December 16, 200619 yr Ok, so we take a cruise up to Maine. Everything normal, steering wheel giving the usual hand massage around 50-60. I brake at the first exit... clicking. Brake at the next stop, louder... get to the destination after a severe turn in... no click on stop. The stops vary all day, so do the severity of the "clicks". Soooo, we stop at another destination, I smell burnt pancakes and see smoke coming out the grille. Open the hood with the engine off... nada... nothing amiss no smell?! Ride back to Mass. no issues when the vibration happens at 50-60 I turn the wheel quick, back and forth and it settles down. Back home, making different turns in-town the "click" gets more severe... REAL BAD. Causes: 1. Pinhole leak in the heater hose spraying onto the manifold. No biggie. 2. I had the wheels balanced and they NEVER TIGHTENED THE LUGS ON THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL! YIKES! All is well, little my guy got me home. NEVER trust an outsider to work on your car if you can help it.
December 16, 200619 yr 2. I had the wheels balanced and they NEVER TIGHTENED THE LUGS ON THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL! YIKES! All is well, little my guy got me home. NEVER trust an outsider to work on your car if you can help it. Exact reason I do everything my self (apart from getting the wheels balanced.) It's amazing how far you can go on something people would freak out at if you reversed out the driveway...
December 16, 200619 yr WHen I replaced my brake pads this summer, I broke off one of the anti rattle tabls. It mad a little click each time I braked, but I didn't care. The click morphed into a clunk a week ago, and then into a horrendous grinding and soft breaks on wednesday. One of the caliper bracket bolts had been working it's way out, and it fell out, letting the caliper swing into the wheel. It's amazing the things we ignore when we think we know what they are.
December 16, 200619 yr I had a drivetrain click on my '85 that I was so sure was an axle....then my wheel fell off.....I didn't make that mistake again :-\
December 16, 200619 yr ...2. I had the wheels balanced and they NEVER TIGHTENED THE LUGS ON THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL! YIKES! ... ...NEVER trust an outsider to work on your car if you can help it. You aren't kidding!! I had my tires done one time on my 98 Legacy. with-in 100 miles.. I get out of the car and one lug nut is missing off the front drivers side wheel and various others around the car are loose. I went back to the Big-O shop and told them what happened.. they tried to play it off, but I still made them give me a free lug nut!
December 16, 200619 yr I bet the lugs were tight before maine..... <sound>twilight zone music<sound/> ... Glad you made it home... did you cook some pancakes?
December 16, 200619 yr I guess keep a lug wrench with ya and when you get something done that involves taking the wheels off after the G.E.D recipients get done with their thing, tighten them yourself in the parking lot. Then go raise hell.
December 16, 200619 yr I guess keep a lug wrench with ya and when you get something done that involves taking the wheels off after the G.E.D recipients get done with their thing, tighten them yourself in the parking lot. Then go raise hell. actually, if you do that, I'll be you find that they feel tight. you have to get the wheels good and warm before re-torqueing. that first time I had the wheel fall off, I had been doing some brake work on that side...and I know I got them good and tight. but if you don't drive on them, and then re-torque, they'll work themselves loose. ever since, I tighten the lugs, then drive around the block a few times, doing 4 or 5 very good, hard stops, to get the brakes/wheels warm. THEN I put final torque on the lugs. you'd be suprised how loose they can get just driving around the block!
December 16, 200619 yr Glad the incident didn't cause any more grief than it did. Have a look at the holes in the wheel that was loose and make sure there is still plenty of meat where the lugnut seats. Off a bit, but I shop at a local boneyard where you can take your vehicle to the car in the yard that you are working on. I sometimes take my Brat, well on one trip, I walked across the yard for parts from another car. That afternoon upon ariving home (did feel a bit funny on the ride home - thought it was mud in a rim). I come to find a lug nut missing and the other three very loose! Evidently, some one thought my Brat was in the boneyard and was snagging the wheels!! I guess I spooked him coming back!! Guess I see why he thought what he thought?
December 16, 200619 yr actually, if you do that, I'll be you find that they feel tight. you have to get the wheels good and warm before re-torqueing. that first time I had the wheel fall off, I had been doing some brake work on that side...and I know I got them good and tight. but if you don't drive on them, and then re-torque, they'll work themselves loose. ever since, I tighten the lugs, then drive around the block a few times, doing 4 or 5 very good, hard stops, to get the brakes/wheels warm. THEN I put final torque on the lugs. you'd be suprised how loose they can get just driving around the block! I found this out the hardway once. I had rotated my tires the previous day and didnt do the whole re-torque thing after putting them back on. Took a twenty mile drive and had to pull over at one point cause the wheels were shaking so bad. If I would have drove for another 5 miles I am convinced that they would have fallen off.
December 17, 200619 yr Author Ahhhh... The BRAT went for inspection yesterday and because of its age, went through a SUPER THOROUGH check (this station is tough). Nothing is wrong, front end is tight, E-brake works, all is well.
December 17, 200619 yr Congrats Mary....BTW everytime I have had loose lugs it was my own fault ..sometimes I just get in too much of a hurry..BTW Bucky finally got his 200,000 mile oil change today..I double/triple check to make sure I put the drain plug back in LMAO
December 17, 200619 yr 2... I had the wheels balanced and they NEVER TIGHTENED THE LUGS ON THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL! YIKES! ... I was Thinkin´ that Things only Happened Here... About five years Ago, it Happened to my Dad´s 1969 Mercury Comet Caliente Coupé...
December 17, 200619 yr Author I was Thinkin´ that Things only Happened Here... About five years Ago, it Happened to my Dad´s 1969 Mercury Comet Caliente Coupé... Tim had new tires put on at BJ's and they apparently didn't tighten things too well. He was on the highway and felt something, so he pulled off onto a secondary road. His rear driver's tire passed him as he was attempting to stop to the side. I got a call at 5:30 a.m. to bring a jack and some tools. It did $1800 worth of damage. BJ's settled, no questions asked.
December 17, 200619 yr ever since, I tighten the lugs, then drive around the block a few times, doing 4 or 5 very good, hard stops, to get the brakes/wheels warm. THEN I put final torque on the lugs. you'd be suprised how loose they can get just driving around the block! Not sure why I've never had this problem... Over 18 years of Subaru driving & maintaining. I do use the lug nuts from the older 76 & 78 wagons - they are the fancy chrome ones that cover the stud so the end doesn't get rusty. I put grease or anti seize on the threads - but not the part that hits the rim. Never let anyone put wheels on the car but me, or retourque after. I have an extra set of rims so the tire guys don't get to touch the car. Things are in the works, I should soon have a tire changing machine. I'll finally be able to get the right length tire valves installed!
December 17, 200619 yr One of the caliper bracket bolts had been working it's way out, and it fell out, letting the caliper swing into the wheel. that happened to me as well. didnt do it for a day till i was coming off the freeway at 65 and hit the brakes and the caliper broke loose on the bottom. scared the ***** outta me. but i got that bolt in there
December 17, 200619 yr that happened to me as well. didnt do it for a day till i was coming off the freeway at 65 and hit the brakes and the caliper broke loose on the bottom. scared the ***** outta me. but i got that bolt in there +1 After rebuilding the front end on my Justy, I inadvertantly forgot a bolt on my caliper and had the caliper work out from the bottom until it was bouncing off my wheel going down the highway sounding like a machinegun and I was so torqed:mad: all I could think of was one of the remanufactured halfshafts had just wasted itself. I limped the car back home and after finding the problem bounced my skull off the driveway a couple of times to remind myself not to get over anxious when getting close to finishing a project...
December 17, 200619 yr Not sure why I've never had this problem... Over 18 years of Subaru driving & maintaining. I do use the lug nuts from the older 76 & 78 wagons - they are the fancy chrome ones that cover the stud so the end doesn't get rusty. I put grease or anti seize on the threads - but not the part that hits the rim. Never let anyone put wheels on the car but me, or retourque after. I have an extra set of rims so the tire guys don't get to touch the car. Things are in the works, I should soon have a tire changing machine. I'll finally be able to get the right length tire valves installed! it's about 50x worse for alloy wheels. if you have steelies, it's almost a non-issue....could be the explanation.
December 17, 200619 yr I had a drivetrain click on my '85 that I was so sure was an axle....then my wheel fell off.....I didn't make that mistake again :-\ This is EXACTLY why i treat every knock and rattle as a possible "your car is going to explode" situation. I dont like tire guys, on my last car they fixed the balancing weights to the inside of the rims not noticing the fact they wouldnt clear the brake calipers. 10 miles later i returned and got all the wheels rebalanced for free. Ive also had the occasional lug nut come loose after getting an alignment or new tire.
December 17, 200619 yr If I treated my car like that I would never be able to ride in it... some of my rear shock sounds would make baby mohamid cry... This is EXACTLY why i treat every knock and rattle as a possible "your car is going to explode" situation. I dont like tire guys, on my last car they fixed the balancing weights to the inside of the rims not noticing the fact they wouldnt clear the brake calipers. 10 miles later i returned and got all the wheels rebalanced for free. Ive also had the occasional lug nut come loose after getting an alignment or new tire.
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