Yesterday, I was trying to remove a rear wheel from my 2012 E-350 Wagon. The van is not yet converted and the two rear bench seats are gone, so not a particularly heavy van compared to SMBs.
I was using the stock lug nut wrench and following the procedure in the owners manual.
- Loosen lug nuts 1/2 turn
- Then jack up van and remove lug nuts
Step 1 was uneventful, but during Step 2 when I was removing the lug nuts one of them moved a bit more then started getting very, very tight. All other nuts came off fine.
I resisted the temptation to keep trying to remove the stubborn nut with more force or applying any stuck bolt penetrant. There were no visible signs on the stud threads of it having been cross threaded, nor did the nut look cockeyed.
What's more likely; that I caused the binding using the stock lug nut wrench or that the nut/stud was possibly damaged (over torqued ?) by the dealer? I have never touched the wheels since buying the van used (2013 with 10K miles) and my local Ford dealers has rotated or replaced tires at least 4 times.
I have an appointment with the dealer on Friday and was wondering if I should be asking them to fix it without charge.
I am also tempted to verify torque on some nuts (perhaps all) on the other wheels. Probably using methods 2 or 3 described
here. I'll need to source a properly sized (7/8" by my measurement) deep socket, but that's probably a good investment anyway.
I also am tempted to keep trying to remove the nut myself. I know broken studs can be replaced. I watched some youtube videos of folks punching them out with a heavy hammer without removing hub. Is that practical on the stock axle, Dana 60 semi-float.
Thoughts or comments welcome.