How to check true on rear axle shaft flange?? Help asap please...

Ok, I was pulling into Starbucks this morning and started hearing a loud racket coming from the rear of the Jeep. A guy pulled in right behind me and says, "umm, sir, you're rear wheel is about to fall off!" I walked around to the passenger side rear tire and low and behold there is only 1 lug-nut on the wheel and 3 of the studs are straight up gone. After briefly imagining my conversation with the Starbucks manager in mid-repair in their parking lot, I decided to call and have Geico send me a tow truck. The Jeep is now home, and I'm about to begin the installation of new studs/lug nuts.

Since I have no idea how or why this occurred or when, I figured I had better check the axle flange for true, while I've got it out installing the new studs. Is there anyway to do this without chucking it up in a lathe and using a dial indicator?

BTW, the studs are only 6 weeks old, as are the lug nuts. I used genuine Dorman studs, and brand new McGard lugnuts, so this was a complete surprise to see that they failed. Thanks for your help.

Ary

I'll post pics tonight.

not too sure I would've told anyone that story......

easiest home way would be to use a framing square, a ruler and some calibrated eyeball.

cut a couple chunks of wood into "V" blocks... rig up some sort of indicator (wires/coathanger pointing at and close to touching the flange from the x & y axes) have helper or self spin the shaft while observing the runout & deflection.

Hauling it to the machine shop and having it chucked in a lathe would be the most precise...

Safari Ary said:

BTW, the studs are only 6 weeks old, as are the lug nuts. I used genuine Dorman studs, and brand new McGard lugnuts, so this was a complete surprise to see that they failed. Thanks for your help.

Ary

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Did you ever take the time to retorque them since they were installed?

Jes said:

Did you ever take the time to retorque them since they were installed?

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Not really, I changed wheels two weeks ago, and torqued them all to 100 ft/lbs at the time and haven't looked at them since.

Ary

Safari Ary said:

Not really, I changed wheels two weeks ago, and torqued them all to 100 ft/lbs at the time and haven't looked at them since.

Ary

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Put the rear housing up on jackstands and take both wheels off.

In 2wd, look closely and see if you can see any wobble. If not satisfied, put a dial indicator on it. That should give you enough clue as to the true of the axle flange.

If it is true, put the wheels on and watch. If you do see a wobble, then it's probably the wheel that's bent.

That's what I would do.

Running Eagle 589 Alloys, so I doubt the wheel would be bent, but I will probably try putting it on stands and letting it spin. I got new studs and am contemplating tacking them in place since 3 of them went in VERY easily(3 taps of the 3lb hammer, and they were fully seated). I have an old steel wheel that I jigged everything up with, so that I know the studs are straight.

Does anyone think putting 2-3 tacks per stud with 3/32's 6013 will distort the flange?

Ary

Since you have aluminum wheels, that's all the more reason to retorque them. Aluminum wheels are known for settling in after awhile.

I wouldn't tack them in. Just retorque and you should be okay.

The key is to retorque the lug nuts after a few miles. This is a common problem. They don't seat all the way the first time. No need to tack them if the lug nuts are kept tight. Most mechanics will require you to sign a statement you will bring it back after 50 miles to have them retorqued.

Safari Ary said:

Not really, I changed wheels two weeks ago, and torqued them all to 100 ft/lbs at the time and haven't looked at them since.

Ary

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Did you use longer than stock studs ?I had a similar problem with a 74 dodge truck,for some reason the studs were long and the lug nut bottomed out before the nuts were tight on the rim,wallowed the holes out on 1 rim before i figgered it out.
Wayne

The studs are the correct length. Here's some pics:

What I found when I took the last lug nut off:


Comparison of the sheered off one to the one remaining stud:


Shot of the sheered off stud from the top:


Thanks for the help guys. Unless someone had F-ed with my lugnuts at the party I went to Friday night, I think they just worked loose and came off. I just find it hard to believe they ALL came loose at the same time.

Ary

Being a tool and die maker, you learn to read fractures. The one you show is from excess pulling pressure. Either you torqued the lug nuts too tight to begin with or more commonly, once they got loose, the constant pounding of the rim against the lug cause a straight pull fracture. If it was rotational, you would see a spiral effect in the grain structure and a signature rupture line. The fact that more than one fractured is actually the most common way to see the failure. If the majority of the lugs are tight, the force is distributed and you don't see a failure, just a loose lug nut or two.

Ok, thank you for explaining that. I went around and retorqued all the other lugs to 100 ft/lbs, but they were all pretty tight(only moved the end of the torque wrench maybe 1-2" before it clicked off). I put the rear-end on stands and let it spin and I think I got away this time. There was no percievable wobble whatsoever.

I also noticed when I pulled the shaft to put the new studs in, that the 4 retaining plate bolts were semi-loose. Not "hand tight" or anything that loose, but they were definately not as tight as they should have been. I'm hoping this is responsible for the slight clunking I've been getting when the Jeep's weight shifts from one side to the other in the rear.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Ary

why are there no splines on the broken stud, did all the broken ones look like that? maybe the splines stripped out when you tightened em, so they never got as tight as they should be. just a thought

Loose lug nut!

Especially new ones need to be re-torqued. They should be check often and especially after wheels have been removed and replaced.

Loose lug nuts will break the studs just like that every time.

When you put new studs in make sure the axle holes for the suds haven't been hogged out also. You might need new axles or larger splined lugs at least.

mark

Chad, there was only one broken one, and the other two that were still in the axle had their splines.

Mark, I will definately be retorqueing these that I just put on, as well as checking the other 3 wheels on a weekly basis from now on. It's a scary thought to think of losing a wheel at speed, which very well could have happened.

The new studs were not as tight a press-fit as I'd have liked, but the holes weren't loosened up to the point of requiring new shafts. I'm going to go through the entire axle in a few weeks, including having the 3rd member rebuilt with new bearings, so I'll check on them again when I pull the shafts. If I end up feeling they need to be dealt with, I'll probably order up some alloys( ).

Ary