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Can you overtighten axle nuts?

27K views 32 replies 15 participants last post by  amc49 
#1 ·
Hey guys just replaced my axles. im curious as if you can over tighten the axle nuts because im hearing some sounds that sound like a bad bearing but my wheels didnt wobble last weekend when i checked right before doing my axles.
 
#2 ·
No. Over tightening won't put more of a strain on the bearings in this sort of design. You should've torqued those nuts down quite a bit. It took a 4' long cheater for me to loosen mine, and so I put them back on with a 4' cheater.
 
#3 ·
You need to TQ them down to some 210 foot lbs I think. Most TQ wrenches I have seen don't go that high, so after you max out your TQ wrench put a a regular wrench with a breaker bar on and give it some more love.
 
#4 ·
The spec I remember is 280. Even if it's 210 like Magus says, it's basically as tight as an average person can get it with a decent sized breaker/cheater bar.

The thing I remember about it though, you want to have torqued the axle nuts with the car on the ground and the suspension loaded.

EDIT: I just checked my Chiltons manual because 280 sounds way high, the torque spec for 00-01 is 173, 02-04 is 233, and 05 and later is 199.
 
#5 ·
Suspension loaded would be car on the ground, suspension unloaded would be car in the air. Back to the OP, can you give a better description of the sound? When does it happen? In a turn, over a bump, etc.....
 
#6 ·
no just a whirring sound while driving... i think it is my bearing... but im not positive. hopefully nothing is wrong with my new axles... lol.

and yes i took a 3/4 inch i believe breaker bar about 2 feet and put all my 230 pounds on it... lol
 
#7 ·
That will be fine. It could be bearings, buuuuut why not check? Hub bearings don't act like bearings on a spindle, so I think the best way to check is to jack up the vehicle by the frame, put trans in N, and spin the wheel. Listen for sounds. A bearing sound will be a low sort of grumbling or gravelly sound at the outer edge of the wheel. You'll hear brake scrape- of course, so ignore that. Now if you hear a rapid clicking from under the car somewhere, then yes, whomever installed your axles put too much force on the axle to push it in, and now the inner CV is broken. I've not heard of whirring with this particular failure, and I had it on my car for like 120k some miles before I got around to fixing it.

Whirring.... I think I should know that one, but just can't think of it ATM. Have you double checked to see if something is rubbing under there? AHHHH..... have you checked the passenger side carrier bearing to see if it is held down by it's strap?
 
#12 ·
"whirring" in my experiences with the focus is 90% of the time due to rear wheel bearing failure. The bearing is pressed into the rear drum and you can buy brand new drums already setup with new bearings and dust collars for about $50/side.
 
#14 ·
Mine are doing the same thing! Well one side for sure. I'm wondering if the 1.5" drop put them over the edge.
 
#17 ·
I've heard bad ones that whirring would be a perfect description of the noise they made, no grind or rumble, just a smooth whir that got louder and louder over coming days, bearing change fixed it. Thinking they can make several sounds there on back or front. Whir means you got some time to fix it, grind or rumble, fix it now or walking in a short time. The grinding means bearing is eating itself.

You jack up vehicle by SUSPENSION not frame, jacked up by frame the suspension is overextended and CVs are not supposed to be cycled under those conditions, the angle will be one not normally seen in use and it SHOULD click if any wear there on an older car. Means nothing if it does, mine all do it. You should never motor car like that under power, can tear up axles.
 
#18 ·
First of all, it is possible to overtighten anything; that's why they make torque wrenches. Likely not the problem here, but we had a crankshaft failure in a 6000 hp diesel because the factory (over) tightened the connecting rod bolts to the same torque as the main bearing caps and distorted the bearing caps. Most threaded fasteners will develop some adhesion in service; rust, corrosion, heat cycling such that the disassembly torque is likely higher than the assembly torque. In this case if there are any residual stresses or minute fractures from manufacturing/rolling threads, gross overtightening could precipitate a fracture failure.
 
#20 ·
Bearing will expand when heated up from the motion of the car I thought you had to tighten just enough to expect the tolerance for that.

I haven't needed to change the bearings in the focus, but in my ranger I went through a few sets.
 
#21 ·
So what do we call you, Rip Van Winkle? Because you are about 20 years behind the times.

Your response, or 'a few sets', says it all, I've never used that many even on 5 cars put together.

There are different types of bearings, and they tighten differently based on application.
 
#22 ·
I went through a few set cause it was lifted with larger than factory wheels and tires on it, and I took it mudding all the time. Lots of cake in mud and water will eat through the grease, that and the added stress from the bigger tires will cause more than normal wear on suspension, bearings, and joints. Doesn't look like I was saying everyone else was wrong I was simply asking. Anyone will tell you metal will expand when heated up. Mybad for commenting on the internet, I didn't know you owned the place.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Well I got the car in the air last night and, the drivers side rear was seized to the spindle. So I removed the drum with the spindle attached and put it in a vice and took the air-hammer to it. Bam, it released then. The brakes looked really good but needed adjusted badly. New drums with bearings=no noise.
 
#25 ·
Use a foot long piece of 2X4 and a baby sledge to remove tire/wheel, put the board on rubber not wheel edge. May have to go side to side, they always come off doing that. Antiseize on center raised pilot edge helps next time.
 
#26 ·
Huh... I thought we were talking about fronts not rears for some reason. IIRC the rears had a torque as high as the fronts- or nearly so. When you're dealing with that much torque, then it's not holding a bearing in like would be the case on the front of a RWD vehicle. Those don't generally have more than 30 ft-lbs, and a cotter pin/castle nut is what holds it in place when properly installed.

Worrying about torque exactness when you're dealing with around 200 ft-lbs is as silly as worrying about putting 5 qts in an engine when the capacities in the OM state 4.5 qts. Without such worry there might be less of a call for things like Tums or BC (Goodys!) powder, so like move forward bravely bro! You are now qualified to remove VW Type 1 drums except that you might need a small glass pipe in addition to the long metal one.

To the OP and OP help: I'd put money on that spindle being spent whether the bearing spun or not. Use your best judgement, but be prepared to replace the spindle next time. We've had more than one FF have issues with new bearings that are due to a spent spindle.
 
#27 ·
Soooooooooooooo......................what planet do you hail from, space brother?

Here on planet earth tightening old school tapered roller wheel bearings is done in INCH pounds not foot, 30 ft.lbs. and you're walking home in five minutes. I usually use 15-20 in.lbs., but much of it is feel for looseness just disappearing. A torque wrench 6 inches long.

LOL...............IIRC indeed.

Right on the no need for exact torque thing, I use anywhere from 175-200 ft.lbs. now on all 4 of mine, I like closer to 200 though.

Dunno about the 5 quart in 4.5 statement. Zetecs have a shallow secondary pan, if the addition of the extra half quart filled enough to let some show through the slat holes of the upper pan reinforcement, then one could lose a bit of power there as crank started eating oil, could induce some air injection into oil too. Maybe tear up a motor under hard use? Not like earlier stuff with more distance there. Ford spent a bit of time designing that middle reinforcement to recoup a bit of friction HP loss.

I have not filled up a pan with 4.5 quarts to check level, but I will if motor ever comes apart, I like to know things like that. Problem is, I can't seem to break one of these. Not gonna disassemble a perfectly running motor like I would when I was young and stupid................

Maybe someone else can chime in.
 
#28 ·
Methinks our "space brother" mis-spoke, as I'm SURE he wouldn't be taking a torque wrench at 30lb. to the bearings in question...

(grin)

To an 18 Wheeler, to "set" them while turning them, B4 backing it off & re-torquing to a lower number - yeah, I've done that....
 
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