[Jim B]

The Tech Tip is... Check your Lug Nuts on a regular basis especially if you are wheeling on a multi day trip.

I've should have read the signs as every now & then when I arrived home from a wheeling trip, I used to see that one or two lug nuts were always loose. Due to lazyness I refused to ignore these signs and it eventually caught up with me.

I lost my rear driver wheel with my family in the vehicle. Luckily my wheeling angels were with me and it happened as I was stopping in a grassy area around 2mph and not down the paved mountain road at 40mph that I had just come down on. :1wow:



On a steel wheel the lug nuts hold better than an aluminum due to expansion of aluminum metal with regards to temperature. Aluminum wheels do not bend like steel wheels do but this is another subject and a great debate that I will not get into.

Here "was" my problem. Notice how the cap cover prevented me from looking at the lug nuts without removing the PITA cover.


I plan to leave the covers off every time I go wheeling from now on, they will stay at home. This will allow me to briefly check the Lug Nuts on a regular basis.


Damage to the wheel. I've decide to replace the rim.




Check out the wheel studs as compared to a new one on top of the pic. The white that you see on the threads of the bad studs is metal combined with aluminum from the rim.


Needles to say that I had to remove the rear axle to replace all of wheel studs.






New Wheel Studs installed & ready for wheel mounting.

[Frank YJ]

ohly moly Jim... good to see the family is okie dokie... i've had that happen on my boat trailer but never on the Jeep/truck... gonna check em this weekend...

[Jim B]

frank_yj, on Apr 1 2005, 12:48 PM, said:

i've had that happen on my boat trailer but never on the Jeep/truck... gonna check em this weekend...

Me too, had a car trailer bearing freeze on me and lost a trailer wheel on I-70, went across the median in the incoming lane. Luckily it was out West, early in the morning and there was no traffic coming.

Never though I would loose one on the main vehicle like this though, it was very concerning.

[hiway]

Alum. wheels are notorious for this. Lost a 35"er on a Dodge 1/2 ton a couple of years back....lucky like you and yours That's the good part. $300 in parts plus a new wheel was the bad part. Got off without any body damage though. I noticed a squeaking sound as I left Lowes with 12 bags of concrete in the bed. Gave it a visual (also covered lugs) and off I went. 10 miles later....off it went. Some lugs will look as if they have leaked onto the wheel if loose. Nothing but steel wheels for big tires now for me.

[Jim B]

For those people who torque their Lug Nuts... what are you taking them to

On the street vehicle I run 90 ft. lbs. and on El Niño I run 110.

[John]

The factory service manual calls for 90 to 105 ftpds. I torque mine to 100 except for the rear which has short studs due to my disc brake set up so I go to 105. Ruben ordered me a set of ET...stud nuts which have a longer slim shank to go down into the wheel. When I put them on will torque to 100. john

[Snorky]

Jim,

Glad the rock angels were in the Jeep with you that day. need to add a torque wrench to my tool box and check my lugs more regularly. . .

Dan

[Jim B]

Snorky, on Apr 2 2005, 10:30 PM, said:

Jim,

Glad the rock angels were in the Jeep with you that day.  need to add a torque wrench to my tool box and check my lugs more regularly. . .

Dan

Dan,

Don't really need a torque wrench out on the trail, just a cheap breaker bar with a socket.

I have 3 torques at home for pretty much for everything including wheels. Usually take one and keep it in the RV when I travel. Btw, I have an extra torque if you are interested.

[grinch]

I earned the "dumb" bell award from my club for driving with no lugs on my wheel. I kept hearing a clicking noise from the driver rear area. I looked at the wheel, behind it, around it and never noticed that the lugs weren't there. Yes, I deserved the award I won. The gods were with me too because I probably put 60 miles on it before a friend was trying to help figure out what the noise was and said "STOP! Don't move another inch!". New lugs and studs and I was fine. Lucky Lucky Lucky! Now I check them at least as often as I wash it.

Jason

[Alex]

grinch, on Apr 3 2005, 08:47 PM, said:

I earned the "dumb" bell award from my club for driving with no lugs on my wheel. I kept hearing a clicking noise from the driver rear area. I looked at the wheel, behind it, around it and never noticed that the lugs weren't there. Yes, I deserved the award I won. The gods were with me too because I probably put 60 miles on it before a friend was trying to help figure out what the noise was and said "STOP! Don't move another inch!". New lugs and studs and I was fine. Lucky Lucky Lucky! Now I check them at least as often as I wash it.

Jason

You are SOOO lucky. Wow. 60miles....jeez