So effing tight
 

A local member came over and we were going to change the offside front strut bearing.

The wheel bolts are so effing tight. "We" have snapped a socket trying to undo them. My Lidil air wrench is not up to the job. The electric one I want is still not available, been like that for months.

Member has gone off to find a garage to see if they will undo the bolts, all of them on all wheels and then he's coming back to try again.

there is tight, very tight and effing tight.

best laid plans and all thet

macafee2

So, who's the idiot who tightened them?

apparently the bloke that did his clutch... worrying

macafee2

Bit of penetrating oil and a 1M stong arm plus a good hexagon socket should do the trick. I'm not sure of the socket size, just had a caliper across some new bolts I have in 'stock' - they are a tapered 21/32" or loose 17mm AF? head according to my failing eyes (is that 13M/1.5mm pitch thread?).
Why they would ever be tightened like that is a mystery of the modern age of garage work but putting everything back 'dry' previously wouldn't help if it's been a couple of years since the last removal.

The wheel bolts almost all removed but they where greased on the threads.
I think they all need replacing as the heads are all damaged but 1 was still too tight and is still to be done.

Also had the problem of the Allan bolt head rounding off in the end of the track rod so I have given the chap a second hand one off a steering rack I had.

macafee2

macafee2

Thank you mate from the bottom of my heart

Had a similar problem with a tyre fitter, he used his expensive Snap On digital torque wrench, once home I tried to check torque but I could not undo any of them when I found them "tight".

He took umbrage when I suggested he used a proper Britool wrench, even he struggled to undo them with a long bar. He had set the torque and then pulled an extra pull for luck, thus negating the use of a torque wrench anyway.:eek:

If I had needed to change a wheel on the road because of a puncture, there would have been no chance of success.

You are welcome. As I said to you, others on this forum have helped me, I have not been able to help them so pass the help on.

Interestingly I am a member of a caravan forum and I have never seen an offer of help from anyone to anyone.


macafee2

I always torque the wheel studs to 125 nm, sometimes dry, sometimes greased.
Either way, when I go to undo them, they’re usually a darn site more stubborn to remove than 125 nm of torque.
Not sure what causes this “self tightening”, but I firmly believe something does.
I’ve blamed tyre fitters in the past myself...perhaps wrongly so!😳



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