LoneStarFRC

Yes. Bear in mind the purpose of the washers are to prevent any loosening of the nut. They are of a "split" (two piece) design, have the enlarged outer diameter (SP) and must be installed correctly with the "sawtooth" teeth facing each other. Install dry and do not use any lubricant or other material. Torque to 142 - 145 Lb ft.

For more specific info, go to Nord-Lock's website.

http://www.nord-lock.com/nord-lock/w.../introduction/

92C4M6

Thanks man. Will be doing this asap. Agskn though, if this doesn't fix it what might I be replacing?

LoneStarFRC

Trying to understand what something sounds like from just a description alone, can be tricky. When you say fix "it", I assume "it" is the noise/sound coming from the axle spline/hub area to begin with? If the sound ("clicking, etc") is not coming from that area/interface, then cleaning/lubing and installing a new axle nut and (lock) washer will have no effect whatever. The parking brake assembly/hardware etc can also be a source of noise.

Btw, "lubing" should include more than just removing the axle nut and spraying penetrent into the axle splines. Pry the bearing hub/spindle away from the a bit and spray on, or into, the backside area between the hub and the outer axle CV joint. I would use white lithium grease and not WD40, etc, at least in that area.

HTH

SaberD

i just checked the service manual, and couldn't find anything about what kind of lubricant to use on the axle splines or if the axle nut should be dry or lubed. Has anyone else found it in there? Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

LoneStarFRC

I agree Saber, I see nothing either, but as far as anything being applied to the splines, I see that as a somewhat preventive (future rust, corrosion, etc), since once the nut is properly tightened, there is no movement. Same for the Nord-Lock = preventive.

If GM thought it worthwhile, even if only on the C6 ZR1 cars, then it stands to reason it has merit. So may say "over kill" (washer), but considering for the relatively cheap cost, ESPECIALLY on cars with significant performance mods, it's a win, win.

One thing I WOULD do regardless, is wire brush/clean the axle threads and after assembly of everything, apply a thin coat on the remaining axle threads sticking out, to prevent future rust.

SaberD

I just find it strange because every other car I've seen calls for axle grease on the splines and nut face. Now for the splines it's just corrosion preventative, but for the nut face the clamping force would be considerably different with a dry nut than a lubed nut, so I'm surprised this important piece of information is not included. Perhaps this is why people are facing this issue because they are not lubing the nut face. Just a thought.

LoneStarFRC

Couple thoughts come to mind:

GM considers the nut a single-use item and does not list, show, or recommend any lube. GM engineers, in their infinite wisdom, are very aware of torquing issues, etc I'm sure.
As far as the washer goes, Nord-Lock says do NOT use any lube under the washer. Clean and dry.

SaberD

Thank you for the clarification! I'll be sure to reference this thread if I ever need to remove the axle from the hub.

92C4M6

Update: So I replaced the spindle nuts, again, this time using the lock washers from the zr1 and retorqued to 150# and.....it worked! For 5 minutes, now the drivers side is doing it again. Why would this temporarily work? What's the problem here? I'm going nuts.

SaberD

Pun intended? lol. Did you remove the axle from the hub and clean the splines on the axle and in the hub, and re-pack the splines with axle grease? You have to make sure to do a really good job of cleaning the splines and the clamping surface inside the hub where the axle and hub contact.