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Tekkie®

posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

On Tue, 31 Dec 2013 08:53:59 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 12/31/2013 8:19 AM, TimR wrote:

I've taught my daughters just in case. But when the shop
puts on the lugnuts with an air wrench, it's usually
impossible for them to break them loose, and often for
me. One time we couldn't get them off jumping on a
cheater bar.

I guess there's supposed to be a torque setting on
those things but it must be routinely ignored.

Question: do you guys put the bolts/nuts (depending
on the car) on dry with the recommended torque? Or do
you lube them and reduce the torque? I normally never
put a fastener on dry, but I've been unsure about wheels.

This has as much heated opinion and toilet paper over the
top or under the bottom. My opinion is to lube the threads
and mating cone point with grease or Never-Sieze. Torque
with clicker torque wrench, and recheck the next day and
the second day. Others will quote Aristotle, Mack, Ford,
or just tell me that I'm mistaken.

I've had a wheel fall off twice. Once when it started to
rain the day I was working. I slipped the lugs on finger
tight, and neglected to torque them. This was about 1980
model Chevette, with steel rims.

Second time was a 98 Blazer with aluminum rims. I put the
lugs on with torque wrench but didn't recheck the next day
and on day two. The lugs were under snap cap, and I didn't
see that they were loose. I thought I had a backwards radial
on the other corner, and didn't visually or wrench check the
one that was loosening.

Both of those were my neglect, and I take responsibility.

Several years ago, I had Costco rotate my tires. They're supposed to
use torque wrenches (with the manager checking all work, personally).
A few days later I had the car inspected, without fanfare. A couple
of hours later my wife called me, rather ****ed, saying that a wheel
passed her. Fortunately, she had just gotten off an Interstate and
was on a side-street. The wheel chewed itself up pretty well, broke a
couple of lug nuts, and did some significant damage to the fender on
its way to freedom. No one took responsibility, of course.

Ron White is a comedian. Listen to his true
experience with the "Sears tire technicians"

--
Tekkie