zu alloy lug nut removal

sold the freelander bought a 300 tdi first problem how do i get the chrome caps off the wheel nut to get to said lug without damaging the cover

rhattus said:

sold the freelander bought a 300 tdi first problem how do i get the chrome caps off the wheel nut to get to said lug without damaging the cover

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yu dont - except locking nuts.

The Mad Hat Man said:

yu dont - except locking nuts.

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sorry dont understand your reply

With a locking wheel nut set only one cap needs to be removed to allow the locking key to be fitted. The cap is normally identified with a small dimple in the end. One of these slips over the cap and locks on to it, you then pull it off and the cap comes with it

Kwakerman said:

With a locking wheel nut set only one cap needs to be removed to allow the locking key to be fitted. The cap is normally identified with a small dimple in the end. One of these slips over the cap and locks on to it, you then pull it off and the cap comes with it

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call me stupid but i dont have a locking key and all the chrome caps are a loose fit { i assume they are for asthetics but didnt want to use force and damage them} how do the other ones come off if one is a locking nut

If they are standard LR alloy wheel nuts then the polished SS covers don't come off, you fit the socket straight onto them.
Some covers come off in time but they should be a tight fit onto the steel nut (one of mine has recently come use but that is after 10-years use).
If all yours are loose then either they aren't the LR type (either genuine or pattern) or they are just worn.

One thing I did notice with ZU's is that the covers are a tight fit into the recess on the wheel and when my ZU's were brand-new a couple of the covers actually cut into the paint. Didn't cause any problems though and of course as the nut was always in place the marks were never noticed.
With my current Sawtooth's the nuts aren't so recessed.

Forgot to add......
If you truly believe that the covers come off then pull them off with a pair of pipe-grips with parallel jaws (although you might want to protect the cover with a piece of cloth to prevent scratches).
Wouldn't think it is necessary to remove them though.

thanks ill try and see if the covers come off like my freelander did failing that ill put a bit more force into the wrench

already tried that carefully so as to not to damage them

Does one of the nuts have a dimple in the centre like one of the three on the left side of this picture? If so then that is the one that needs the cover removing and the locking key fitting, if they all look like the two on the right side of the picture then they are all fixed and you put the 27mm socket directly on them

Kwakerman said:

Does one of the nuts have a dimple in the centre like one of the three on the left side of this picture? If so then that is the one that needs the cover removing and the locking key fitting, if they all look like the two on the right side of the picture then they are all fixed and you put the 27mm socket directly on them

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they look like the fourth one will have a go tomorrow night
info much appreciated
as they say you learn somthing everyday

rhattus said:

they look like the fourth one will have a go tomorrow night
info much appreciated
as they say you learn somthing everyday

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Owning a Landy means you will learn something every day - whether you want to or not!

Kwakerman said:

Owning a Landy means you will learn something every day - whether you want to or not!

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wheel nuts loose just seems a weird way to design a nut thanks for help much appreciated

Not only landrover, years ago, about 20, I had a Volvo 245 that had stainless capped nuts. Wonderful, looked very smart until the nuts underneath started rusting due to trapped moisture causing the stainless caps to swell, had to hammer a socket on to get the wheel off to change a tyre. Forking nuts cost nearly as much as a set of forking tyres.