Threadlock on wheel nuts

[Ali]

You’d only have to clean the loctite off ALL the threads every time you changed the wheel, which seems a bit more effort than a wire brush to clean the rust off, if that’s the main problem.

If it was worth doing then surely Loctite would have made it a priority years ago to ensure it was mandatory on every vehicle in the world.

 

[bricol]

I'll just leave these here...

Ah ha - first time I've seen sensible tightening sequence illustrated in manual. Wonder how many do?

 

[Erie Fred]

Ah ha - first time I've seen sensible tightening sequence illustrated in manual. Wonder how many do?

That's sort of what I've been doing for many years, but not with a torque wrench, just an air impact.

 

[cheb]

Instructions from a technical manual? Aren't they written by university educated office wallahs? Whatever happened to advice based proper real world experience?

 

[Ubique]

Instructions from a technical manual? Aren't they written by university educated office wallahs? Whatever happened to advice based proper real world experience?

It needs to be documented and presented as 'this is the way you shall do the task', otherwise it's just down to some opinions on the internet.... possibly even a video for you to 'like & follow'.

 

[Ubique]

That's sort of what I've been doing for many years, but not with a torque wrench, just an air impact.

In that case, you're not doing it correctly, unless your vehicle manufacturers work instruction documentation says that's how it shall be carried out.

 

[Ubique]

For those suffering insomnia, here's a reasonably comprehensive work instruction from zee Germans...

 

[Erie Fred]

In that case, you're not doing it correctly, unless your vehicle manufacturers work instruction documentation says that's how it shall be carried out.

Never warped a disc hub nor rim, never had a wheel come loose.

 

[DAPPH]

The problem with using copperslip etc is not so much that the nuts come loose - it is that you decrease the friction required to tighten it to the correct bolt tension.
So now if you torque the wheel nut up to 100ft/lb it could actually be the equivalent of torqueing it up to 140 or 150 ft/lb dry.

It all depends on what the manufacturer has specified - for example some ARP headstuds must be torqued wet with a light oil.
But wheelnuts are always, IME, dry torque figures.

Given that Kwickfit type crew like to impact them until they bleed, chances are probably a small amount of overtightening is unlikely to cause a huge problem, but there is an increased risk of snapping a stud nonetheless.

The monkeys at Kwikfit have killed two wheels & nearly me & my family on my Motability cars due to using air spanners and not doing half turn cross diagonal selection after finger tightening the nuts .

Locally where we take my wife's car we have an old school tyre fitting concern . They only use impact air tools to take off the nuts or studs . Every nut & stud replaced is nipped correctly with a wheel nut spider by hand ,
I told him how pleased i was to see the job being done correctly . Boss man said to me he'd sack anyone using an air spanner to do the nuts up, he also uses torque wrenches to set the nuts /studs to the makers recommendations on dry cleaned threads no lube or locking stuff as it changes the torque up stress being applied .

 

[DAPPH]

my mate had his brakes done and went to take his alloy wheels off 2 days later to no avail he ended up buying one of those large breaker bars from machine mart and even then struggled . god knows who they put to do them

Gor Rilla the illiterate deaf guy with his faulty impact driver ?

 

[Domdom]

I’m just imagining a locking wheel nut/bolt with loctite on it. That’s a recipe for disaster, they’re a PITA to get off if over tightened or even slightly rusty. Hideous things anyway, but definitely not a candidate for thread lock or grease, that’s asking for the key to break.

Wheel nuts are designed to be fitted clean and dry.

 

[DAPPH]

Fizzy's trailer has lorry sized German all steel wheels & wheel nuts with a split cone seating washer under the nut . They need a rather high torqueing up setting way beyond the range of most normal torque wrenches . T'would be interesting to see how the German manufactures recommends doing them up . I sat on a chair and gently walked the tyred wheels onto the studs , as some of you know I'm well disabled but it's so easy when you know how . .

 

[Ubique]

Never warped a disc hub nor rim, never had a wheel come loose.

You're still not following the workshop instructions though.
Your alternative methods are clearly 'good enough' for your needs, but it's not the same as 'to specification'.
We also have to get measuring instrument calibration checked every six months for torque wrenches and twelve months for other items, just so we can show that they are capable of performing 'to specification'. One place I worked had another tech 'signing off' that you'd torqued the wheel bolts or nuts to the correct spec., a bit of 'overkill' but you can see the logic.

 

[addjunkie]

You're still not following the workshop instructions though.
Your alternative methods are clearly 'good enough' for your needs, but it's not the same as 'to specification'.
We also have to get measuring instrument calibration checked every six months for torque wrenches and twelve months for other items, just so we can show that they are capable of performing 'to specification'. One place I worked had another tech 'signing off' that you'd torqued the wheel bolts or nuts to the correct spec., a bit of 'overkill' but you can see the logic.

Thats where the air craft industry excel….follow the book and double checking. No argument, follow the book or dont work there any more. Its all about accountability!

 

[cheb]

What's the view on torque limiting sticks when used with an airgun? They seem like a good idea at first glance, are they considered to be to spec?

 

[striker]

Copperslip on the threads and the spigot on my wheels. Never had a problem.

 

[ajlelectronics]

What's the view on torque limiting sticks when used with an airgun? They seem like a good idea at first glance, are they considered to be to spec?

I wouldn't want to rely on it. I run the nuts on with a windy gun diagonally until they just nip and then finish off with either a torque wrench, or for my own car a spider wrench. I believe that I can adequately feel the correct setting torque range with that.

 

[Robotstar5]

Thats where the air craft industry excel….follow the book and double checking. No argument, follow the book or dont work there any more. Its all about accountability!

The car industry uses torque measuring tools to fit fasteners in each build station, if the computer doesn't receive the correct numbers it stops the production line until the issue is rectified or overridden.

 

[DanZac]

Just to throw my twopenneth worth into the mix, there's a big difference between doing what works for you and doing it the way the designer / manufacturer says.

If the design instructions say dry torque and you choose to do something different (copperslip, threadlock, spit, do them up by feel, whatever) then thats up to you.

But and it's a big but, if that part fails in use or comes undone, then there's only one person to blame, and in the event of a faliure or fatality, then I suspect that the finger of blame will be pointed directly at you.

If on the other hand, you've followed the manufacturers instructions to the letter, then your in the clear, because the designer has taken the risk on the design and specification and will be expected to stand by that decision.

Just because it hasn't failed doing it the wrong way, doesn't make it right.

As @addjunkie and @Ubique have pointed out earlier, in the aircraft industry things like this are taken seriously. If the manufacturer says do it one way, that's the way its done, no argument.

If you want to do it differently you'll need the manufacturers approval, or someone with massive balls to sign off on it and accept the risk. Anything flight critical will be torqued by one person, checked by a supervisor and then checked again by someone who has had no other involvement in the task, just to make sure it's done as the manufacturer instructed.

Freestyle to your hearts content if you want to take the risk yourself, but if it all goes wrong there's only one person to blame. Do it by the book, and on the day when it all goes wrong you'll be in the clear.

 

[brewdexta]

Just weld them on, a couple of tacks either side should do the trick