Locking Wheel Nut Key

[Kapz K]

Hi everyone :)

New to these forums, but hopefully a start of something new!

I became the proud owner of my first proper car last week, a 2003 Ford Focus 1.6 Ink 3 Door :D

Mechanically it is perfect, and general condition is great for three former keepers, so first impressions of owning a Ford motor is great!

One small gripe though, the locking wheel nut adaptor is missing from my car, so I'm now in a position where I pay £20 for removal and then the cost of getting new nuts put on, or try and find my key. I've searched the car in and out, I've been to two local Ford garages who both fobbed me off saying they don't have master keys for my age of car.

Upon looking on eBay, my memory was struck - when I was cleaning out the rear of my car where the spare tyre is located, I came across a polyethene bag which was all black and torn, but I did remember reading the word "Black" on there with a black circle next to it. Then I came across this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220799728445 (apologies to any mods if we are not allowed to link).

I noticed that all these wheel nut adaptors that have a colour coding of a circle on the bag (e.g. brown circle, yellow, green etc.) all begin with 830919 with only the last 2 digits varying (green is 15 IIRC). Am I reading too much into this or is that the correct code for my locking wheel nut? Though the listing says "Capri 2-3 + Sierra 1-2) will this be compatible with my Focus?

If that is the case, I could stick in a bid for this and save myself about 30-40 quid on removal and replacement if this key should work, plus I get four spare if I ever need them.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but hey, it makes for some good reading ;D

[jeebowhite]

Lock nuts are a pain in the nuts! Unfortunately there are so many different types, now as for the master keys, some dealers will be talking cr@p... Dealers will have a set of master keys, however, they probably have misplaced them or cant be bothered to do the job.

...Best answer - find the size of the wheel nut, then buy a set of large sockets... i.e. I think the wheel nuts are 21mm, buy a 22mm socket and hammer the sod over the locking wheel nut (as long as it doesnt have a rotary sleeve on it) then you can take the socket off and the nut will come as well. my personal opinion, replace them with a standard nut! I had the 55 zetec focus, and did just that, after having my wheel axle ground off, and three nuts disintegrating...

[Kapz K]

Hey mate thanks for the reply! Been busy past few days trying to find a solution to another problem I have discovered with my Focus!

Could you point me in the right direction for a set of these sockets. I heard that to remove these locking nuts from the socket after you have unscrewed them is a pain in the !Removed!, many saying you require a vice?

[jeebowhite]

Sort of, you just need something to grp the socket whilst you hammer something heavy through to push the nut out!

I suspect your using a 19mm nut, so you may need a 20 / 21mm socket to go over the top. Best thing you can do, is buy yourself a set of sockets! always keep em in the boot they are very handy. You could do with putting the sockets over to find which is the right size. My MK2 Foci was going to need a 24mm to go over the nut, but I ended up having the wheel cut off (regretably) and so never tried it, having said that the other problem was that the nut spun round on itself, so even a socket wouldnt have helped.

Worst you can end up doing is getting a spot weld of a socket to each nut and take it off from there!

[Kapz K]

Sort of, you just need something to grp the socket whilst you hammer something heavy through to push the nut out!

I suspect your using a 19mm nut, so you may need a 20 / 21mm socket to go over the top. Best thing you can do, is buy yourself a set of sockets! always keep em in the boot they are very handy. You could do with putting the sockets over to find which is the right size. My MK2 Foci was going to need a 24mm to go over the nut, but I ended up having the wheel cut off (regretably) and so never tried it, having said that the other problem was that the nut spun round on itself, so even a socket wouldnt have helped.

Worst you can end up doing is getting a spot weld of a socket to each nut and take it off from there!

ahhh im with you now. None of this socket stuff made any sense to me. I have a set in the garage. Now the next problem - I don't have anything to grip the socket while i hammer the nut out of it...any ideas? Maybe put the car on top of the socket while I hammer it out lol?

[focusz18]

i had the same problem i just got a old socket slightly smaller and hammered it on and with a bit of luck they came straight off just tap the socket once its off and the nut comes out of the socket to use on the next one and so on its that easy.

[jeebowhite]

If you have a workbench just a normal vice grip will do, just secure it, and hammer it out. Sometimes it doesnt come off straight away, others it comes out with a tiny tap.