I'm actually replacing the wheel studs on '90 Si knuckle assemblies that are on a '90 DX, but it's the same either way.

Anyways, I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to replace these wheel studs. I don't have a shop press, nor do I have access to one...and paying a shop to do this is mostly out of the question because I don't like other people working on my cars.

The easiest way seems to be this way...

http://htarchive.org/showpost.php?p=...0&postcount=28

My question about this method is...What does he mean by grinding a flat on the wheel stud? I can assume he means taking a bit of material out of the back "disc" of the wheel stud so it clears the spindle, is that correct? If so, how much material needs to be ground off?

My reason for replacing the front wheel studs is because all the threads look like crap and the lugs don't thread on easily by hand anymore. I also just had to cut a lugnut off to get one of the wheels off because the whole wheel stud would just spin, I got the wheel stud out and noticed it kinda hit the spindle on the way out. The "teeth" on the wheel stud were worn down almost completely smooth, could his have damaged the hub too?

 

I think you guys are making this more complicated than it has to be.
remove your wheel, rotor, caliper, dust shield (if possible)
pound out the stud
put new stud through
use a box-end wrench or a few washers on the stud, and tighten a nut onto the stud. it just has to be enough so that a lugnut can be threaded on once the wheel and brakes are back on. by tightening the lugnut when the wheel and brakes are on, you are effectively pressing/pulling the stud into the hub.
presto, replaced wheel stud in like 20 mins with no special tools

 

you cant remove the dust shield unless you take off the hub.

and never POUND on the hub, thats probably the easiest way to damage your wheel bearing. then you will HAVE to take that hub out.

you can take the hub off with a slide hammer and push it back on with some specialty FWD bearing press tools, you can probably rent them.

 

i meant remove, as in since they are usually corroded and falling off anyways... since the force is being applied to the stud (which really isn't held in there by much anyways), aren't you exaggerating a little bit about it damaging the wheel bearing? or is it really that sensitive?

 

no, not exaggerating one bit.

 

I got the worst stud off the hub already without having to press the hub out, but it did hit the spindle a little on the way out. The method I linked in my first post seems like what I did there, except it has you grind down a flat spot on the head of each wheel stud so they clear the spindle.

I'm just trying to figure out if there's anything wrong or bad about that method, because if I can do this without pulling the hub that would be nice.

 

honestly, itll work fine that way. i just dont like ghetto methods. theres enough meat on back to hold it on there fine.

just dont pound the new one on. use a C clamp and a socket or something to press it on straight. dont do the ghetto method of torquing a lugnut, that will just stretch the stud. im sure youve heard not to overtorque lugnuts. theres good reason for that.

 

Yeah, I know about the over-tightening. These lugs are demolished thanks to the last owner over-tightening, and running a different set of wheels every other week.

 

Wait...you EF guys can remove the front lug studs without pressing the hub out of the spindle? Usually on 4 lug hubs, you either have to grind away a significant amount of the hub carrier portion of the spindle or remove the hub from the spindle. The stud won't have room to come out...unless EF's spindle clearances are larger than the 92-00 civic or 94-01 integra??

 

You can get the wheel studs in/out if the hub is turned to a certain position, but the wheel stud hits the spindle a bit. The method I linked in my first post adds a step where you grind a flat area on the "disc" of the wheel stud so it can clear the spindle.

I plan on using this method, and I will use a bad/removed wheel stud as the test guinea pig to grind a flat on. If it works, which I'm sure it will, I will know exactly how much to grind and can even takes pics of the process in order to have an up-to-date walkthrough with pics that won't expire.

 

yeah i'm being more careful from now on
we were really ghetto with the box end wrench + lug nut to pull it though