mikegarrison

The torch is probably to heat up the metal, making it easier to slip the stud out. I think I would do like my2ks2k suggests.

Alternately, this is one of those deals which the dealer can probably do without screwing up. You could just try that route. Might be more expensive than an independent shop, though.

urbanglowcam

Alright guys I like the suggestion to remove the hub and take it somewhere to get done. Seems like they won't charge me as much since there isn't as much labor there. I was thinking of just taking it to pep boys and have them press it out and putting the new ones in then just taking it home and installing everything again. That shouldn't be too much right?

SpitfireS

Is this about the front or rear?

Anyway.. even removing the knuckle, front or rear, is hard without the proper tools like a ball joint remover, you'll need it 3 times per knuckle, again front or rear.
To get the rear knuckle out you also need a 36mm socket and a bar long enough to get the axle nut to turn (unstake it before trying to turn it).
Do the axle nut first, so you can use the e-brake to hold the axle.

And, besides new studs, you also need new wheel bearings and you need to tell the people that are pressing out the hub what way those new bearings go in (the metal color seal facing inside, IOW towards the car).

For the front hub they will have to torque the hub nut down to 242 lbf.ft.
The rear axle nut, the one you'll have to do yourself, needs to be torqued down to 220 lbf.ft
Don't forget to restake those nuts!
(service manual recommends to replace them too, but you could swap them L/R to get a fresh "stake area" if you know what I mean)

Get new cotter pins too, removing the old ones could damage them, making it hard to get them back in.
They are cheap

If all of this sounds familiar and you have the tools to do it, then yes: its not hard.
Note: this is just about removing the knuckles.
To remove the hubs and replace wheel bearing more specialized tools and skills (as in: knowing what to do, in the right order, ect) are needed.

I don't want to scare you and stop you from working on your own car because its fun to do and saves money and its rewarding to fix stuff yourself, but it is the suspension you're talking about and it needs to be done properly for obvious safety reasons.



Those ABS sensors may be hard to remove too, mine were rusted in place after 8 years and it took a lot of effort to remove them without breaking them.
They need to go out before any hub pressing.
They are expensive!

mikegarrison

Excellent advice.

Read the service manual and see what is involved in every step, and decide if you really want to do it. If you don't have the service manual ... well, then this probably just isn't a job you want to be doing.

urbanglowcam

Wow thanks. That's definitely a lot of work and I honestly don't think I'm able to do all of it. I don't have the right tools or experience. So I dunno if I should trust this guys mobile service or take it to the dealership and spend more. Also, I'm going to have to drive one of the wheels with only 3 studs. Some people are telling me it's possible to drive on them but be really careful over bumps and go slow. The shop is about 5-10 min away. Doesn't help that the 2 broken studs are right next to each other though.

I have the replacement studs and bearing coming in the mail so I already paid for all the parts. It's the labor price I'm worried about.

BTW, the 2 broken studs are on the rear driver side.

mikegarrison

It's possible, but two busted studs are a lot worse than just one. If two are busted, the other three are all ready to go.

And the rear obviously takes all the drive torque, too.

Have you inspected the other three? You should at least make sure there are no obvious visual cracks. Having the car towed could end up being a lot cheaper in the long run.