Wheel Worries
Submitted: Saturday, Aug 21, 2004 at 23:30
ThreadID:
15734
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2933
Replies:
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Kings
I have been following the
forum for awhile now and I have a little story to tell. My wife and I have just returned from a trip to the Flinders in my new GU Patrol. We did the Skytrek at Willow Springs and we can highly recommend it. On return from an outing via
Brachina Gorge we managed to get a flat on the LH rear. I duly changed it with the brand new alloy spare. I tightened all the nuts with the wheel brace in the approved pattern but only against the handbrake. I swear I pulled those nuts very firmly. I lowered the vehicle and drove on. In fact after getting the flat fixed in
Hawker we drove a further 400 KM to the Barossa. There was no indication of anything untoward until suddenly we heard a funny noise from that LH rear wheel. I stopped the vehicle and took a look. One of the studs had broken right off and the remaining five nuts were all loose. I tightened the nuts again and proceeded slowly about 20 KM to the nearest Nissan dealer in
Nuriootpa. By the time I arrived another stud had snapped. The alloy rim was ruined of course due to the elongation of the holes.
Is there a moral to this story?
Well I now know that it is important to tighten the nuts again when the full weight is on the wheel. I also think that it is vital to check the wheel nuts after a few KM. Apparently alloy rims can be very susceptible to this seating problem. It was the first time that the spare had been used on the road and that may have had some bearing on it. There could also have been some dust or gravel caught behind the hub area, but it felt OK to me. And the cost? $170.00 for the studs, nuts and labour. Plus a day waiting for parts, plus a new rim estimated to be $450+. Luckily for my wife and me, the wheel didn’t come off at high speed. We could have finished up as another rollover statistic.
Reply By: hoyks - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 09:45
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 09:45
I was always taught (army drivers course) to re-torque the wheel nuts, especially on alloys, after about 50 ks driving. I haven’t always followed that advice on my own vehicle. It looks like you were unfortunate enough to prove why this is a good idea.
AnswerID:
73558
Follow Up By: Brian - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 15:38
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 15:38
Same here (Army course was great most usefull I have ever done!)
re-tourke at 50km and each morning!
Brian
FollowupID:
333696
Reply By: Savvas - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 11:06
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 11:06
I had something similar happen to me when I first got the Jackaroo. The car was only 3 months old and picked up a nail in the LH rear tyre.
I did the change and tightened the nuts after the car was on the ground. About a week later, there was a noise from the rear and I found that one wheel stud had snapped and all the others were loose. Retightened all the nuts again, this time with a torque wrench set to 118Nm. This is the recommendation in the owner's manual.
The dealer agreed to change the broken wheel stud and replace the lost wheel nut under warranty when I had a go at them about how soft the studs are.
5 years later with a number of wheel rotations (haven't had anymore flats), I haven't had a problem. But I now always check with a torque wrench either at the time I have put the wheel back on or at the first opportunity afterwards.
AnswerID:
73564
Reply By: Troopy Travellers (NSW) - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 11:30
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 11:30
The tales remind me of a fishing trip I went on many years ago in a mates car towing a boat. After driving about 150km from his place he could feel the trailer doing weard things. When we stopped two of the five wheel studs had broken on one wheel and the others were loose. The wheel was about to detach itself big time. It turns out that the mate had greased the wheel studs at home before the trip. A lesson he has now learnt!!
Sparky
AnswerID:
73565
Follow Up By: Rosco - Bris. - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 13:18
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 13:18
Sparky
That sounds a little unusual. I've been greasing the studs for years without a problem and recently noticed the Army do likewise.
On our recent trip to the Cape I checked all nuts on a regular basis and whilst I could usually tweak up the nuts on the steel
wheels on the CT, those on the alloys didn't budge at all.
FollowupID:
333680
Follow Up By: Utemad - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 14:35
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 14:35
I always grease my wheel studs when I change my
wheels. Never had a problem. However that does not mean I never will...............
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Brian - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 15:40
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 15:40
I use Coppercoat!
Brian
FollowupID:
333697
Reply By: duncs - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 20:06
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 20:06
Kings,
To answer your question,"Is there a moral to this story?" Yes there is. Use a torque wrench! It is easy to carry anbd takes just a couple of min more to do the job properly. If you take that silly plastick liner out of the socket set it will fit in easily. It also comes in handy when you need that longer handle on the socket.
Before our trip to the Cape I put the old GQ in fro a pre trip inspection. While we were away we had 10 punctures, I think it was just my turn. The real problem though was getting the
wheels off.
In
Cairns I went to a tyre
shop for some help. The guy used a 1m bar and jumped up and down on it to get the nuts undone. Saying how dangerous that was he said I should always use the torque wrench to do them up. The spec on the GQ is 80ft/lb's. Yeah, thats not much. But when I've done that I've never had a prob.
Now I don't know the spec for the alloys but it is possible that you over did it stressing the studs and braking one. Once one goes the others are all at risk. The torque wrench will ensure they are not too tight and not too lose.
Duncs.
AnswerID:
73600
Follow Up By: charlie - Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004 at 10:48
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004 at 10:48
Hey Duncs what tyres were getting the punctures? Im heading up the Cape next year.
FollowupID:
333856
Follow Up By: duncs - Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004 at 16:02
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004 at 16:02
Charlie,
This was some time ago now 1999. I left home with a set of Coopers, mudddies. Can't remember the exact type. They had about 40%tread left. I had, I think 3 punctures before I got to
Cairns, via
Bourke,
Longreach, Kennedy Development Rd to Undarra then down to
Cairns. I remember picking up some second hand tyres along the way somewhere.
The last of the Coopers ended up on the camper. On my next trip I had 1 puncture on the trailer. I disp[osed of the last of the Coopers soon after.
Tyres are a question that provokes a lot of discussion on this
forum. I use what has proven to be reiliable for me BFG AT's.
Duncs
FollowupID:
333894
Reply By: Member - Camper (SA) - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 20:58
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 20:58
Thanks everyone. Think I might just sprint out and check the wheel nuts with the wrench right now. Tve always belonged to the "do 'em up tight school" Had no idea I could be overtightening them.
Know doubt her indoors will be really pleased when I interrupt a trip to tighten the wheel nuts on the side of the road, but there you go!
AnswerID:
73618
Reply By: ianmc - Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 23:01
Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 23:01
Did your alloys have a flat washer between
the nut & rim??
I bought some 2nd hand alloys & new nuts & was told they had to have the washers. Not a bad policy to check the wheel nuts each a.m. on bad roads but I have seldom bothered & never had a problem. Heard a few reports of broken wheel studs lately, anyone for a bad batch of studs maybe?
AnswerID:
73635
Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Monday, Aug 23, 2004 at 14:11
Monday, Aug 23, 2004 at 14:11
I had a similar problem. I staked a tyre the day before leaving
camping, rushed down the the local tyre mob in the morning, got a second hand tyre for the spare, and got the spare changed to the alloy rim. (the spare was a steel, this was on my 1994 rocky).
All good then. Went
camping, fully loaded, 5 people, 4wding, another week goes by and about 1000k's, then a weekend, then monday dirving down the roe highway for work at 100km/h CLUNK! WOA, WTF, car going all of the place and I see my rear wheel scooting down the highway past me. Broke 2 studs and stuff knows where the other nuts went. I was very lucky.
My father in law (who changes tyres on hawl packs in the mines for a living) reckons the num nuts at the tyre place did them up too tight.
AnswerID:
73683