For whatever reason, my left front axle nut came loose and trashed my left front wheel bearing. I don't know how long the axle nut was loose, but I kept hearing weird noises for a long time. Finally I lifted up the car and shook the wheels. Left front had lots of play. I installed a new axle nut and new front left hub assembly. It's probably a good practice to check your wheels for play ever so often, but if you use ramps to change your oil, you might miss the opportunity.
Check your Axle Nuts
- Thread starter Soft Cars
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Or cotter pinned…
Good advice.
I check the front end Spring and Fall when doing the seasonal tire changeover.
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Always good to go back over it with a torque wrench after driving a bit. I think it’s a good practice with lug nuts and axle nuts. Personally in school I learned to always use just a little bit of blue loctite on them so that’s been my practice and I haven’t had one come loose.
Then there are the Ford ones on backorder and they don't come with axles
If I didn't have access to a 600lb-ft torque wrench to do front brakes on a 2WD F150 I would have turned down the job.
No I'm not turning a 250lb-ft torque wrench past its limits or putting a thousand ugga-duggas onto a 26mm hub nut.
No I'm not turning a 250lb-ft torque wrench past its limits or putting a thousand ugga-duggas onto a 26mm hub nut.
All they give you is a big free spinning flange nut. No retaining device like a cotter pin. They give you a cotter pin for the ball joint though.
2000-2005 Buick LeSabre.
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There are aftermarket options for the nuts, nothing says it has to be a Ford part.Then there are the Ford ones on backorder and they don't come with axles
I have to wonder if the axle nut actually loosened. I think the bearing wore, and it was bad by the time you heard it. By that point it has worn enough that there was play, making you think the axle nut loosened.
Isn't this what Loctite is for?
I have to wonder how many shops bother? Or do they just run it down with their biggest impact and move on? Not saying it's right, just that I suspect it happens a lot.If I didn't have access to a 600lb-ft torque wrench to do front brakes on a 2WD F150 I would have turned down the job.
No I'm not turning a 250lb-ft torque wrench past its limits or putting a thousand ugga-duggas onto a 26mm hub nut.
In a similar layout (though, instead of a nut, a bolt to retain the axle as it goes through a hub bearing) on several of my cars, the torque is quite high.
About 30NM + 90 degrees of angle.
This stretches the bolt so that it needs to be replaced every time, it can’t be reused.
Every ball joint kit, or suspension kit, for that chassis includes a new axle bolt. This is one area where I don’t compromise. I use a new axle bolt every time.
Often it is “mechanics“ who mess up stuff by failing to:
1. Apply proper torque using a torque wrench.
2. Re-using bolts that should not be reused.
How many times have you read posts, in this forum alone, where folks don’t need a torque wrench, or think they know better than published procedures?
There are lots of suspension and driveline fasteners that are locking, either through thread distortion or applied compound, that are designated as one use only. There are lots of suspension and driveline fasteners that are stretched as they are torqued and designated as one use only.
But people think paying for new bolts is stupid, so they don’t, and then, once in a while, problems show up.
Not saying that this happened here, but I see it all the time on the brand forums, with resulting failures.
Living in the rust belt, the axle splines will hold tight for you if all else fails.
I'm mostly kidding.
I'm mostly kidding.
That is definitely one of the strangest designs that Ford put out for something so simple. 250lb fthas been enough for designs dating back to the 1960s. Almost as if they got something wrong and just went with just keep tightening it.If I didn't have access to a 600lb-ft torque wrench to do front brakes on a 2WD F150 I would have turned down the job.
No I'm not turning a 250lb-ft torque wrench past its limits or putting a thousand ugga-duggas onto a 26mm hub nut.
Once I learned that stress created in the threads from proper torque is what keeps fasteners tight, torque specs took on a higher level of importance.
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