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Date:         Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:15:27 -0700
Reply-To:     Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject:      Re: Why my rear axle nuts got loose
Comments: To: "M. Jade" <tinho2010@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <53007.22209.qm@web62302.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

M.,

Can't answer most of your questions, but can tell you that you don't need a torque wrench to approximately hit 360 Ft. Lb. All you gotta do is slip a four foot piece of pipe over your socket handle and lean on it with about 90 pounds of weight. 4 X 90 = 360. Let us know how much tighter the nuts get.

Karl Wolz

|-----Original Message----- |From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of |M. Jade |Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 11:39 PM |To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM |Subject: Re: Why my rear axle nuts got loose | |Hello David, thanks for the quick reply. I hope it is not damaged that |easily yet. Last year the axles were taken off to replace broken CV joint |boots. I had been paying attention to the rear wheels. The noise from loose |axle nuts is very easy to idnetify. I had two AC beaetles in the past and I |had that problem before. So when I heard it last year I took the earliest |opportunity to tighten them. The noise immediately went away. It has been |good for more than 6 months. Then it started again on one wheel. I checked |it and it sure was loose. So I tightened it again. This was about two weeks |ago. That wheel is doing fine now. Then I heard the same noise from the |other wheel. I checked it today and sure enough it was loose. I tightened |it just an hour ago. I will know if the noise goes away tomorrow. | |If the noise does go away does it mean the axle is OK? My question is they |had worked for more than 6 months. So the nuts have been tight, although |not quite enough. Because I had to turn about another 30 degree it makes me |wonder if something has worn and it takes 1/12 turn to tighten them again. | |When I said loose it's not like you can turn it by hand. You have to turn |it by a wrench (1/2" drive 2 feet long bar). So I don't feel the splines on |the axle are damaged. The question in my mind is is it possible the axle is |going to break off. I know it is probably not very likely. But does it ever |happen to anyone to have a broken axle? Last time they were loose I turned |the nuts probably 1/12 turn. Now they were turned again 1/12 turn. |Something must be wearing out inside or the axle is pulled so hard and |about to break off. Again this is probably not likely. But I am concerned |really. | |Thanks again David. | |MJ | |--- On Fri, 6/11/10, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote: | |From: David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> |Subject: Re: Why my rear axle nuts got loose |To: "M. Jade" <tinho2010@YAHOO.COM> |Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM |Date: Friday, June 11, 2010, 10:35 PM | |At 01:19 AM 6/12/2010, M. Jade wrote: |> My rear wheels have been making rumbling noise. According to my past |experience I know it is the axle nuts that are probably loose. So I finally |checked them today. Sure enough they are loose. I tightened them until I |could not turn further. I do not have a torque wrench so I am sure I did |not apply enough torque. | |Dear M. Jade, | |If your axle nuts aren't tight enough, the hub will slip on the axle |splines and damage both of them.  It sounds as though this has already |happened and the hubs and axles may need to be replaced.  It's necessary to |be sure that you have axle nuts with ten slots (rather than the older ones |with six).  You must tighten them to 360 lb-ft / 500 Newton-meters and then |additionally tighten until the next slot lines up with the hole for the |cotter pin.  The main risk is that the drive axles will no longer be able |to power the wheels reliably, or that the nut itself might possibly fail in |which case the wheel would depart from the vehicle. | |This is not something you can be casual about.  If you cannot tighten them |properly yourself you must get someone to do it for you. | |Yours, |David | | |


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