Wheel Lug Nut Mystery

Hello everyone. I’ve joined this forum hoping you guys can help me solve this mystery regarding the lug nuts on my 2002 Jaguar S-Type 3.0.

When I bought my Jag new (back in late 2001) each wheel definitely had one of these lug nuts which I needed the key to remove:
JagLugNutLock
Today, all five lug nuts on all four wheels look like what the other four did (standard Jag lug nuts). I have no idea where the lock nut went (well, I do have a theory – I did get all four tires replaced at a Big-O tire dealer about 3-4 years ago) and although that certainly is a mystery it’s not the one I’m here for today. You see, all four wheels have five identical standard looking lug nuts, but each one has one lug nut that feels like it’s all one piece of solid metal, but the other four feel like there’s a separate cap on each one with just a slight bit of play. I was able to remove the solid feeling nut from my front-right (the one that’s flat) but it took a lot of force and I fear if I apply the same level of force to the other four I’m going to strip the caps off. What makes me even more reluctant to do this (and more confused) is something I read in another forum about the “various” or “different” (or words to that effect) lug nut anti-theft designs Jaguar has employed, and I’ve seen numerous references to an “extractor tube” used to remove the lug nut cap – which I’ve never even seen before let alone ever used to remove a tire (but last time was before the tire change when I still had the lock nut and key as pictured above). This “extractor tube” is also referenced in the “Wheel Changing” section of my Jag’s manual, which is way to vague, has instructions that don’t correctly correspond to the images, and doesn’t mention the lock and key system that actually came with the car (manual’s publishing date is July 2000).

So… Is it safe to put all 167 pounds of body weight on this cross wrench and remove them with brute force? Or do I now have a new anti-wheel-theft system that I need to get this “extractor tube” to get past? If so, will there be any more surprises once I get these caps off?

I used to be able to maintain my own vehicles back when I owned my beloved 1978 Toyota Corona, '82 Honda Accord, and '98 Mitsubishi Mirage (and currently owned 1925 Model T), but this Jag is like something that was reverse engineered from alien technology. So I really appreciate any guidance you all can provide. Thanks for your help.

Len

Hi Len,

Here’s the standard setup for a 2000 S Type. The only wheel nuts that have a removable cover are the locking ones. You press the black tube over the cover until it clicks, then pull. You push the cover through the extractor to get it out.

I use the same torque on all the nuts.

Looks like later cars had a different design.

BTW, you can do a lot of maintenance on these cars yourself once you get to know them. Rob Reilly has over 200k on his and he does pretty much everything himself as I do too. JTIS (you can download it) is a big help and also contains the electrical guides.

Eric
Shropshire, UK

My ‘92 XJ40 had wheel nuts that had a cap on, it was ok for me to remove them with a corresponding socket.

Mine (2000 with 232,000 miles) does not have locking lug nuts; they are all like this.


The chrome cap is crimped on over the real nut, which is steel.
Hence the design flaw. These things get rusty inside and the rust pushes out the chrome cap which expands so you find your lug wrench won’t fit anymore. I’ve replaced a couple over the years.