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Hi,
I have read about and been told about the "Loosening Wheel Nut" issue that seems to plague the Patrols (especially the Alloy wheels)
Can anyone tell me if a better solution than the "plastic indicators" has ever been achieved ?
Does cleaning off all grease/oil from the nuts and studs, and the application of Thread Locker or Super Bearing Mount fix the problem ?
Is there a Left Hand Thread wheel stud and nuts conversion for the passenger side available anywhere ?
Regards to all
the indicators aren't a fix, their sole purpose is a visual warning that your nuts have loosened. I've not had any issues with alloys on my GQ but from what I can gather, it appears that correct tightening up to the correct torque setting (what ever that may be) is pretty much essential, as well as checking your nuts on a regular basis
Check your nuts 25 or so Ks after a tyre change or wheel rotation
torque them up to spec and you should be right
The spec is 133 nm. Use a torque wrench and as said check regularly.
yes when i change mine i just stop after a while and retension the nuts then dont worry although i generally check again when i get home after the first drive, never had one come loose after doing that.
I have only ONE case with the nuts comming losse with my aloy rims. In fact all 4 wheels had loose nuts in varing degrees. This only happened when the local Nissan service centre did a wheel balance and alingment job. Took 400 km for this to happen.
They blamed the tourgue ratle gun being worn and not holding calibration.
I now recheck the wheel nuts every time they go near them.
Not a single comment for, or against, the Thread Locker idea ?
Cmon, there must be some budding engineers with ideas or experimentation habits out there.
What about the left hand thread stud conversion ?
Dodge 1 tonners and some models of Chrysler Valiants had them on the passenger side.
Because it isn't only the LH side that is affected and the last good idea Chrysler had was to get out of Oz.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feral Killer
I had an E49 and how I never killed myself in that POS I'll never know.
Happiest day of my life was in the Hospital when they told me the Charger was a write off but I was repairable... just...
They got the name Charger 'cause that is what the did, charged straight ahead no matter what way the steerng was pointed
First the LH thread issue is not as useful as you pretend. Either side of the vehicle can come loose if you don't tighten the nuts to the prescribed torque of 133nm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feral Killer
If you over tighten the nuts you can deform the alloy so doing that is just as bad as under tightening.
The thread lock idea is great till you come to undo the nuts.
Most people have a torque wrench stored in their vehicle and check the wheel nuts as described by Nissan.
You seem to be looking for a solution to avoid doing the regular checks.
Hi Outback,
"Looking for a solution to avoid doing the regular checks"
Far from it matey, far from it.
What I'm really looking for is a way to be able to drive somewhere WITHOUT the thought in the back of my mind of the wheel nuts coming loose, and the inevitable issue of (what I've read) having a wheel pass me.
I own a top quality tension wrench (from new) that has been looked after and checked. I also use it.
In the relatively short time that I've owned this Nissan (with alloys) I have already found 3 times, the nuts on the same wheel are loose.
A person shouldn't have that nagging thought in the back of your mind every time you drive somewhere.
I'm simply searching for a way of stopping it from happening on a regular basis.
As for Thread locker, I mentioned that as opposed to LocTite or Super Bearing Mount.
There is a difference when it comes to undoing them.
Having worked in the maintenance industry for 40 plus years, I did learn a thing or two.
It strikes me as a problem that must be fixed in a better way, mainly because with ALL the other vehicles I've owned, I have never had any that had wheel nuts come loose after proper and sequential tightening.
And I've done considerable Ks in the long paddock, as have quite a few of you blokes I'm sure.
I have and use a Kangaroo creek import 12v rattle gun if you could call it that.
I only brought it ,if I had wheel trouble on a track somewhere I'd be able to loosen the nuts myself.
Because of my back it's a bit hard using a wheel brace. any work done on my wheels
I ask them to use those torque ends on the rattle gun. I'd hate to be unable to remove a nut because some clown did them up way too tight.
I find the 12v gun easy to use ,maybe not as good as a 24v cordless but it gets the job done.
Run my alloys all the time now and had no problems, just check them as part of your maintenance routine
As the blokes have said if you do them up to spec, and a once over when you service you'll be right.
It's the over or under tension that causes issues. But once you've had issues chances are something has been damaged and it will continue.
That's probably the answer to your continued issues fk with that one wheel..
Try a different rim and nuts on the hub. And keep the nut and hubs together as you rotate
I know on lan,,,lan,,,lan those other 4x4,, they upgrade to the 14mm studs from a 100s
But this was only to stop them snapping not from coming un done.
Maybe being 14mm you can have them tighter
If you're really worried about it, you could try locking them with wire the way they do on Aircraft. So if one loosens then it will trey to tighten the next
Attachment 54290
As kallen suggested sounds like only one rim is giving the issues. Perhaps it is a little "Taxis Durmous", Fk as he said .
Check the stud holes in the rim. Suspect at one point the wheel was badly over tightened as well.
Try New studs and nuts.
If it comes loose again the rims is suspect.
Humm is the shocky on that corner ok?
check bushes and bearings also on the slight chance vibration is also a factor.
Loctite 243 is medium strength and should definitely do the job. It should prevent a loose nut from unwinding further too.
As for undoing the nuts, if you are using a torque wrench to tighten, you can use it to loosen them too without too much hassle.
Use it sparingly and you should be fine.
What I have found from alot of experience (dont ask) is that if I torque to 100ft/lb and recheck they are all loose the next day, tighten to 100, loose again the next day.
If i got to about 115, retorque the next day, the problem goes away...
YMMV
In the instruction bookletQuote:
Originally Posted by jono6974
the maker of my
torque wrench warned
against using it as
breaker bar.
consider it as using it as a torque wrench on the left handed thread then :D
as Kallen has said, sounds like the rim is roo ted
only way to fix it, and not have a problem is
pi$$ off the alloy rims and put steel rims on..............
the alloy rims and the nuts holding them, are the biggest single factor in the rims coming loose
I've has a GXL Fairmont (Alloy rim) loose a wheel at 110Kms on the Hyw
I've had a GTS Monaro (Alloy rim) loose a wheel at 100kms on the freeway
both times when I checked the rim, they had BOTH been over tightened by the tyre place, and stuffed the rim
never had Alloy rims since
Nord-lock have a range of wheel nuts and Belleville locking washers.
Not sure if these would suit the alloy wheels or if Nord lock could make them to suit.
If anyone resurches them please add to this post.
Nord-lock.com
I grease my wheel studs every time I do a wheel change. Every time. I have found this aids in achieving accurate torque tension and I have never had a drama with any of the car I have owned as a result.
My logic, if your stud is dry and you try to tension a dry wheel nut on a dry stud then you deal with thread friction and your torque wrench may bind early and click. You have thread bind but not necessarily bed tension under the nut seat which is the point.
Applying grease to the studs allows the nut to tighten down on the thread and the nut bed down and you will get an accurate bed torque tension. I always use a torque wrench and never have a drama.
cant go past regular checks myself and have seen people with wheel nut indicaters fitted who didn't even keep an eye on them as they believed the indicaters would stop loosening nuts.Saw a great idea in the Pilbara fitted to a trailor which was a solid steel multihex ring arrangement which was fitted to a trailor with 27mm wheel nuts and would stop movement.Have since found out that the trucking industry use them but at this stage not in smaller sizes,theres a big market out there for someone