My '86 manual also says 164 ft lbs
Propper torque spec for wheel (spindle) nut?
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Propper torque spec for wheel (spindle) nut?
I have an 88 that needs a new rear wheel bearing on the drivers side. A November 09 Corvette Enthusiast C4 real wheel bearing repair article says "Early service manuals say torque this nut to 81 lbs-ft, but later manuals have upped that spec to the recommended 164 lbs-ft. That's a lot of torque" I called the local chevy dealership and they said 100 lbs-ft.
What's the proper amount to torque these?
Thanks!
What's the proper amount to torque these?
Thanks!
Le Mans Master
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From: WV
164 ft lbs is what it says in my 89 manual and is what I use, but I believe it has been revised up to around 200 ft lbs if my memory serves me correctly.. Someone else needs to verify this....
..WW
..WW
Last edited by WW7; Sep 14, 2010 at 08:07 AM.
Melting Slicks
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From: WAY UPSTATE NY
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Thanks for the info. That's a lot of torque! I'm not good at diagnosing things, but not bad at fixing things that aren't to complex.
So hears the deal. I took the car into a shop recently for an oil change and had them look at this because the car was making a clicking sound from the rear left wheel. The guy said the wheel nut was loose, he tightened it and that I am going to need a wheel bearing in the near future. Now after about two weeks I am getting the clicking noise again and I'm not sure if he didn't torque it enough and it has loosened again or if there is another problem.
Would a loose spindle nut cause the bearing to go bad? Also, I've read some people that put lube on the threads before putting the nut on and some people that put locktite on, which is right?
Thanks for the help, it is much appreciated.
So hears the deal. I took the car into a shop recently for an oil change and had them look at this because the car was making a clicking sound from the rear left wheel. The guy said the wheel nut was loose, he tightened it and that I am going to need a wheel bearing in the near future. Now after about two weeks I am getting the clicking noise again and I'm not sure if he didn't torque it enough and it has loosened again or if there is another problem.
Would a loose spindle nut cause the bearing to go bad? Also, I've read some people that put lube on the threads before putting the nut on and some people that put locktite on, which is right?
Thanks for the help, it is much appreciated.
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I've done it twice, it's 164 ft-lbs
Melting Slicks
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From: Red Sox Nation! RI
It's 183-192 ft lbs for the wheel bearing nut - which is the revised torque per the GM service bulletin - it was never 81 ft lbs.
Wheel lug nuts are 100 ft lbs and that applies to most GM cars, not just the C4s
Wheel lug nuts are 100 ft lbs and that applies to most GM cars, not just the C4s
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Race Director
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From: WI
200 here as well. You can check how the diff is doing by trying to torque the nut without the brake on. Break away torque was 110 ft/lbs on mine which is good. If you can turn the diff down around 70 plan to rebuild it (if you want posi traction!).
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You guys are great, I wish I could get as much help on cadillacforums.
If the guy at the shop torqued it correctly what would cause it to come loose so quickly and do I need to worry about bearing damage?
Thanks again.
If the guy at the shop torqued it correctly what would cause it to come loose so quickly and do I need to worry about bearing damage?
Thanks again.
Race Director
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From: WI
Is the cover with the cotter key installed? It can loosen a little with the key installed but not super lots. I use thread locker on just about everything. That is the purple locktite I believe, light hold, don't use red! If it was installed correctly I suppose runout on the rotor or uneven torque on the lugs could make it loosen.
Safety Car
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I torqued mine to 180 ft/lbs. I have heard if the torque is on there too tight, then that could cause the bearings to wear.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
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I don't know, but I don't think so. Can you give me more information about this?
No, wheel coming off would not be a good thing.
I torqued mine to 180 ft/lbs. I have heard if the torque is on there too tight, then that could cause the bearings to wear.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
Safety Car
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If you replace the hub, go ahead and replace the washer. It is $7 at the dealer. The part people like to lube is the spindle shaft that sits inside the bearing. They put alot of antisieze on spindle shaft. Some also put antisieze on the washer as well.
Also, when I put the nut retainer on. I made sure it was tight. It took a couple of tries with redoing the cotter pin as the retainer liked to stay loose. But I eventually figured out a way to get the cotter pin on there to keep the retainer tight. I figured a loose retainer would give the nut some play to start backing off. But when you have a problem of the nut backing off with the retainer in place, it usually is because the hub is bad.
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From: Auburndale Florida 1990 Vert, 6 speed
Team Owner
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I torqued mine to 180 ft/lbs. I have heard if the torque is on there too tight, then that could cause the bearings to wear.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
If the spindle nut keeps coming loose. Sounds like you need a new bearing, as when the bearing goes. It is known to cause the nut to keep backing off. You sure don't want your wheel to fall off going down the road.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
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