Broken wheel stud... AGAIN!!!

[vrg3]

On the fronts (maybe the rears too after removing the parking brake assembly?), the ABS sensor ring (also called the tone wheel) is held in by five or six allen-head bolts. Be careful loosening them because the bolts are soft and can easily deform.

After the bolts are removed, the tone wheel can be moved to provide room to get the old studs out and put the new ones in.

[subawhatsubawho]

Good going swift.....

Was this due to using the impact on it?

[All_talk]

Try just a little anti-seize on the threads, dont use oil or grease and only a light dry coat on the threads, dont get it on the seats of the wheel or nuts. I know people say not to lube wheel lugs but I've been using anti-seize on all my cars for years and have never striped, galled or broke a stud and none have ever come loose.

BTW, I torque to spec with a torquewrench.

Gary

[vrg3]

What's "spec" on a lubricated lug stud?

[All_talk]

What's "spec" on a lubricated lug stud?

True, the specs are for dry threads so add 5 pounds and roll, but if you think about it, the major share of the clamping friction is going to be between the wheel and the nut seat... which is still dry.

And like I said I've been doing this for years on all my cars (about 90 lugs in total currently) and never a problem with one getting loose or stuck. I drive about 60,000 miles a year and push my cars hard a lot of the time, if one was gonna come loose I'm bettin it would have by now.

Just my experience
Gary

[93Leg-c]

You drive 60,000 miles a year? What do you do for work?

[vrg3]

So you're saying "spec" for lubricated lug studs is 5 pounds more than the actual dry spec?

[All_talk]

You drive 60,000 miles a year? What do you do for work?

Hell, thats mostly just going to and from work... I sit at a desk all day, I'm a mechanical engineer. I commute 170 miles a day, so that plus trips to the store (I live 10 miles out of town) and weekend driving I do at least 60, 000 a year. And my commute is over a mountain pass... which is one of reasons I drive a Subaru.

vrg3, you are right, the lubed spec would be less.

I guess I could set up a test to find a more accurate torque setting. The torque wrench measures rotational resistance, which is proportional to clamping force as a function of the thread pitch, but is highly influenced by friction. The clamping force is actually due to the tension/compression of the materials, and is directly related to the end position of the nut. So if you brought the nut to the same position in both the dry and lubed condition you could get a good feel for the difference in required torque. But a good portion of wheel lug torque is not to provide clamping force but to ensure that the lug does not work loose... a much more difficult task under the given conditions than holding the wheel on.

I know lubing lugs is not “right”, and I’m not suggesting that it’s a good idea to disregard the factory engineer’s recommendations in general. My procedure is not without thought and in practice has worked out quite well. In the end I just set the wrench to the spec and run with it... works for me.

Gary

[vrg3]

Right -- when you lube the threads you decrease the nuts' resistance to backing off at any given clamping force. So then if you increase the clamping force in an attempt to make up for the difference you risk yielding the studs. So while your approach is not without thought, it is also not backed by science.

So doing The Wrong Thing works for you... I'm glad you've been so lucky, but I really have to disagree with you recommending it to other people. Doing The Right Thing would also work for you.

[All_talk]

Fair enough, you're right again... uncle.

Listen up kiddies, DONT LUBE YOUR LUG NUTS.... very bad Ju Ju.


Done... and done.

Gary

[tonflo]

I too have put a small dab of never-seize on my wheel studs for many years and have never had a problem. I sometimes put a little on the face of the rotor where the rim contacts it to make it easier to get off next time. I worry more about not being able to break them loose (especially if for a flat) then having them come loose. And I have seen lugs so tight that I have cracked sockets & bent lug wrenches from impact wrenches being used.

[vrg3]

Using an impact wrench without a torque stick to tighten a lug nut is irresponsible at best. Don't do it, and don't let anybody do it.

Rotate your tires every other oil change or twice a year like you're supposed to, use covered lug nuts or hubcaps like you're supposed to, and torque the lug nuts to specifications like you're supposed to. They'll come off like they're supposed to.

[tonflo]

I don't use an impact gun (elbow grease, the old fashioned way)and most garages do use a torquestick, but I don't entirely trust those either. And when you're working on someone else's car or a used (new to you) car where you don't know the history, then god knows what was used last. Sometimes I think they used the Hulk to put them on. And I do rotate my tires

[subawhatsubawho]

On my left front wheel I have 2 stripped studs and a broken one. My mechanic is charging me $20.00 a wheel to change out all the studs.

I just have to pay for the studs and lugnuts.


Beats the hell out of me doing it!

[vrg3]

Is he going to press them out or hammer them out?

[subawhatsubawho]

I honostly don't know....or care for that matter. The car is just plain ole safe right now and I don;t want to continue to drive like that.