Check for loose bolts!!! - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

airmech3839 · 03-16-2010, 10:58

If you drive your truck alot and you get familiar with her, you can forget or skip steps in your before walk around and post walk around....

.....Well just hope you dont miss one of these for too long....may this be a lesson to check all the bolts on the wheels and axle that spin...

I was cleaning up one of the rims on the driver side to touch up the paint cause it was getting to be an eyesore. Then I noticed it....a bolt sticking out of the axle cover. I was blown away...I mean they have lock washers?? then it hit me...rotational force helped them get that way.... so I grab my handy dandy socket and start tightening.....then I say let me check the rest....

.. sure enough all but one were loose to some degree....then I said if this one is like this let me check them all and both sides...well the passenger side only had 2 loose but not very loose. But the left side was bad loose except for the front axle...

so foryou guys who would post this smiley

airmech3839 · 03-16-2010, 11:01

here you go.... I figured I would keep you in suspense!!!

First couple are of what I found....others are of how I fixed it!!

enjoy!!

maddawg308 · 03-16-2010, 11:04

I found mine to be the same way when I got the deuce. I think it's a common problem - good thing there are eight bolts to hold everything together.

I like your solution, at least it will help you check by eyeball if they loosen again...

robr · 03-16-2010, 11:09

good idea

dittle · 03-16-2010, 11:11

Check your driveshaft bolts as well, those can come loose if the nuts are worn out.

porkysplace · 03-16-2010, 11:13

looks like a good part to use blue loc-tight on

M813rc · 03-16-2010, 12:10

The 5-tons do it too. That was one of my chores Sunday, checking/tightening the bolts. Only a few were loose at all, but there are regularly some.

I figured it out a couple of years ago when I had just enough grease thrown onto the wheel to notice, but not enough on the hub to notice the leak. First time around, I replaced the lock washers, but they still work loose occasionally.

Cheers

airmech3839 · 03-16-2010, 12:52

Yeah that was how I noticed it...was the little bit of grease on the rim in one spot....then I looked at the hub....

hewew....so glad I found them... I would hate to have to replace the bolts cause they fell out...

Checked the driveshaft bolt while lubing the shafts and front springs and steering linkage... they are good... Yeah I have been looking over the truck to see if anything else is migrating south...nothing else yet..

I used a white dykem pen to mark the bolts after I cleaned and repainted them. not hard to see at a glance now. I did this with my front wheel nuts cause those I really dont wanna come loose.

319 · 03-16-2010, 13:44

Great thread! I like the idea of marking the fasteners. Good practice to use on all fasteners subjected to rotational force. On another note, lock washers should not be reused.

airmech3839 · 03-16-2010, 16:57

good point 319!!! any locking nut or washer is not to be reused!!