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View Full Version : WARNING: Genuine Nissan Rims are becoming a HAZARD!



Timbo
8th July 2011, 08:47 AM
Hi all,

Swapped my Muddies (Sunraysia Steel Wheels) over for my ATR's (Genuine Nissan Alloy Rims) on the weekend and went about my daily routine this week. I noticed the car felt a bit floaty on the road but didn't think too much about it and put it down to road surface.

Pulled into a car park Wednesday night and turned a corner and the back end of my car felt like it went side ways. It was a wet night, but I was doing about 5kph so I thought maybe there was some oil there.
Knowing I changed wheels, I got out after parking and checked my wheel nuts. ALL my wheel nuts were loose and the right hand rear wheel was getting to the point where it was about to fall off.
This would be why I felt the car shift sideways a bit. It was the wheel sheering a nut off a wheel stud and the wheel moving around. I had 4 nuts hanging on the end of the stud with maybe a half inch of wheel stud showing. That's how close it was to coming off. Lucky it happened in a car park.

Dropped the car off to the Mechanic this morning and it turns out NISSAN have released a statement within the last 12 months (i never got the memo obviously) saying there is a problem with the genuine alloy wheels. Not just on the Patrol, but on any other large car that uses those wheels. (like Navara)

Apparently what's happening is, because the wheels have been around since 98, they are starting to fatigue. When we tighten the wheel nuts up, it's crushing the Alloy slightly. We then drive around corners and the weight distribution shifting to each wheel is causing a small gap between the nut and the rim. So you think you've tightened them up but because the Alloy has been crushed that little bit, it's not actually as tight as you think after having driven around for a few days.

This makes sense as every time you take the wheels off and put them on again, you're tightening the nuts up pretty damn tight.. obviously because you don't want the wheel to fall off! So every time you're tightening them up, it's weakening the Alloy.

SOLUTION: Either buy a new set of STEEL rims like Sunraysia's, or, whenever you put your Alloys back on, tighten them up, go for a drive around the block a few times, then RE-TIGHTEN the wheel nuts. Try and check them once a week with a wheel brace or the rattle gun.

Hope you guys find this helpful and make you think about your wheels.

Cheers
Tim

HippoNZ
8th July 2011, 08:51 AM
I know the feeling Timbo! Not as severe as your case, only one wheel with me but it's certainly a strange feeling. Thanks for the info mate, top job

Sir Roofy
8th July 2011, 08:55 AM
Thanks for the informative note timbo
im sure everyone will go out and check
there wheel nuts
cheers roofy

AB
8th July 2011, 09:10 AM
Cheers for the advice Timbo!

Sretch
8th July 2011, 12:46 PM
Take you car into a nissian dealer and have the wheel nut movement indicators put on. They are doing this for free as there have been so many wheels falling off.

Cheers

Paul

Bob
8th July 2011, 03:02 PM
I have a set ROH Alloy Wheels on my 98 GU and have not had any trouble and I regularly change the wheels.

Is it only on Nissan Alloys ???

fixer982
8th July 2011, 03:23 PM
The the moral of the story is "Check your nuts regularly". I certainly do, though it's hard when there are ladies around...LOL

Seriously, Nissan have a service recall notice and I found a reference to this on one of our own posts from last year http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?1560-GU-Recall-Y61-Wheel-Nuts-for-Alloy-Wheels. I received one of these and keep meaning to get mine in there, but it mainly seems to be about correctly centring the wheels when you put them on.
I was alwasy taught with Mag Nuts that have a shank, rather than taper seat, that you should but at least half the nuts on or preferably all of them on loosely, then pull the wheel back so thai it sits on the shank. That way, the end of the shank does not chew out the mounting hole. I am not a mechanic, but I have always done that, and I suspect that, because the Patrol is a heavy beast, just hammering up the nuts to pull the wheel straight can cause damage. After all at nearly 3 tonnes, the car must put some serious loads on the wheels and retaining nuts. Nissan actually enclose a warning sticker with the recall notice which shows how to make sure they are properly lined up. It would be worth while seeing a Nissan dealer, I guess, to get the checks and wheel nut movement indicators installed. Just my 2cents worth.

Finly Owner
8th July 2011, 10:39 PM
DON"T use rattle guns doing up wheel nuts! Using rattle guns can strip threads on wheel nuts and studs. Most people incorrectly use rattle guns, You should brake your wheel nuts loose with rattle gun and finish pulling them of by hand, asto, not over spin the thread of the nuts on the end of the studs. Same as when putting them back on, wind wheel nuts on by hand, ensuring you feel it has the correct threading(not cross threaded) and wind them all the way by hand then finish tightening by rattlegun to desired tension. DON"T be tempted to keep rattling, thinking your doing a better tight job, because you are actually damaging the fine thread in your wheel nut.

If you can't under your wheel nut using a hand brace, you have actually over tighten your wheel nuts and stretched the threads.

Wheels studs and nuts have a fine thread and are design that way to enable sufficent tension to be placed on them to hold wheels on sufficiently, without being strong man.

I know some wheel shop personel will argue with me on this, but have they been lectured by an automotive engineer on the forces of wheels, stresses, forces, and tensions put to wheels, rims, tyres, nuts and threads? To put some facts to this, think of this:

A truck registered to carry 20 tonne needs no more tension on its wheel nuts and studs than a boat trailer needs on its ones. The difference is the size of the studs and nuts. I have put wheels on a HG holden and travelled the simpson desert, and not lost a wheel, and we even used anti sieze on the studs! So if they were going come undone, they would of on that trip, considering I personally hand tightened all 20 nuts after applying the anti seize.

All mynuts on all my vehicles, inc alloys on past vehicles have always been hand tightened evenly ie tighten 1st nut, 3rd nut, 5th, 2nd nut and 4th nut and recheck each one.

End of lesson

Tim

big_fletch
8th July 2011, 10:51 PM
Good to hear there was no major damage, luckily no-one was hurt as coulda been serious if a wheel had come off at high speed.. Lesson is always check your wheel nuts

Clunk
9th July 2011, 12:30 AM
heard today of a recall on all new shape Navaras fitted with alloys, due to them cracking. If its found to have one wheel cracked, Nissan will replace all wheels immdeiately, if no crack is found, you're put on a waiting list for new alloys to be fitted. I think I'd rather ask them to fit a set of steel ones on to be honest!!!!
Wonder if this will happen with the GU alloys too???!!!!

Bigrig
9th July 2011, 01:08 AM
DON"T use rattle guns doing up wheel nuts! Using rattle guns can strip threads on wheel nuts and studs. Most people incorrectly use rattle guns, You should brake your wheel nuts loose with rattle gun and finish pulling them of by hand, asto, not over spin the thread of the nuts on the end of the studs. Same as when putting them back on, wind wheel nuts on by hand, ensuring you feel it has the correct threading(not cross threaded) and wind them all the way by hand then finish tightening by rattlegun to desired tension. DON"T be tempted to keep rattling, thinking your doing a better tight job, because you are actually damaging the fine thread in your wheel nut.

If you can't under your wheel nut using a hand brace, you have actually over tighten your wheel nuts and stretched the threads.

Wheels studs and nuts have a fine thread and are design that way to enable sufficent tension to be placed on them to hold wheels on sufficiently, without being strong man.

I know some wheel shop personel will argue with me on this, but have they been lectured by an automotive engineer on the forces of wheels, stresses, forces, and tensions put to wheels, rims, tyres, nuts and threads? To put some facts to this, think of this:

A truck registered to carry 20 tonne needs no more tension on its wheel nuts and studs than a boat trailer needs on its ones. The difference is the size of the studs and nuts. I have put wheels on a HG holden and travelled the simpson desert, and not lost a wheel, and we even used anti sieze on the studs! So if they were going come undone, they would of on that trip, considering I personally hand tightened all 20 nuts after applying the anti seize.

All mynuts on all my vehicles, inc alloys on past vehicles have always been hand tightened evenly ie tighten 1st nut, 3rd nut, 5th, 2nd nut and 4th nut and recheck each one.

End of lesson

Tim

Hmmm ... I hear ya mate, but sort of sounds to me to be at the 'overly dramatic' end of the argument ... not out to start anything, but like us all I've had multiple cars that have traveled multiple terrains, and whilst I am a bit of a 'tighten by hand' guy anyway, I also have used a rattle gun on countless occasions (personally) as well as having wheel rotations/balances done countless times by retailers who use rattle guns ... my understanding (and happy to be wrong), is that over torquing of the nut is far less likely to cause stretching of the thread and more likely to cause metal fatigue over an extended time, and it is in fact this that causes fractures/failure of the studs ... most rattle guns don't place as much strain on the nuts as big units like me in most cases, and hence are a safer option (especially for DIY individuals who use the good ole Super Cheap Auto air compressor etc) than hanging off the end of a breaker bar and socket ...

Or am I completely misguided???

Finly Owner
9th July 2011, 10:14 PM
Hmmm ... I hear ya mate, but sort of sounds to me to be at the 'overly dramatic' end of the argument ... not out to start anything, but like us all I've had multiple cars that have traveled multiple terrains, and whilst I am a bit of a 'tighten by hand' guy anyway, I also have used a rattle gun on countless occasions (personally) as well as having wheel rotations/balances done countless times by retailers who use rattle guns ... my understanding (and happy to be wrong), is that over torquing of the nut is far less likely to cause stretching of the thread and more likely to cause metal fatigue over an extended time, and it is in fact this that causes fractures/failure of the studs ... most rattle guns don't place as much strain on the nuts as big units like me in most cases, and hence are a safer option (especially for DIY individuals who use the good ole Super Cheap Auto air compressor etc) than hanging off the end of a breaker bar and socket ...

Or am I completely misguided???
Putting that way makes sense in so many ways, supa (weak) cheap rattle guns half inch drive do have less force than breaker bar, and so would a typical 4 post X wheel brace have less force than a breaker bar. But I hear you, and will remember to do some follow up on your fatigue theory as it sounds very plausable to me. A lot of wheel shops do use good strong rattle guns though. We actually had some wheel nuts at work that caught me out, that had been in and out of Tyre shops having flats changed reguarly on a Sports field Mower. I spun the nuts on a bit lazely at work and noticed they felt strange, thought to myself(no one will want me to buy new nuts etc) so I continued as I was, and had one not want go all the way on by rattle gun, and couldn't get it back off either. I did check the other nuts, and you could see threads stripped and metal slivers in the threads. So just be aware of it everyone, occassionly feel the fit of your wheel nuts on your studs when you are next doing a wheel change.

Tim

Silver
10th July 2011, 05:05 PM
I remembed when alloy wheeled GUs came out there was a fair bit on the 4x4 press about losing wheels, and the need to use a torque wrench to accurately fit them.

04OFF
12th July 2011, 01:48 PM
I think most tyre shops now use Wheel Nut Torque bars....

http://www.sidchrome.com.au/product/7489/6-piece-torsion-bar-kit



Without Torque bars or just the right method/skills, a air gun can definately damage components, when i started my automotive apprenticeship, we where taught to only use a rattle gun to speed up wheel nut replacement, but always finish by hand.

If nothing else, this gives the owner half a chance at getting a wheel off at the side of the road (to change a flat) and when you think about it, thats as tight as the car manufacturer ever intended wheel nuts to be.




I have GU steel wheels, but If i had Nissan alloys, id buy a Torque wrench (well i have one anyway), and do nuts up to exactly the factory spec.

growler2058
30th August 2011, 06:55 AM
My ol mans just bought an 06 GU td42t 100 odd thousand on the clock he's the second owner. If it hasnt got the indicators on the wheel nuts will Nissan do it for him, or is the recall only for the original purchaser?

nowoolies
30th August 2011, 07:59 AM
My ol mans just bought an 06 GU td42t 100 odd thousand on the clock he's the second owner. If it hasnt got the indicators on the wheel nuts will Nissan do it for him, or is the recall only for the original purchaser?

sorry sounding dumb here but.....
these indicators .... are they the plastic nissan badged caps over my wheel nuts

Chappa
30th August 2011, 09:43 AM
DON"T use rattle guns doing up wheel nuts! Using rattle guns can strip threads on wheel nuts and studs. Most people incorrectly use rattle guns, You should brake your wheel nuts loose with rattle gun and finish pulling them of by hand, asto, not over spin the thread of the nuts on the end of the studs. Same as when putting them back on, wind wheel nuts on by hand, ensuring you feel it has the correct threading(not cross threaded) and wind them all the way by hand then finish tightening by rattlegun to desired tension. DON"T be tempted to keep rattling, thinking your doing a better tight job, because you are actually damaging the fine thread in your wheel nut.

If you can't under your wheel nut using a hand brace, you have actually over tighten your wheel nuts and stretched the threads.

Wheels studs and nuts have a fine thread and are design that way to enable sufficent tension to be placed on them to hold wheels on sufficiently, without being strong man.

I know some wheel shop personel will argue with me on this, but have they been lectured by an automotive engineer on the forces of wheels, stresses, forces, and tensions put to wheels, rims, tyres, nuts and threads? To put some facts to this, think of this:

A truck registered to carry 20 tonne needs no more tension on its wheel nuts and studs than a boat trailer needs on its ones. The difference is the size of the studs and nuts. I have put wheels on a HG holden and travelled the simpson desert, and not lost a wheel, and we even used anti sieze on the studs! So if they were going come undone, they would of on that trip, considering I personally hand tightened all 20 nuts after applying the anti seize.

All mynuts on all my vehicles, inc alloys on past vehicles have always been hand tightened evenly ie tighten 1st nut, 3rd nut, 5th, 2nd nut and 4th nut and recheck each one.

End of lesson

Tim
The problem is not with the rattle gun it is with the operator this is why rattle guns have different speeds if you cant judge how tight you are doing them up then you shouldn't be using it on wheel nuts.

nemo
30th August 2011, 07:57 PM
Tyre shop I used to work at, we used a torque wrench set to 75 foot pound on every vehicle for final tension.

Before they started using the torque wrench they had a couple of wheels come loose and off from using a rattle gun to do wheels up.

04OFF
31st August 2011, 10:40 AM
My ol mans just bought an 06 GU td42t 100 odd thousand on the clock he's the second owner. If it hasnt got the indicators on the wheel nuts will Nissan do it for him, or is the recall only for the original purchaser?

I was under the impression the indicators are issued for the "vehicle" as long as it was sold new with the factory alloy wheels fitted, im not sure how far back in models the recall goes, but i would ring a nissan dealer with the VIN, they be able to tell you if the car is eligible.



sorry sounding dumb here but.....
these indicators .... are they the plastic nissan badged caps over my wheel nuts

Correct, Nissan will only issue you 3 per wheel , you can "purchase" extra ones if you want to.

Clunk
31st August 2011, 11:44 PM
My ol mans just bought an 06 GU td42t 100 odd thousand on the clock he's the second owner. If it hasnt got the indicators on the wheel nuts will Nissan do it for him, or is the recall only for the original purchaser?

I'm pretty sure they will mate, after all a recall is a recall, no matter how many owners the car may have had, my brother just purchased a 05 3.0TD and it has them on

Biffster
7th September 2011, 07:35 PM
Thanks for the info Timbo, not something you think about but makes sense none the less.

Cheers

gqboss
25th September 2011, 07:19 AM
good to know mate
top bloke

ablast
26th September 2011, 06:27 PM
This knowledge will probably be no good to me. SIGH!! The previous owner of my GQ obviously had a crack in one of the rims and run an angle grinder through the crack from the edge of the rim. What was he thinking? I now have a spare wheel that is useless. I can't believe this was not picked up when it had a road worthy. Only just discovered this and will be taking it back.

BHILL
26th September 2011, 10:02 PM
Thanks for the information - I will be checking the Patrol in the morning!

NIZZBITS
28th September 2011, 10:53 PM
Hi all,


Dropped the car off to the Mechanic this morning and it turns out NISSAN have released a statement within the last 12 months (i never got the memo obviously) saying there is a problem with the genuine alloy wheels. Not just on the Patrol, but on any other large car that uses those wheels. (like Navara)

Apparently what's happening is, because the wheels have been around since 98, they are starting to fatigue. When we tighten the wheel nuts up, it's crushing the Alloy slightly. We then drive around corners and the weight distribution shifting to each wheel is causing a small gap between the nut and the rim. So you think you've tightened them up but because the Alloy has been crushed that little bit, it's not actually as tight as you think after having driven around for a few days.

Cheers
Tim

Nissan have never released such a statement. What they did was release a bulletin to advise the proper tightening torques (and possibly sequence). There is no such problem with old alloys crushing. The size and weight and the designof the wheels make them hard to locate properly and if they are not properly seated when tightening nuts it is possible they are not actually on and tightened properly. The problem is not with the wheels it is with the tyre fitter. They supplied as a recall wheel nut indicators to make it easier for people who don't check their nuts carefully to know when they are coming loose. They don't help if you don't look at them though.
So lesson one,,,tighten your nuts to spec.
Lesson two recheck them after a bit and occasionally.
Normally it is LH that comes off (usually rear) as the direction of rotation will spin loose nuts off.

Bigrig
28th September 2011, 10:59 PM
Nissan have never released such a statement. What they did was release a bulletin to advise the proper tightening torques (and possibly sequence). There is no such problem with old alloys crushing. The size and weight and the designof the wheels make them hard to locate properly and if they are not properly seated when tightening nuts it is possible they are not actually on and tightened properly. The problem is not with the wheels it is with the tyre fitter. They supplied as a recall wheel nut indicators to make it easier for people who don't check their nuts carefully to know when they are coming loose. They don't help if you don't look at them though.
So lesson one,,,tighten your nuts to spec.
Lesson two recheck them after a bit and occasionally.
Normally it is LH that comes off (usually rear) as the direction of rotation will spin loose nuts off.

Thanks for the info mate!!

WhiteGU
5th November 2011, 07:29 PM
I previously had a Jackaroo with alloys. There is a big difference between the way the Jack wheels went on vs the Patrol - and the Jack wheels were not renowned for coming off. Once installed, I never had to bother re-checking after a short drive.

1) The Jack alloys had steel inserts in the wheel where the tension is applied, like a valve seat.
2) The thread on the Jack wheel nuts is a much tighter fit than the very loose Nissan threads. It was not possible to thread the nuts on with two fingers, you had to use the socket with extension and then you could get them on by hand. The Nissan ones screw on so easily, I think they are too loose a fit.
3) The Jack alloy material was much harder, no scratches after 13 years and 170,000ks.
4) The Jack wheel could be pushed on and firmly located on the centre ring, and make "squaring" the wheel dead easy. The Patrol wheels only sit on the centre ring by a very small amount, and slip off easily.

My conclusion from this is that Nissan have cheapskated on the construction of the wheels, using a very soft alloy (scratches appear just looking at them) and no steel insert. The threads are too loose a fit, meaning if the wheel is carelessly put on without squaring (easy to do because of the poor centre ring design) the nuts can spin off without any restriction.

I do carry a torque wrench specifically to frequently check the wheel nuts on the Patrol, but it's really not something that a current vehicle should have a problem with.

bundy4127
25th January 2012, 09:36 AM
A regular check with a torque wrench would have to help.

megatexture
5th March 2012, 11:00 PM
back in 2010 my wife was driving and the gu developed a shake and she was on the motorway and wanted to exit before investegating but as she exited the front left wheel fell off and the weight of the car droped into the rim grinding on the rotor to a hault, I think shes lucky she didnt try to turn or it could have gotten nasty verry quickly and that was on genuin alloy rims. since then ive checked (torqued studs) on a regular basis as paranoia has taken over.

last year visiting my wifes uncle out at opalton i noticed a loose feel to the car, upon inspection found that the rear left wheel had sheered off 2 bolts and half of another and was just hanging on, the rim was chewed out beyond repare in my opinion for the small $ of replacement. if we were on bitumen i dare say we would have notice a loose feel sooner then we did but the damage was done

so haveing the same issue with 2 diffrent rims steel and alloy im not sure its the rims fault intirely i wonder if the studs are of a poor quality. u can see the rim and studs in the pic
on another occation/s i have gotten the gu back from a service from nissan and swaped tyres over and snaped bolts clean off i know this isnt uncommon but some happen so easily

the ferret
5th March 2012, 11:57 PM
That is bullshizer in my opinion and Nissan should be held accountable, they are aware of the situation regarding the alloy wheels and should be forced to remedy the problem instead of ducking for cover.
They need to have the story out all over the place so they are shamed into it, admit to the problem and , solve the problem, and give us all new free wheels.
What would be the go if someone lost a wheel, had a smash and someone died because of an un addressed fault that Nissan are aware of??.
Cheers and stirring, the ferret.

Rosco
25th March 2012, 01:37 PM
This was interesting to read as I have had wheels come loose with nissan steel GQ wheels. Mainly the left side as Nizzbits said. I put this down to my carelessness in installing the factory rims back on. I usually as common practice install the wheel nuts by had and use the factory nissan wheel brace to tension them up. I use the factory wheel brace as it is always in the car and this is what I would use if I have to change a wheel away from home. I was taught to use a cross pattern to do the nuts up as this helps locate the rim on the hub properly then I go around them one after the other to check that I have not missed one.
I have not had a broken stud or flogged out wheel like others but could hear a clunking type noise that I hadn't heard before. If I was travelling on a dirt road then I may not pick up the noise until too late.
Keep checking them guys and stay safe.

cookpa
4th April 2012, 05:44 PM
Just had 4 new 33,s put on at local tyre service they put wheels on with the latest air impact gun with a special torque bar on it , when i got home i pulled the wheels of to do the flare bit and all the wheel nuts on every wheel where extremely easy to undo i have a small cross wheel brace and all i had to do was lean on the brace and they would turn too easily , i told the tyre shop , it turns out the air compressor has been running short of air a bit lately as a customer had lost his wheel the day previous 3 klms away after leaving this same tyre shop , but no one checked mine even knowing they had a major problem , i wonder what the people do who cant check or dont know how ?

growler2058
4th April 2012, 05:55 PM
Just had 4 new 33,s put on at local tyre service they put wheels on with the latest air impact gun with a special torque bar on it , when i got home i pulled the wheels of to do the flare bit and all the wheel nuts on every wheel where extremely easy to undo i have a small cross wheel brace and all i had to do was lean on the brace and they would turn too easily , i told the tyre shop , it turns out the air compressor has been running short of air a bit lately as a customer had lost his wheel the day previous 3 klms away after leaving this same tyre shop , but no one checked mine even knowing they had a major problem , i wonder what the people do who cant check or dont know how ?

The dodgy Bast@rds!!!!!

megatexture
4th April 2012, 06:15 PM
Nothing beats checking yourself but that $#!-s me off to hear that and they are so called professionals.

BlackOIL
6th April 2012, 11:39 PM
Just had 4 new 33,s put on at local tyre service they put wheels on with the latest air impact gun with a special torque bar on it , when i got home i pulled the wheels of to do the flare bit and all the wheel nuts on every wheel where extremely easy to undo i have a small cross wheel brace and all i had to do was lean on the brace and they would turn too easily , i told the tyre shop , it turns out the air compressor has been running short of air a bit lately as a customer had lost his wheel the day previous 3 klms away after leaving this same tyre shop , but no one checked mine even knowing they had a major problem , i wonder what the people do who cant check or dont know how ?

this is why i take my wheels to the shop... and i put them on myself

davenrenee
14th April 2012, 12:09 PM
Just happened to me in my 2010 gu doing 80kph with my 1 year old in car, nissan wont cover it under warranty and yes i will agree i have not checked the nuts since my service was done 6 weeks ago but why should i have to for 70k? love my car but really disapointed in nissan had to fork out 3k for new rims cant risk it with 4 kids in car every day!!!

Morton
16th May 2012, 08:31 PM
I have had the rear left come loose once & off once, I brought this issue up at my next club meeting & the first question asked by a member (works for ARB) was it the left rear, both times was within 100kms of tyre changes, one was an alloy & the second was a aftermarket steel rim, brand new with new tyre, I did the nuts up myself by hand as I have done on every car for 25 years, I have always done every second nut twice, very easy on 5 stud, alittle different on 6 stud versions, I have always applied a smear of engine oil to the thread whenever the thread was dry & squeeked when tightening the nut. I have never lost a tyre, they have always retained good tension, whenever I have the tyre shop do my wheel nuts I always bring it home, crack the nut & retension it, sometimes I have not be able to loosen the nuts hence the reason I do this when I get home, never wanted to be caught in the middle of nowhere & cant undo the nuts with the wheelbrace.

On the occasion that the left rear wheel actually come off my wife was driving my 02 GU with my 4 kids in it, all wheel nuts where gone, the steel rim was munched & twisted, popped tyre seal, new tyre gouged, the rotor was chipped & gouged, brake pads chipped & gouged, 2 lugs sheared off, 1 bent, 1 threaded & 2 ok, she was turning right into a roundabout 800m from home, I bodged it & limped it home, I spent my Friday night stripping it down & writing a list of bits I needed to buy on the Saturday, I spend the entire Saturday ringing & driving around for the nissan lugs, nissan nuts, rotors & another rim, I come home late Saturday Arvo with my near new tyre on a new rim, balanced, new pads, new rotors, new bearings, 8 new nuts & 5 new lugs, I had to drive to 3 nissan dealers to get enough lugs & nuts, I cleaned Sydney's supplies out, I spent Sunday morning putting it all back together, did both rear rotors. bearings & pads, fitted 4 new lugs & 6 new nuts, I now have spares in the centre console.

Now I check the left rear twice whenever tyre work is done, the others are always fine after my initial retension, found it loose on one occasion since, I apparently was lucky from some of the stories I heard about the rear left wheel coming off at higher speeds, my wife was doing appx 20-30kph at the time, I was very angry with myself after not learning the first time it come loose, I simply thought I had not tensioned it enough, I KNOW I did the last time it come loose, now I am over vigilant with the same tyre, I have been told that this one comes loose because it it always turning tight under stress (powering around left hand corners) & the forces on the wheel nut in that direction, not sure of this but it has to be a stress thing if it is a issue, I have now always made a point of telling anyone with a GU about this little secret

TimE
16th May 2012, 08:49 PM
The official Nissan how to tighten your nuts video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Kj4rSRbA67A

WhiteGU
16th May 2012, 09:14 PM
I see two issues with the video - firstly, the wheel nuts were not done up properly on the demonstration wheel - no effort whatsoever was required to undo them with the useless brace that comes with the car.

Secondly, he skips over how to torque the wheel nuts at the 5:40 mark. This part is arguably FAR more important than the other stuff he spends minutes on.

How exactly are you supposed to do the nuts up to 133nm with the useless brace that comes with the car?

Get a torque wrench and keep it in the car. They can be had for less than $30 nowadays for a wrench that is accurate enough for wheel nut tightening.

TimE
16th May 2012, 09:42 PM
Get a torque wrench and keep it in the car. They can be had for less than $30 nowadays for a wrench that is accurate enough for wheel nut tightening.

That is exactly what I did, an Aldi torque wrench $29, it sits in the drawer with the rest of my tools.

rjacko
19th August 2015, 10:40 AM
I know this is an old thread but I did wonder why the back left wheel kept falling off. This has happened twice in the last two years, once with the wife driving vthe other myself. Both times thankfully it was at low speed. Both involved replacing the left brake assembly and a new rim. I have since got rid of my alloy time and replaced them with steel. Over all it makes me nervous when I hear or feel anything out of place when I drive.
Still not sure what the real issue is that causes this.

threedogs
19th August 2015, 10:48 AM
I take it you drive a GU with Alloy wheels,
Have a search plenty written plus nissan sent out nut indicators.
Hope not too much damage

NOTE;; After you have any work done which requires the rims to be removed,
stop and check after 20km.. or drive 10ks then drive back for them to re check
there is a torque value to tighten these nuts

rjacko
19th August 2015, 11:46 AM
Does the torque value apply to steel rims as well as the Alloy

threedogs
19th August 2015, 02:25 PM
Im trying to find it but yes steel rims would have a torque figure as well.
118-147Nm is the torque setting you require, maybe use the higher end of the two