From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Brake Check
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 02:28:01 -0400
Message-ID: <0fqgh091553fmfk92uuvacd9uuh5s0g2av@4ax.com>

On Mon, 9 Aug 2004 20:12:30 -0400, ss1amanda@webtv.net (John Bell) wrote:


>There is one lug nut that I couldn't get off. We soaked it with Liquid
>Wrench, but I don't think it's gonna give. Any suggestions ? I was
>afraid to apply too much pressure. We actually bent the lug wrench on a
>couple of the lug nuts. If I had had a flat, I would have had to call
>for road service. BTW, the front brake pads were bad. I was only able to
>check one side of the back.
>
>I guess ya gotta watch out for those impact wrench cowboys. jtb

Get it to a shop with an impact wrench and let them loosen it.  You run the
very real risk of twisting off the stud with your cheater.  When the wrench
monkey ran that nut up to the wrench's limit, he probably created a multitude
of tiny nut to stud welds from the friction.  You probably won't be able to
break them loose with continuous torque.  Only the shock of another impact
wrench will do that.

If you can't get to a shop, an emergency measure that might work is to heat
the nut with a torch until it passes the "spit test".  Lick your finger, touch
the nut and if it hisses and bounces your finger away from the steam, it's hot
enough.  Do NOT heat any hotter, as you can easily remove the heat treat from
the stud.  As a matter of standard practice, I'd replace the stud after
heating it.

John

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: The Great Jeep Dragging Incident
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:34:43 -0400
Message-ID: <gl8i74p1f1k4h25q0blckhkjk8lfa4pn72@4ax.com>

On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:06:40 -0500, "Bill" <w8j6c4o7l2l9u4m5@yahoo.com> wrote:


>So, here's the "Lessons Learned" from this incident...
>
>1. Check your tire pressure and lug nuts before every trip. You probably
>won't catch ones that are too tight, but you'll catch the loose ones.
>

1a. Don't EVER let the tire monkeys use an air wrench to tighten your lug
nuts.  Specify "hand torque only".  They're used to that request.

A particularly large specimen of tire gorilla can still over-tighten the lugs
but he'd have to work at it.

This goes for any passenger vehicle wheel and not just alloy wheels.  Warped
brake rotors, broken studs and wallowed out lug holes are other results of air
wrench tightening.

John