Axle nut questions
05-12-2024, 09:21 AM
#1
Axle nut questions
About to replace the axle nuts and grease the splines on the 08. Any tips? Can this be done on the ground or does it need to be jacked? Do I need to do anything special to lube the splines? Thanks!
05-12-2024, 12:30 PM
#2
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- If just replacing the nuts, you can likely do on ground by just pulling wheel center caps.
- Don't recommend greasing the splines unless issue like noise, but if you do, you obviously need to lift the car and pull the axles out of the hubs. More effort than benefit IMO
- If you pull axles I highly suggest you get new seals (SKF 15547 on Rockauto is good and cheap). Old seals will probably leak after pulling axles and you will be doing job all over again. Also you should be able to get a free loaner axle nut socket from a parts store.
- DO NOT torque the new nuts to GM specs....something like 160 ft/lb. Should do closer to 120. Read up on here about broken drive axles. Dealer replaced mine under a TSB and in the span of a couple of years, both my axles broke at the spline shaft.
Last edited by C6ToGo; 05-12-2024 at 12:51 PM.
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05-14-2024, 06:36 PM
#3
Antiseize grease on the shaft spines and back of axle stop collar/back side of wheel bearing when it will mate up to stop collar, clean up bolt and axle threads with brake cleaner and only torque axle nut to 120ft on used axle with red loctite (272).
Hence new shafts can take the extra torque, while used shafts have already been lightly stretched from the stop shoulder forward, and why you can not use the new torque specs for those axles (if you don't want them to snap). Also even with nut tighted to 120fflbs and still torque the rim to the round enough to allow slight forward/reverse slip of spines to spine and the anti seize will keep everything quiet when that happens and allow you to remove the axle later down the line from the hub if you need to replace the axles.
If you don't want to remove the wheel hub to grease shafts, can remove the nut and push the axle back in the gap the locking shoulder enough to lube the shoulder that way, touch on the front side, and move the shaft in and out a few time to migrate the grease to the spines in the hubs as well.
Note, if going new nuts, don't bank on then being the same size socket as the old nuts. The old ones where 32mm, while the new ones use a 33mm socket instead.
Ditto on if you pull the shafts from diff side, replace the seals, and helps to make sure that inner output bearing at good while you have the seal off. When car was newer, if seals failed, it would be due to outer driver bearing in diff going south, but with age of seals now, it more of a dryed out rubber problem causing hard to them when you the shafts isntead.
The last one since you will have a torque wrench in hand, can use the R brake to hold the axle to torque to 120ftlbs if e brake shoes are correctly adjusted, and when you are done with that, put trans in gear or park if auto, jack that wheel off the ground with E brake off, choke the front tires, set the torque wrench to 100ft lbs, and try to free spin the axle via the nut, to check the break away value of the clutch packs in the diff.
The diff LDS clutch packs break away values are 100ft lbs per side and if axle is turning in the diff before the torque wrench clicks (either side during that same checks) ,then either someone has put non OEM diff fluid in the diff that is too slick, or the clutch packs are worn out.
26 and 35 are the LDS clutch packs,
Hence new shafts can take the extra torque, while used shafts have already been lightly stretched from the stop shoulder forward, and why you can not use the new torque specs for those axles (if you don't want them to snap). Also even with nut tighted to 120fflbs and still torque the rim to the round enough to allow slight forward/reverse slip of spines to spine and the anti seize will keep everything quiet when that happens and allow you to remove the axle later down the line from the hub if you need to replace the axles.
If you don't want to remove the wheel hub to grease shafts, can remove the nut and push the axle back in the gap the locking shoulder enough to lube the shoulder that way, touch on the front side, and move the shaft in and out a few time to migrate the grease to the spines in the hubs as well.
Note, if going new nuts, don't bank on then being the same size socket as the old nuts. The old ones where 32mm, while the new ones use a 33mm socket instead.
Ditto on if you pull the shafts from diff side, replace the seals, and helps to make sure that inner output bearing at good while you have the seal off. When car was newer, if seals failed, it would be due to outer driver bearing in diff going south, but with age of seals now, it more of a dryed out rubber problem causing hard to them when you the shafts isntead.
The last one since you will have a torque wrench in hand, can use the R brake to hold the axle to torque to 120ftlbs if e brake shoes are correctly adjusted, and when you are done with that, put trans in gear or park if auto, jack that wheel off the ground with E brake off, choke the front tires, set the torque wrench to 100ft lbs, and try to free spin the axle via the nut, to check the break away value of the clutch packs in the diff.
The diff LDS clutch packs break away values are 100ft lbs per side and if axle is turning in the diff before the torque wrench clicks (either side during that same checks) ,then either someone has put non OEM diff fluid in the diff that is too slick, or the clutch packs are worn out.
26 and 35 are the LDS clutch packs,