Can you overtighten axle nuts?

[drunkyoda]

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.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

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.

[Magus2727]

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.

[6SPD_soul]

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.

[Missourileo]

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.....

[drunkyoda]

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

[whynotthinkwhynot]

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?

[macdiesel]

A half inch drive torque wrench should be able to torque over 250lb/fts

[G Ford Fan]

My 1/2" torque wrench goes to 150lbs

[whynotthinkwhynot]

I think it depends. I have 2, one goes to 150, and another goes to 250.