc. to turn tight pressing the rotor outward.   

I might try drilling out that small piece of round metal (bolt??) in those 2 small threaded holes since I use a punch and hammer and pounded 100xs did not even put a dent in those 2 small bolts inside those treaded holes of the rotor.  doubt a drill will do any better besides maybe buggering up the threads inside of the rotors?  I first thought was inside just a pin type guide to line up the lug nut bolts inside the holes of the rotors but saw that they are threaded holes so must have been bolts/screws threaded in that snapped off inside  still threaded onto the rotor?  One would thing pounding the piss out of them 100xs would have broken the threads loose or something? 

If I get this rotor out,  I need new inside brake pad so might just end up replacing new rotors in front and new brake pads then never have to worry ever again with car having 150K miles on it worth 3K tops.    Called a repair shop and they thinking 85 bucks just to get the rotor off and tap out old broken lug nut bolt and tap in the new lug nut bolt I have for 3 bucks?  Luckily i have the entire week off due to virus so will give it a go tuesday and wednesday but if NO go,  then thursday or friday driving it into shop to do only can take so much cussing and swearing in one week.   

rockauto.com has what appears nice black coated rotors for 24 each vs. checked autozone and they want 50 for cheaper ones and 62 for coated ones to prevent rust. 

rockauto has these rotors with the holes in the rotors so are they to put small bolts in to keep rotor in place?    https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7542376&cc=1432958&jsn=3755
Not sure these are threaded in those 2 small holes, but the ones I have on the 04 pontiac vibe have threads inside those 2 small holes with about 1cm inward to bolts or something in there.  Am guessing they are there as guide pins but is that small bolt threaded?  why else would the rotor small holes be threaded? preventing the rotor from coming off unless removed first?

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

The small threaded holes in the rotors are for you to tighten bolts into (M8x1.25) to put tension on, which will help you get the rotor off. The idea is to tighten a bolt in just tight enough to put a tension load between the "hat" of the rotor and the hub behind it. Then, a hit with a dead blow hammer will pop the rotor free. They aren't there to secure the rotor to the car in any way.

[cookiedough]

The small threaded holes in the rotors are for you to tighten bolts into (M8x1.25) to put tension on, which will help you get the rotor off. The idea is to tighten a bolt in just tight enough to put a tension load between the "hat" of the rotor and the hub behind it. Then, a hit with a dead blow hammer will pop the rotor free. They aren't there to secure the rotor to the car in any way.

going to give that a try since nothing else works and no auto parts store around has a gear pulley with 3 arms to attached onto 11 inch outside of rotor to pull it out straight like utube videos show.

I take it then the flat metal stubs inside about 1 cm in those 2 small threaded holes are there just to when tightening M8x1.25 bolts to cause tension forcing the rotor OUTWARD  putting pressure (or so in theory), then wacking rotor from outside with a hammer.     thanks,  will give it a try today going to hardware store to give go buy hopefully right size m8x1.25 small bolts guessing little about 1 inch long or so since threads go in near 1/2 inch tops.

[cookiedough]

also heard heating up the inside portion of rotor where it is stuck on in the middle with my small propane torch with a little bit of heat cannot hurt.   Wish I had a hammer drill since those M8x1.25  one inch long or so bolts using hammer drill would create back and forth motion against th ose metal stubs inside 1cm or so and would help vs. my regular drill no hammer feature.  Might have to ask my neighbor if he has one later today AFTER it hopefully stops raining.  pounding the inside area with a big hammer I guess will help as well?    I also have a 3x3 inch cut up 2x4 to rest on the rotor surface between the lug nut bolts to WHACK the rotor with.

[cookiedough]

next issue once HOPEFULLY stuck on rotor off is to get that darn stuck on 1/2 snapped off wacked inward lug nut stud out and new one pulled thru from behind.  found a trick should work if can get the new longer lug nut bolt in from behind is to use several washers on the threaded part and a lug nut tightening lug nut which will pull it inward.   I looked behind with rotor on and NO way NOT enough clearance from behind so hoping with rotor off there is enough room to find the 'sweat' spot to get old bolt out and new bolt in the hole