31 replies to this topic

[AVV IT]

How tightly were they done up?

45 lb/ft

And how tightly are they meant to be done up?

Erm...... 45 lb/ft???..... or are locking wheel nuts supposed to be different??

[Carlos W]

As I say, I never torque the mondeo locking nuts up, but its got 5 nuts per wheel!! Dunno what i'll do with the mini! It's a little way away from that stage!

[MaxAndPaddy]

We had exactly the same thing happen to us with our old Cooper Sport. Spent ages faffing with it every possible tool/pliers/hammer out

Got very annoyed and popped her down to our local Classic Car chappies - total characters, both broad Yorkshire older boys. One looks a bit like Dumbledore long white beard the other has one of those mad Seargent moustaches that twirls up at the ends.....Anyway they got 3 off fine no problem then spent 30mins trying to get the one I'd messed with off

Dumbledore then popped his glasses to the end of his nose, peered down his nose at me and said ''Next tahhm dooant gabble wi' it yursen''

[KJM]

As I say, I never torque the mondeo locking nuts up, but its got 5 nuts per wheel!! Dunno what i'll do with the mini! It's a little way away from that stage!

You should definitely torque them up too!

The idea behind torqueing bolts/nuts is to have an even tightness all the way around.

You should also tighten them up in a sequence of going opposites and only tighten when all nuts are in place & nipped up!

[Carlos W]

Well i don't trust the 3 little pins in the locking wheel nut at that kind of torque!

[Artful Dodger]

As I say, I never torque the mondeo locking nuts up, but its got 5 nuts per wheel!! Dunno what i'll do with the mini! It's a little way away from that stage!

You should definitely torque them up too!

The idea behind torqueing bolts/nuts is to have an even tightness all the way around.

You should also tighten them up in a sequence of going opposites and only tighten when all nuts are in place & nipped up!

you are not supposed to torque the lockers up as much as the standard bolts. can damage the locking pins or splines.

[Carlos W]

That's what i thought!

[Mini_Magic]

I took my locking nuts off today and replaced then with standard wheels nuts, just not worth the hassle and the Mini is locked in the garage anyway.

[Carlos W]

I took my locking nuts off today and replaced then with standard wheels nuts, just not worth the hassle and the Mini is locked in the garage anyway.

Make sure it doesn't affect your insurance!

[Mini_Magic]

If you don't inform them that it has locking nuts, then removing them won't affect your insurance right?

Told them it has alloy wheels obviously.

Edited by Mini_Magic, 04 December 2011 - 08:16 PM.

[Carlos W]

Some policies insist on locking wheel nuts with alloys!

[AVV IT]

Are we suggesting here that you should tighten locking wheel nuts to a specificly lower torque then, (& if so to what torque??)...Or are we saying that you shouldn't actually use a torque wrench on them, but just "nip them up" with a wheel brace instead??

If so, that works on the assumption that when using a torque wrench you actually tighten more than you would with a standard wheel brace. With me it's actually the other way around though, 45 lb/ft never doesn't feel particularly tight at all. So if I didn't use a torque wrench, then I would be much more likely to over tighten them and damage the locking nut tool !!

[bunch1980]

i have always been doing mine up 60 n/metres (same as 45 ft/lb), mine seem to have good key on the way it fits on cant imagine it ever stripping. All ways do them up opposite across from each other to.

[AVV IT]

mine seem to have good key on the way it fits on cant imagine it ever stripping.

Ouch Lee...... you like to tempt fate don't you??

No it never occurred to me for one minute that the pins would shear in my lock nut tool either. In actual fact when I felt something go crunch in my hand, I automatically assumed that I had sheared one of the wheel studs off and was quite surprised that it was actually the removal tool that was the problem.

I've often worried about loosing the lock nut removal tool, but it never actually occurred to me that it might break. I'm assuming that it was just because of fatigue, the lock nuts and the tool are pushing 20 years old now after all. My advice to anyone now would be that for the sake of a few quid, you could save yourself an awful lot of hassle by replacing your locking nuts and removal tool every few years or so. I was just lucky that mine broke during a spot of routine maintenance and therefore I was still able to drive the car somewhere in order to get it sorted. If however it had broke at the side of the road whilst I was trying to change a wheel, then things would have been much worse!!

Edited by AVV IT, 04 December 2011 - 09:41 PM.

[bunch1980]

mine seem to have good key on the way it fits on cant imagine it ever stripping.

Ouch Lee...... you like to tempt fate don't you??

No it never occurred to me for one minute that the pins would shear in my lock nut tool either. In actual fact when I felt something go crunch in my hand, I automatically assumed that I had sheared one of the wheel studs off and was quite surprised that it was actually the removal tool that was the problem.

I've often worried about loosing the lock nut removal tool, but it never actually occurred to me that it might break. I'm assuming that it was just because of fatigue, the lock nuts and the tool are pushing 20 years old now after all. My advice to anyone now would be that for the sake of a few quid, you could save yourself an awful lot of hassle by replacing your locking nuts and removal tool every few years or so. I was just lucky that mine broke during a spot of routine maintenance and therefore I was still able to drive the car somewhere in order to get it sorted. If however it had broke at the side of the road whilst I was trying to change a wheel, then things would have been much worse!! >_<

Lol well yea I know mine are just over 2yrs old now so not really old yet, I wouls imagine be wise to replace often, as so many things on mini to do with maintenance and rust proofing require wheels off where as a modern car may not have wheels off until next tyre change!