Drive axle studs

I had a cascadia that kept breaking the paper seal until I made them torque them down no problems afterwards

 

Yep, lots of meatheads that don't know how to use an impact gun and have no feel for how tight something needs to be. Usually those people aren't very competent with a torque wrench either.

 

I'm not saying every nut needs torqued to spec or you're going to die a horrible death but tell me how can you get something torqued to spec with an impact? Seems to me that's about the useless as whacking tires with a thumper and saying "yep, sounds like a 100 psi to me".

 

There are some things that need to be torqued (like wheel nuts, internal engine/powertrain parts, u-bolts etc). Most general stuff is done by feel. A guy'd be laughed out the door of any shop for bringing a torque wrench out for every single fastner.

When you spend 12 hours a day wrenching, you get a feel for what your air tools put out and what kind of torque different sized fastners need.

 

Mine did the same.

I did notice that the threads going into the hub were course thread and the nut side were fine thread. I don't know what that dose to the tourque values?

I Just ran them back in with an impact.

 

Fine thread fastners generally get a higher torque value than a coarse thread one of equal size and grade.

 

Like a 3/4" axle flange nut actual torque is not a single spec, but a range of 270-350 ftlbs. 5/8 is 150-230. This is why on a fastener like this a torque wrench isn't needed.

I use my impact gun every day. I can tell by the hammering and the torque on my wrist how hard it is tightening. It is experience and instinct of how tight something needs to be. I have a SnapOn 1/2" gun that peaks out at about 600 ftlbs if I let it stall out completely and let it hammer for a solid 30 seconds with no nut movement. Once the nut makes contact and hammers only a couple of times I already know it is at around 100 ftlbs. Once it really slows down I know it is around 300. On the smaller stud, I just don't hammer as long. It gets me in the ball park every time. The only time I had a leak come back was when the driver actually backed some off in order to get his stupid chrome covers on.
I'm sure some of you drivers know where to go without a map, right? Same thing.

 

I had the axles on my passenger's side come loose multiple times. Each time, the paper gasket was worn through and needed to be replaced. So I started really keeping an eye on them and leaving the socket and impact ready to go at the slightest sign of oiliness.

I was also a mechanic for a long time and have a pretty good idea how to run an impact so things stay tight. Not these #### axle nuts though! So I bust out the torque wrench and use the standard torque value. Nope... ####ing things STILL keep loosening up.

Finally, a mechanic at Interstate Diesel in Valdosta, where I stopped to buy yet another gasket, said, "Use silicone instead of a gasket and it won't come loose again."

He was right.

 

I use gasket shellac on paper gaskets. So far (knock on wood), I haven't had any problems.

 

Dude you need to find a different parts store. Those studs should only be a few bucks a piece. And i use the blue locktite(the kind that's designed to break at 100lbs) give it time to set, about any hour if i remember right, then put the nuts on.