1998 Voyager- Front Wheel Studs Broken

I broke 2 wheel studs while removing my front driver's tire to do a
brake job on my 1998 Plymouth Voyager... Is this something that can
easily be done by a pretty competent DIY'er ?

By the looks of it, I must remove the wheel hub... press out the
broken studs...then press in replacements.

I did not have proper tool to remove the large axle nut so could not
tell if the hub just comes out with removal of this nut or not...
With my luck, it is not as easy as I am hoping and I probably must
remove alot more...

It does not appear that there is any clearance around the hub to pound
out the broken studs whule still on the vehicle (plus I'm guessing
thay they should be pressed out to avoid bearing damage)...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Thanks- Kevin

 

My advice: By a new hub/bearing assy. By the time you go to all the
trouble and expense with the stud replacements, you could replace the
assembly - chances are the bearings are approaching end-of-life anyway -
replacing now will save you going thru much of the same work again
later. New hub/bearing assy.: approx. $80-110.

You would need to buy the socket for the nut at your auto parts dealer
since it's large and a deep well - my guess is about $20 (sorry - don't
know the size - maybe someone can post that, but your auto parts store
can probably look it up).

You would need to have a three-legged puller to push the axle out of the
bearing. Due to tolerance fit variation and varying corrosion
conditions, sometimes they come out without a puller, but usually you
need one(I'm not in favor of beating on critical things with a hammer if
not necessary). Cheaper two-legged pullers are useless if you should
happen to need to apply a lot of force - even if they don't break, they
tend to flip to one side before breaking things loose the first time
when the forces get high. Puller would be another $20 or so - but a
good permanent addition to your tool set.

Last bit of free advice: Fire whatever dealer or shop has been
removing/re-installing your wheels and tires. It is obvious they have
not been properly torquing your lug nuts - inexcusable (they should be
paying for the repair, but that's probably wishful thinking, especially
if more than one shop has done such work on it).

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Bill-
Thanks for the advice... I was able to do the task without removing
the hub... found a spot where I had enough clearance to get the new
ones in so I pounded out the old and installed the new... -Kevin

 

You're welcome - glad you got it fixed.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Same thing happened to me. I was able to tap the broken ones out of the hub
with a hammer and the vehicle in neutral. According to the factory manual
which I followed I just pushed the new stud through the opposite side stuck
a bunch of washers on and tightened (torqued) it up with the lug nut on it
to draw it through.
Greyhound

 

In 30 years of doing my own tire rotations, etc., I've never broken a
stud. What do you think caused this to happen to you? I always torque
my lug nuts by hand to avoid overtorque and then put a dab of oil on the
exposed threads afterward to prevent rust.


Matt

 

Is there a problem with Chrysler wheel studs in particular or was
there an overzealous use of an impact at some point in the
past?(apparently Windstars had a problem) Was using an 18'' breaker
bar and not even leaning on it too hard. Broke them free while I was
sitting on the ground, so they weren't that tight. I got 3 of them off
the driver's front and the last 2 got almost off and started to bind,
though the threads looked pretty clean. Started to crank them back in
so I could lube the threads and they snapped off like butter. I
assume(HOPE) that I can pound them out and just pop the new ones in as
per the 1998 above. From what I could see in the dark, there didn't
look to be enough clearance to clear the bearing. This is a 2000
Caravan. Is the hub/knuckle assy the same as '98 A real PITA to have
it happen on a Sunday afternoon after the stores are closed! Tomorrow
is another day...