GU Wheel Studs

Change them, easier now than some other real good spot (NOT)

Got a 4Wd club member who had a GU in his tyre shop yesterday with 9 studs missing/sheared off the back two wheels ???????????
Aparently he had it serviced last week.

Not a nice feeling I bet.

Never heard of it i wouldn't carry spares and i doubt it was the rattle gun . Most likely they have rattle loose over time. Only need one to start coming loose and the rest will follow.

Hate to be the "dunce" in this post, but here goes. How did you get what was left of the old studs out - did you have an "easy-out" handy or something? Its just not the sort of problem I have ever encountered and it sounds like I need to upgrade the tool kit a little.
Happy camping,
Mike.

had the same problem on a troopy a few years back and was told the wheel bearings were the cause with a help-along by over/under-tightened studs. Once corrected you shouldn't need to carry spares

For the cost of them I'd chuck a few spares in the tool box. You may never need them but someone else might.
If you really get stuck you can take some studs out of the other wheels, say one from each wheel, to get you going again.

Do you have standard wheels fitted? Have seen this happen with incorrectly fitting wheels, where the load is on the studs instead of being carried by the centre boss.

John,

Firstly let me say that you are not alone and it is not a Nissan problem it happens to all makes and models and not just on 4x4s. I had two studs break on the front of a Honda Accord I had borrowed.

I have snapped studs on my vehicle too. Despite what was said above I believe it is related to the use of rattle guns.

The specified torque for a Nissan wheel stud is 80 foot/pounds, not that high really.

Every time I know someone has been at my wheels with a rattle gun I check them when I get home with a torque wrench. I have found them as high as 130ft/pds.

With a rattle gun no body knows what torque they are putting on. Mostly it is too high but it can be left loose too. Those little torque wrench things that they put between the gun and the socket are at best an estimation. I have come across many tyre fitters who don't even know what the colours mean or which one they should use for which vehicle.

My advice is check them yourself and do it on a regular basis. Oh, carry spares as well they don't take up much room and are cheap insurance. What would you have done half way down the Canning or in some other remote place where driving for help was not an option.

Duncs

First question: Do you have alloy wheels?

Rattlers and alloy rims don"t play well together. The alloy is softer and more maleable than the studs. What happens is when the alloys get hot (from braking/general bearing heat) the alloy expands more than the stud, potentially overloading the stud (technically, into the plastic deformation region - stretching the thread).

It also can initiate radial cracks in the holes of the rim from the excess crushing forces exerted on the rim (a reason for nuts "loosening themselves" as the alloy contracts more than the stud when it cools). The process is a bit like a logsplitter.

The logical "solution" by most ppls logic is to tighten them up more next time. This is the very thing that is causing the problems in the first place.

Last week I had a puncture, the day we were heading off for 4 days up the coast. When I stopped to change the tyre, I checked the wheel nuts on the front tyres (puncture was on the back) and damn they were tight. The brakes were done last week and I know my mechanic uses a rattle gun, so I backed off all the nuts and did them again by hand.

The tyre mob I use, use a tension wrench every time. They are the only people I have ever seen take the time to do it properly.

Here's a free plug for the guys at Ardross Tyres, Canning hwy, Booragoon W.A

Thanks for all the replies.

To answer a few questions:

No I dont have alloys, have the original Nissan steel rims. The wheel was on the drivers side, so they should be doing up, not undoing as we move along.

I think I'll get them checked out (replaced) and also have the rear axle checked out. Had some water in the diff from the rain at Nullagine a few weeks ago and the clutch plates in the LSD are still making a noise. Might be pertinent to get them, the bearings and everything else down the back checked properly. Somehow it all just doesnt feel right at the moment, but thats just a seat of the pants feel.

Cheers

Not sure what model nissan you have.
The torques are as follows
MQ/Maverick 80ftlb, mq is now listed at 100ftlb, maverick at 80ftlb
GU 100ftlb
out of njoy tyre fitment book
Cheer
Charlie