swing axle nuts - Guru advice appreciated.

Hi Chris

I'm no guru, but you might try new axle nuts. I have found when things wont stay tight, new ones will.

I have a feeling that some of the specs call for new nuts each time they are removed ?

Richard

Snapping Arse!

Stuff like that is a bit worrying!

I don't see why they'd come loose, unless something was assembled wrong, and something wore/compressed with the driving??? Clearly the nut hasn't come loose (unless it is stripped and jusmped a thread or two).

I guess keep a close eye on it!

Allan

Snapping Arse indeed!

No stripped threads. And, unless I was on the day of original assembly somehow abducted by aliens and turned into an idiot, there's not a whole lot that can be put together wrong (though I've seen the o-rings in the wrong place).

I will indeed keep a close eye on it. Hopefully that close eye will not, at some point, involve watching an axle and wheel pass me on the road.

Thanks Allan

Chris

On Monday, 1 April 2013 14:05:55 UTC+13, ChrisKlinger wrote: Hopefully that close eye will not, at

You can take some comfort in the fact that your barke drum would be with it, making for a particularly exciting day :-D

I hope it stays right for you!

Allan.

Hadn't thought of that. But, hey, between an e-brake on one wheel and the other half of the rear end dragging the ground, sounds like more fun than an E-Ticket ride at Disney (Though I'm probably showing age; they haven't used those in years ;)

On a funny note, as a teen I had a Bradley GT kit car on a '60 chassis, 10" wide rims in the back. Had just argued with the GF, but she bolted right rear wheel on while I bolted the left.

Left, with her, my brother, and 2 friends (remember being 17 and fitting 5 people into a 2-seater?). About 1-1/2 miles from home, the car suddenly shook, then swerved, then dropped, leaving a 30' gash in a lady's front lawn, while we watched a wayward right rear wheel continue to head down Granada Blvd., stopping about a block farther down.

Ah, the days!

Chris

HAHA! That could have ended a lot worse! At least you're experienced with losing wheels :-)

We once had 10 of us in my Sisters old Mini (the old ones, not the new!)

Yep, I know what you mean I had trouble like that maintaining nuts and bolts on railroad switch points. He might need new ones if the theads feel loose or look "dulled" down any.

But. I -believe- it's just a matter of getting the nuts tighter than he got 'em. :) That's all. BTSeenT

I was told in early '75 that...

"get 'em as tight as you can, then tighten 'em just a little bit more ;)"

Never had a problem with old junky crap that we'd sometimes use. :)

What I did was to get a stick of the larger-size of bed-frame and drilled two holes that matched-up with two holes on the drum and used it as a home-made "second hand" tool long before I ever saw a picture of one for sale.

...then use a -real- wrench, not a sissy 1/2" breaker bar and socket (that's got way to much spring in it to tighten anything big).

I used a 1+7/6" (~36mm) combination wrench and a big enough piece of EMT, after being hammered kinda flat, so it'd fit over the open end of the combimation wrench. Really clunky but it worked great! ;)

Later, at the swap meet just happened to find two cut-off boxed-ends (cut from combination wrenches I guess) one was 1+7/16" (~36mm) and the other was 1+13/16" (~46mm) so always wondered if they weren't modified for VW axle nut use. LOL :)

The thing is... it's -light- work! ...if you've got the right tools.

Alvin in AZ retired RR signalape

Hi Richard

I torqued mine with a 3/4" drive socket, breaker bar, and a 4' pipe on the breaker, a 12" extension to clear the fender, and a jack stand under the extension to keep it lined up. Stood on it about 3' out, @165 lbs should have made 345ft/lbs. Bounced more to align cotter pins.

When I checked, after noting that they were loose, I got another full turn on 'em, using the same procedure.

Just can't see what could have compressed or stretched after torquing that tight. Threads are OK. And it was BOTH axles!

I've never heard of new nuts being recommended.

I plan to check 'em again soon, make sure everything's staying tight.

Thanks

Chris

tricky wrote:

A measly 3 feet? LOL :)

I'm telling you that simply ain't enough, ok? :)

BTSeenT, no kidding, 3 feet is not enough.

And not-springy like a breaker bar and socket neither. And the drum and axle needs to be solid too with a long lever attached.

Yeah, I know. ;)

"we did it this time and that time and the other time and it worked fine"

...and one time it didn't work fine for Chris, see?

Any motion at all on those splines is bad for 'em.

Alvin in AZ AKA: Butthead in AZ AKA: Soon to be bear shit in AZ (on rec.guns) (told 'em my bear story LOL :)

But the whole point of Ft-lbs of torque is the force that is applied, and actually at 3 ft it should have been 495 ft lbs without bouncing if he actually measured 3 ft out. Granted, to avoid loss of pressure due to binding and the like the pivot point should have been supported on a surface directly level with the axle height but at least in theory it should have been right unless something was not totally together and falsely indicated that it was tight enough. At least in theory. Been doing it that way for years.... Maybe he has been losing weight and didn't realize it. ;)

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: snipped-for-privacy@netfront.net ---

Is there not a split pin (cotta?) that stops it coming loose ?

Am I remembering it right? Did VW say 345ft-lbs? Am I thinking of the flywheel's gland nut? LOL :)

x2 and couldn't agree more. :)

And might have been too ...but that's what VW's wants with new parts and everything else when everything's "just right".

It "should" work. ;)

"in theory, theory and practice are the same, in practice they aren't"

-somebody's sig file on a newsgroup from the mid 90's :)

"get it as tight as you can, then tighten it a little bit more :)"

-Gary Sandve SPRR mechanic and dune buggy -nut!-

It worked for me and like I said, seen VW's ~345ft-lbs not work. :/

No kidding.

Tighten it like you mean business and quit fartin' around. LOL :)

Ok? :)

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OP, so, the nut's right where it's "supposed" to be and the wheel won't fall-off but your splines are stripped nekid. Measure out ~345ft-lbs if you want to because VW said to, it's not a safety issue. ;)

How much power you got? About stock? More?

tricky wrote:

Yeah there's supposed to be a large "cotter pin" keeping the nut from falling all the way off. But that's all it's for. :)

The nut's supposed to keep itself and everything else tight.

BTDT on railroad switch points and switch machines. :)

I'm a retired dumb railroader. :)

Retired Signalape so... Ex-ex-spurt ditch digger with pick, shovel and digging bar. xD

Was also a signal maintainer so... "I forgot more about pouring water than you'll ever know! :/"

^^That's my only real brag I got. xD

---------------------

One thing I fiNgured out about switch point nuts and bolts was that washers and split ring "lock" washers etc made the situation -worse-!

I took everything off the bolt I could get away with taking off. Then double nutted it with a -real- wrench then put in the cotter pin. xD Before that I was replacing them about every six months and after that they'd last the life of the switch points, about nine years on the main line near Bowie AZ. :)

Company issued a jillion 16" and up "Cresent" wrenches and they are crap. Cheater pipe don't help either. Guys would get the nut as tight as they could with their 18" Cresent/Diamond/Proto adjustable wrench then I'd tighten it a whole bunch more with a double boxed end wrench without a cheater pipe on it -simply- because my wrenchs' jaws weren't springing open. Don't believe me, test it for yourself. :)

Still got my favorite wrench a Cornwell offset boxed-end 1+1/8" on one end and 1+1/4" on the other. It's an odd-ball that way. :) Only used up to 1+3/4" on switch points etc.

Breaker bars and sockets (even 3/4" ones) are springy suckers! :/

I believe that's the real problem, the OP never really got what he thought did.

Alvin in AZ ps- Double nut your balls out there...

Who was it that said "give me a big enough lever and I,ll move the world"?.

Is there not a split pin (cotta?) that stops it coming loose ?

Close. But a lever isn't any good without a fulcrum. Or, put another way, without a fulcrum a lever isn't a lever.

One translation of the quote goes like this:

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." - Archimedes

I've seen others. For example "...and a fulcrum to rest it on..."

- Bill

that I am getting 270 at the business end. I even cobbled up a 46mm for the "Big Nut" bus transaxles. I've heard that the cheaper versions of the Torquemeister have had some breakage problems, but I can neither confirm, nor deny, that. Now I need to donate a 1-5/8 inch socket, and cobble up another one for the Berg flywheel gland nut.