Driver,s side was loose on my 2006 MZ6 Z51 w/5000 miles on it. I torqued them then made 2000 mile round trip to Wisconsin last week. Checked the nuts after returning last Tuesday, driver's side was loose once again. They are both now double nutted. Original nuts were 33mm, second set of nuts bought from Chevy dealer were 34mm. Oh well, $20 worth of nuts along with $26 worth of deep well sockets (33 and 34mmJ) are money well spent for peace of mind. First set torqued to 118 ft-lbs, backup set torqued to 100 ft-lbs.

 

Checked mine today...Right was finger loose, Left was 20 ft. lb.

Removed nuts, re-installed with Locktite and torqued to 118.

 

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....2&group_ID=360

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/arm22-242.html

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/sk34242.html

I looked locally - here's what I found:

Northern tool had a 3/4" drive 1 5/16" socket.. It's not quite a deep-well, but it's pretty deep considering it's diameter. It was $9

Autozone had 33 and 34 MM deep well 1/2" drive sockets - About $13 each.

I bought all three and we'll see what fits

 

I did not have muck luck locally either. I ordered the K-D Tools KD41650 Deep Axle Nut kit from the following company:
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/

Kit arrived within 5 days.

I do not have any affiliation with the above company, just a satisfied customer. There may also be sponsor vendors that sell the same kit.

I measured my axle nuts before ordering and both were more than 33.5mm so the 34mm socket worked fine for me.

Save the wave,
John

 

 

Re: my 2006 Z51 coupe, roughly 14k miles

I picked up a 33mm socket today at Pep Boys... el-cheapo, made in Taiwan, "Performance Tool" (PT) brand.. part #W80553... 1/2" drive, 6-point, deep, says "fits many GM applications" (for whatever that's worth)... only $12.99... it fit my rear axle nuts just fine, a tad loose if anything. This socket is of decent enough quality for this application.

A 34mm would definitely be way too big, at least on my axle nuts. Maybe different nuts have been used on C6s over time, but this PT 33mm socket is pretty much the perfect tool for the axle nuts on my 2006.

My driver's side nut was fine... was torqued to at least 118 lbs/ft.

My passenger side nut... I found it at LESS than 50 lbs/ft. But it did not require much movement to get it up to 118 lbs/ft.

I was thinking of double-nutting, but I feel that the nut torque may become reduced over time NOT necessarily because the nut loosens on its own, but because of other movement in the joint. Thus, it may be possible that the effective torque on the primary nut will become reduced over time even WITH double-nutting. Just a theory. Double-nutting WILL keep the primary nut from moving and backing off, but it will not ensure precise correct torque on the nut against the hub over time.

With the above in mind, I am thinking that I may NOT double-nut, and just make it a point to check the torque at every oil change or whatever... it's so quick and easy to do, realistically takes like 2 minutes or less and you don't even get dirty. Since I do not drag race, I doubt those nuts will be loosening up any quicker than 6k miles, so a bi-annual torque check should be a safe bet... about the same frequency as my oil changes.

 

I went to Northern Tool yesterday and saw that 1-5/16 socket and almost bought it but then decided to look further in the store (especially since I hadn't been there before).

I went to look at the hydraulic floor jacks and noticed they had some automotive tools back there that included several axle nut sockets. These are deep 6-pt 1/2 in drive sockets made out of black steel. They had one in 34 mm for $15 which I bought and it worked great.

 

my nuts are fine

 

I just bought a 1 5/16 inch socket. It's a cheap one, Tru-Pro, in 3/4inch drive, 12 point.

It doesn't fit. It's too small.

Has anyone gotten a 1 5/16 inch to fit?

I guess I'm looking for a 33/34mm socket next...

 

 

exactly correct!

 

If the 'std' depth 3/4" drive 1-5/16" socket doesn't work, I'll try your idea at my local Northern and see if I can find the other cache of tools

Thanks for the tip

 

If a 1 - 5/16" socket is too small, then you'll need at least a 34mm (since 1 - 5/16" = 33.3375mm)

On my 2006 coupe, a 33mm fit great and was even a bit loose.

Some report the 33mm working fine, others report the 34mm working fine.

Seems that GM has been putting two different size nuts on these axles. I can't believe that the "same" nuts would vary in tolerance by almost a millimeter... and/or that common sockets would also vary this much in tolerance. It would be sad if all this is truly due to sloppy tolerances.

For everyone else: when in doubt, just go to your local auto store (Pep Boys, etc), and pick up a 33mm and also a 34mm... they should be about $13 each. Then keep the one that fits best, return the one that doesn't. It'll be one or the other. The "cheap" sockets sold in common auto stores are 6-point and deep (which is what you want)... and 1/2" drive also... so you will not need an adapter.

I lucked out with mine... bought one 33mm 6-point deep 1/2" drive socket, took it home and it fit perfectly. I had my nuts torqued within two minutes.

 

Thanxforthe info , now I need to go look!!

 

Had mine checked at Captree last Sunday. Both were loose. Thanks Joe!!!

 

Went to AutoZone and picked up a 33mm Axle Nut Socket for $13.99.

My '07 w/ 1k miles yielded a tight driver side axle and loose passenger axle nut.

 

33mm from Pep Boys works.

 

I got a 6 pt. deep 33 mm socket at O'rileys for $10. The label on the pegboard read GM Axle Nut Socket.

Both of mine were tight.

 

1800 miles, both tested GOOD, but not going to chance it will use LocTite Blue, if this does not work I will double nut. This is a little NUTS, why didn't GM think this through and pin it? Another sign of the times, "The End Is Near".

 

05 z51 vert.8000 miles,drivers side fine passenger side needed 1/4 turn.Borrowed 34mm from AutoZone Worked fine