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Wheel nuts falling off

I had the recent unpleasant experience of one of my rear wheels falling off (at low speed, thank goodness!!). I suspect the reason was I put the spare wheel on (to get it though the MOT) and because it was a bit rusty where the wheel nuts seat into the wheel they managed to work loose (this is on a Tranny so the spare had been exposed to the elements for ages)

Does anyone have suggestions for making sure this doesn't happen again!

I noticed newish coaches have plastic arrows on the wheel nuts that, I guess, you point at each other (in a sort of circle) so that any rotation of the nuts is easy to spot.

Any idea where to get these from? I'm tempted to put spots of paint on the nuts to do something similar.

Thanks for any suggestions. Cheers PJ

Reply to
pjlusenet
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Reply to
nape nelson

Did you use a torque wrench?

The wheel surface must be clean and free from rust and so should the studs.

Reply to
Alan

For a laugh find a truck parked up and move some of the pointers so they point at random angles! :)

sPoNiX

PS: Don't really do this as you'll get duffed up!

Reply to
sPoNiX

Thanks for that useful info. I had tried cleaning the wheel but I guess clean (as in no rust) and smooth aren't the same.

I'm going to put the rusty one back as the spare again.

I'll try some bits of white tape on the nuts rather than paint - and see if they do the job and how long they last. I'm still a bit paranoid about it happening again!

I'll have to invest in a torque wrench.

I'd always assumed that using a wheel brace by hand would leave the nuts less tight than Kwik Fits etc.. air tools. But things I've since read suggest you can overtighten by hand if you're not careful.

Cheers PJ

Reply to
pjlusenet

No torque wrench (I'm going to get one!)

I did clean where the nuts seat into the wheel but I guess I didn't do a good enough job. What really surprised me is how quickly they came off. Less than 2 weeks and about 200+ miles. (and I never looked at them once, unfortunately. I've never had a wheel nut come loose, let alone come off altogether, before)

At the time I did wonder if some so-and-so had knicked them - but I'm pretty sure it it was my own fault.

Cheers PJ

Reply to
pjlusenet

I'd think it unlikely you could overtighten them with the supplied wheelbrace.

Reply to
Dave Plowman

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