If your wheel nut is loose every time you check your tire, it's time to replace the stud on your Nissan Altima. A loose bolt or broken stud puts extra pressure on the others and may even cause them to snap off while you drive, so do the job as soon as possible. The task requires some mechanical ability, some strength and the right tools.
Purchase a new stud for the wheel. Make certain that you have the right size stud. If you don't know what it is, wait until you remove the stud and take it to the store with you.
Check in the trunk under the carpet for the jack tools because you need to raise the vehicle in order to replace the stud on the Altima. The tools are next to the spare. Look for the jack access door on the passenger's side of the trunk. Remove the jack and jack up the car. You'll also need to block the tire diagonal to the placement of the jack.
Remove the tire. Take off the calipers and the rotor if the stud is a wheel with disc brakes in order to access the hub. Remove the cable for the parking brakes in the rear. If your rear brakes are drum brakes, remove the drum. You may have to remove the hub if you have no clearance behind it. If you do, go directly to Step 5.
Check for an area at the back of the hub that allows you to remove the stud easily and a new one put back into the area. Line up the opening with the stud that needs replacing.
Place a firm whack on the wheel stud with a mallet so it drives the stud backward out the back of the hub. Put the new wheel stud into the same opening.
Use wheel bolts to tighten down the stud. Put them on the stud with the angle outward and as you tighten these down, they pull the stud through the hole. Check the back and stop when you see the head flat against the hub. Use an impact wrench if you have one, so the job's easier
Take off the bolts. Start the process to replace the parts you took off the wheel. You should change the wheel nut as you replace the stud.
