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Old 02-16-2011, 06:29 PM   #11
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

Trigger happy shop guy with a air ratchet set too high?

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Old 02-16-2011, 09:05 PM   #12
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

To my eye they look like cone seat. If they were a flat, mag style seat the metal would have pushed up when the cone style lugnut was tightened down. All of the holes look deformed from the 'wobble' caused by loose lugs.

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Old 02-17-2011, 07:27 AM   #13
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

I'm curious if you have wheel spacers behind those. I can't remember if my rear axle caps sit flush or below the rim with the spacers.

Something to add to the used vehicle post purchase maintenance. Might as well head down to Discount Tire or another vendor who offers free rotation and have them do it.
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Old 02-17-2011, 08:32 AM   #14
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

Quote:
Originally Posted by jage
I'm curious if you have wheel spacers behind those.
I suspect wheel spacers too. The stock wheel studs on the Ford vans are long. Spacers are generally considered a no-no (adapter are OK) because they reduce the mating area, which can allow the wheel to move which will eventually cause lug-nuts to loosen. Or.... Maybe the pervious owner had the same issue before, and had new (shorter) studs put in?
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Old 02-17-2011, 08:36 AM   #15
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

No spacers were present. The wheel
attaches directly to the rotor/flange.
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Old 02-17-2011, 09:04 AM   #16
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

We have alloy rims on our SMB and there is a very specific torque requirement on the lug nuts. A good shop will maybe run the nuts up tight with an air hammer, alternating the pattern, and then finished them with a torque wrench. (I always check them when I get home regardless.) You also need to check them again after driving 200 miles. Usually I find them all still meeting spec but occasionally one will be slightly less than spec. If the lug nuts are correct, etc., it might be that someone had the tires rotated at a shop that didn't tighten the nuts to spec and they gradually loosened up...
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Old 02-17-2011, 04:23 PM   #17
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

I have had this issue before (years ago). Ruined my wheels on my '67 Chevelle w/posi.
Posi & locker axles (does it have posi or locker?) put more torque on lugnuts than an 'open' axle (in turns etc).
Along with if you have any mis-match going on posi's/lockers need to be looked after more often (re-torqued).
In my experience! .02
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Old 03-21-2011, 04:35 PM   #18
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

How did the tow truck driver know that the wheel was about to fall off? Was it wobbling or could he hear the studs/nuts rolling around in the cover?

Last summer on a day trip up Pikes Peak a Toyota Tacoma was in a side ditch area with a front wheel missing. The small truck has what looked like 36" tires and the stock rotors and I noticed that the stud bolts were missing. On our way up the mountain we stopped twice and found two of his stud bolts in the road - with the nut on them. When we came down the mountain we stopped at the scene and handed the sheared off studs and bolts to an a police officer. I asked him if he had been riding his brakes down the mountain, which he had, causing a very high build up of heat. That, apparently in conjunction with over tightened lugs nuts cause all of the studs to shear off and for him to lose a tire.

I will say that his guardian angel was with him that day as on most of that mountain road, there is no side shoulder to pull off on to - just steep mountain side.

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Old 03-22-2011, 09:24 AM   #19
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Re: Yikes! Close call, wheel almost falls off

The tow truck driver noticed that the wheel was wobbling, we were driving about 25mph at the time. I immediately lowered my side view mirror and almost s*it my pants when I saw the wheel wobbling back and forth.

Most of our drive was downhill, HWY 207 from Tahoe, HWY 394 from Mammoth etc. I'm consertative when it comes to braking and use the engine as much as possible. Easy to do with a diesel. I doubt that they loosened due to heat. My guess is the lug nuts were not tightened correctly the last time the wheel was removed. It's been 1,000 miles since the incident and they have not loosened.

My SMB build is scheduled to start on 4/26 and the wheels will be replaced so it's a moot point. I'm just thankful that nobody was injured, could have been much worse.
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Old 07-23-2016, 12:50 PM   #20
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Same problem

We just had our wheel come flying off for the 2nd time. The first was going about 50mph on a smooth straight road and I ended in the ditch with a few thousand dollars of damage. My wife just called to say that it was making a clicking noise, the brakes weren't working well and she was taking into the shop and another wheel popped off. When we bought it a diesel mechanic shop took off the wheels and replaced them, so we assumed they overtightened the lugs. Our mechanic went through and readjusted each one. I noticed that the quigley details say the van is rated to 9500 lbs but when we took it to a weigh station recently it weighs 9600 lbs with two people in it and no gear inside. Now I've got some serious concerns for safety in its construction with my family inside it.

Has anyone else had this issue?
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