Boys, Check your nuts!!!

Ok, I know some are waiting to hear abou balls but that stuff should be left on the playgirl website....

I was getting a small vibration in the steering wheel last night on my way home from work... It felt more like I had picked up something in the treads and it was giving me a out of balance feel at slower speeds... mind you it was very subtile... It was dark when I got home and checked the tires over looking for FOD and came up nill.... so I wondered if I was just cookoo...

I went inside and life went on.... I had forgoten about the vibration anomolly until I was halfway to work and it came on again strong and started getting worse... I was a mile from work and decided to limp it to the parking lot where I would be able to leave it if need be...

This is what I found when I got out and looked in the daylight!!


WOW!!!! I was shocked... I had completly missed checking the nuts on the wheel on the RH side(Passanger)..... I noticed a broken stud and all but one nut were loose and the one that was still down was coming loose... I was only a few more turns from in the road dead!!!

I have checked all the threads and nuts that remain and tightened them back down with some blue threadlock and I will be replacing all the studs and nuts... They are all LH thread anyway and they should be RH thread.... Just a saftey warning for all of you!!

I almost never get into a MV or truck without at least a small PMCS. I use a paint marker to mark my nuts on trucks to see if they are backing off.

I usually do too... If you can see the nuts have a white strip on them... I was late for work and did a quick check that no large quantities of fluids were puddled under her and away I went... I kicked all the tires th night before checking if one of the rears might be flat... I got lost in the hurry up mode and it almost bit me in the arse!!

Yeah , we have all done that a time or 3 . Jay

I just ordered my new studs and nuts to change them to the RH thread like they should be! Has anyone changed the studs before? Is it just as easy as they say... remove the hub and beat them out and beat the new ones in? and special stuff needed??

wow that could have been really bad. when i owned my truck driving school i tught them to do a systematic walk-around (pretrip inspection) every morning and a quick one at stops. I do it out of habit now.

Start at the front top of the cab and work your way down to the steer tires checking everything you can see. Work counterclockwise around the truck checking tires for ABC(abrasions, bubbles, cuts and ITD (inflation, Tread Depth) lug nut condition and any suspension parts out of place. When you get back to the hood check the engine compartment fluids, belts (condition, tension) leaks, missing damaged or worn equipment. get in the cab and start the vehicle checking gauges and overall condition. Turn on all lights and get out and check them. Check the brakes as soon as you start to move.

Takes about 5 minutes when you are being through and 2 or less when your just rolling through it.

I usually do a heavy check once a week and a light check daily... I was in to big a hurry today and didnt take the time to check out the truck in the daylight after the suspicions were arroused the night before.. I usually look the truck over the end of the day by kicking tires on the rears and checking for fluid leakage while I drain the air tanks... but I usually only do a nut check on a weekly basis... It will be a daily task till I get new studs and nuts... It drove home fine after I snugged up the remaining nuts and locktighted them... I will limit my use of it till I get the new studs in!!

Glad it all turned out,you got lucky.

Yeah I did!! God was watching out for me!

airmech3839 said:

They are all LH thread anyway and they should be RH thread.... Just a saftey warning for all of you!!

Click to expand...

Check the oppisite hub. Mechanics were known to inadvertantly get the hubs switched during servicing. One of the first things I learned as a military driver. I had to recover a 900 series 5 ton off the interstate once.. all the nuts exspet one had popped off .. and the idot driver had parked the truck on a slope.. It was scary pulling the truck back onto the pavement. I was expecting the tire to pop off at any min. got it back on the level, got the axle chained up, and the tire off and in the back.. ton don't like to track right when half the axle is chained up in the air. lol It was the middle axle..

I think everyone who posted about how should I talk my wife into letting me buy a deuce should call thier wifes and ask them to check thier purse and make sure thier nuts are ok

nice to know thanks!

I wonder who's windshield that nut went through?

Good tip on marking the lug nuts. I made it a point to mark the wheel spacers I put on a Toyota of mine (I hate wheel spacers!)

Both sides are LH thread!! It is not suprising! My wife let me see my nuts for a few minutes...then she put them back in her purse!

sorry that your missing a nut, i have a screw loose.

and i'm not playing with a full deck

I got a c clamp style press from the auto parts store. I can do wheel studs and small u joints with it. It works great and wont wreck your threads. I used it when I flipped my hubs. I don't know if you will have room to use one on the front without pulling the hub.

I plan on pulling the hub... I will probably beat them out!! (hehehehe I said beat it out in a thread about nuts....hehehehehe)

I hope it is as easy as the guy at work says.. He use to change them on big rigs...

depends how deep they broke off.. you may be wacking them off for a long time. A big punch/ drift should be on hand for any sheered shafts stick in their tight holes. I've changed out a few over the years. some come out easy, some take quite a beat to get off.