Loose lugs on rear hub

[Goldie]

While driving my car in the neighborhood yesterday, the left rear tire starting making a strange sound. I got it home and pulled the left rear wheel. The lug nuts on the hub extension were loose. A couple of the holes were wallowed out. Lucky I got it home. New part ordered and new lugs on the way. Threads were dry. Should I use LockTite on the threads in the future and to what torque. Rear end differential gears were replaced a few months ago and not sure if lugs were tightened properly at the shop I used. I will check the other side before I drive it again.

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

While driving my car in the neighborhood yesterday, the left rear tire starting making a strange sound. I got it home and pulled the left rear wheel. The lug nuts on the hub extension were loose. A couple of the holes were wallowed out. Lucky I got it home. New part ordered and new lugs on the way. Threads were dry. Should I use LockTite on the threads in the future and to what torque. Rear end differential gears were replaced a few months ago and not sure if lugs were tightened properly at the shop I used. I will check the other side before I drive it again.

I use the Chevy lug nuts and have no problems. You do have to make sure that the lugs are tightened in a sequence much like you do for a regular wheel pattern. Are the screws tight in both brake drums?

 

[BJ8Healeys]

The splined hub adapter nuts should be torqued to 70 lb-ft and should not be reused more than once. I removed and reused those nuts too many times before I learned better, and once when on a road trip the left rear wheel loosened up and caused the rear end to feel a bit squirrely. Fortunately, I got off the road and stopped before it really got bad, but still some of the studs had been worn and necked down by the edge of the holes in the hub adapter by driving with them loose. I had been torquing those nuts to 40 lb-ft.

No torque was specified in the shop manual, but I had access to a materials lab at work and had them test the studs. They were equivalent to Grade 8 steel bolts in hardness. Standard torque tables for Grade 8 steel bolts of the size of the studs give a maximum dry torque of 78 lb-ft. After replacing the nuts and damaged studs with new ones and and torquing them to 70 lb-ft, I have never had them loosen again. To make sure, after torquing I painted dots on each nut and the corresponding surface of the splined hub adapter with nail polish so I could see through the spokes if any of the nuts had moved.

Locking compound isn't necessary because the nuts are self-locking. That's why they shouldn't be reused more than once.

 

[Goldie]

Thanks for the info. I will torque to 70 ft-lbs and I did order new nuts for that wheel. I will check the torque on the other rear wheel and will replace lugs for that side as well. I suspect the same lugs were used at least during 2 assemblies so good to know they need to be replaced each time. Rear end diff was replaced most recently and same lugs were probably used.

 

[4tecdog]

Took the hub adapter of my BJ8 the other day to replace the hubs with balanced ones and noticed the studs have wheel nuts with lock nuts on top is that normal seems a good idea to me if the single nuts are prone to coming loose.

 

[BJ8Healeys]

Took the hub adapter of my BJ8 the other day to replace the hubs with balanced ones and noticed the studs have wheel nuts with lock nuts on top is that normal seems a good idea to me if the single nuts are prone to coming loose.

Not sure what you mean by "wheel nuts", but the original nuts attaching the hub adapter to the brake drum have a conical surface that mates with the holes in the adapter. They are self-locking and don't need other nuts on top of them if they are torqued properly. The nuts are not prone to coming loose unless reused too many times and/or not torqued to the proper level.

 

[4tecdog]

That's right the nuts are conical but not self locking (nylock or other type) just have a thiner lock nut on top.

 

[BJ8Healeys]

Here is an example of an original nut, with one of the studs that was damaged by running with the nuts loose. Note that the nut appears to have two washers on top of it, but that is actually the locking feature. It is two thin cuts partially around the circumference of the nut. These deform when the nut is torqued to better grip the stud.