Lug nuts falling off

W

wlk

Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
1,576
Location
Pennsylvania
Was looking at my 07 Impala today and noticed 2 pass rear and 1 on driver rear lug nuts came off. The threads looked fine, but they were gone. Had the car inspected in July for an annual inspection, and I know my mechanic pulled the tires as I watched him. He used torque sticks when reinstalling, but it was kinda weird. He does use antiseize on the threads, maybe the problem? I can't say I have had this happen all that often, maybe 6 years ago I had it happen where some came off an old Merc 190 I had, but before that, never.
Just odd, PSA...so remember to check them periodically I guess.
 
rijndael said:
This can definitely cause problems.
Click to expand...
Yeah i never used it before but never paid any attention to it when I asked him about it years ago. He says he has always done it and i have noticed other vehicles I have bought over the last 20 yrs in pa had it on the threads too. Time for some brake cleaner and a rag when the new set of lug nuts come in tomorrow.
 
The_Eric said:
Perhaps corrosion on the wheel hub face and/or around the center hub which allowed movement and loosening of lug nuts?
Click to expand...
This could be it as well as I noticed corrosion on the hub face, driver's side, when I pulled the tire to inspect the threads. I will definitely clean it up and the threads when I reinstall the wheels and new lug nuts tomorrow. Hopefully, it is just the anti-seize and torque stick combo that rijndael stated above, or corrosion, as you mentioned, and not the stretched studs.
 
#18FAN said:
My tires installer will always say you come back in a hundred miles to check torque again always uses a wrench. I always do my own after a 10miles and yes if had a few snug up after the installation.
Click to expand...
True, this should be a good habit I should do as I have my torque wrench hanging on my garage wall. Will be trying to implement this from now on, kinda scary.
Thankfully, nothing worse happened as we just did a 300-mile trip on Sunday to visit my son and his family with the Impala.
 
wlk said:
True, this should be a good habit I should do as I have my torque wrench hanging on my garage wall. Will be trying to implement this from now on, kinda scary.
Thankfully, nothing worse happened as we just did a 300-mile trip on Sunday to visit my son and his family with the Impala.
Click to expand...
Absolutely should be done on a tandem axle trailer or camper and such.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wlk
Had the same problem with my Honda CRV. Did a brake job. I greased the threads, torqued them, and they loosened up. NEVER had that problem in 40+ years. Took off the grease with brake cleaner, added anti-seize instead. Torqued the lug nuts, no problems this time. I'm a firm believer in putting something on the studs, even though they say not to. But, broken studs are not easy to replace on most cars. The axle hub /spindle in in the way. Only on drum brakes it's easy peasy. Good luck finding them nowadays. Mostly everything is AWD
 
  • Like
Reactions: wlk
wlk said:
I can't say I have had this happen all that often
Click to expand...

Are you running stock rims?
If you run after market rims and the center bore is bigger than your hub - that's a big possibility for lug nuts to get loose. If the center bore of after market rims don't match the OEM rim specs, regardless of how much you torque your lug nuts - they'll always get loose. The weight of the vehicle is on the center bore of the rim, not on the studs. Studs are just used to keep the wheel in place.

Also, once I tried to put grease on my studs and my mechanic told me to don't do that. I watched video where people proved when you use any kind of grease or anti-seize it helps to over torque that nut or bolt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wlk
Japanese said:
Are you running stock rims?
If you run after market rims and the center bore is bigger than your hub - that's a big possibility for lug nuts to get loose. If the center bore of after market rims don't match the OEM rim specs, regardless of how much you torque your lug nuts - they'll always get loose. The weight of the vehicle is on the center bore of the rim, not on the studs. Studs are just used to keep the wheel in place.
Click to expand...
No. There are few .001 inch of clearance between the hub and wheel bore which would allow this play you allege is the root cause of the problem. Properly torqued lugs make the wheel and hub one clamped assembly. One that's so good people often need to use force to remove a wheel that's been on for a while.

My kid has "wrong" Hyundai rims on his Camry and they're doing fine-- the greatest thing helping is that they're steel rims with a void space between the lug interface and the hub. This allows the springiness of the steel rim as well as the stretch of the lugs to be a forgiving spring to positively keep the assembly together.

When "mag" wheels first came out, people retorqued them every weekend, and it's still advised to do so after 25 miles if the wheel was off. This is because we've lost some of the "spring" designed into steel wheels.

As for OPs concern about stretched lugs, if the nuts run down fine by hand they aren't stretched. The threads match. If they go down roughly the first next step is to wire brush the threads and get old rust off. I have, honestly, used a little anti seize on what I determined to be "really creaky" lugs so long as the "acorn face" of the nuts remained dry, to provide friction against the wheel to keep things from vibrating off. That's a possibly wrong choice made on a case by case basis.
 
rijndael said:
Definitely possible.

Another guess is: If he used a torque stick and anti-seize, it didn't get the proper final clamping force and they just vibrated off ... as if they were torqued at ~60% of the proper value.
Click to expand...

no, they would be over clamped..... and anti seize tends to be sticky, it'll actually stop a loose nut from rattling off. Well, slow it down anyway.
 
Japanese said:
Are you running stock rims?
If you run after market rims and the center bore is bigger than your hub - that's a big possibility for lug nuts to get loose. If the center bore of after market rims don't match the OEM rim specs, regardless of how much you torque your lug nuts - they'll always get loose. The weight of the vehicle is on the center bore of the rim, not on the studs. Studs are just used to keep the wheel in place.

Also, once I tried to put grease on my studs and my mechanic told me to don't do that. I watched video where people proved when you use any kind of grease or anti-seize it helps to over torque that nut or bolt.
Click to expand...
This is what Saab wants you to do with the lug bolts, they say grease but the part # for the spec grease is an anti seize. In the TSB they specifically say not to alter the torque spec.
I think either corrosion on the wheel hub mating surface and or where the lug sits in the wheel or he possibly used the incorrect torque stick.
Always clean the hub face and back of the wheel, clean the stud threads or bolt holes and use a torque wrench to finish the job, this is especially true with alloy wheels. In over 50 years of experience and many thousands of wheels I have never had lugs come loose and always used never seize on the studs/bolts and hub face.
This is a good tool for cleaning the back of the wheel mating surface, a little overpriced IMO but it works well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S2O9Z70?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4

Mueller.webp



2019-09-01_11-26-14.webp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

irv
One piece chrome lug nuts for 17 Impala?
Replies
6
Views
666
paulo57509
W
Lug nut issue
2
Replies
22
Views
4K
4WD
Kurtatron
Drove around with 3/5 lug nuts for years
2
Replies
34
Views
8K
Sumboodie
robertfixit
2008 Chevrolet Aveo Misfire uphill (Chevy Again)
2
Replies
24
Views
682
robertfixit
N
Husqvarna 128ld trimmer repair
Replies
4
Views
386
super20dan
Back
Top Bottom