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New guy with one hell of a story....
Topic Started: May 15 2011, 01:05 AM (1,136 Views)
BigJohn1
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I just joined a little while back, but this is my first post. I have a 94 3 dr with a 5 spd. Anyway, enough about me. Driving to work two days ago, and front end started making noise. I decided to turn back and go home, and about 1.5 mi from home, the dr. side front wheel COMES OFF.... needless to say, My rotor got a nice flat spot on the bottom, and now I am in need of a new front fender. It sucks, but it is what it is. At least no body got hurt. I guess I have to chalk it up to the fact that when I torqued the wheels down I used a Harbor Freight torque wrench. I will never make that mistake again....
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BGairforce
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BGAirForce
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Thats sucks, sorry to hear.
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Deleted User
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Well John, welcome to the forum.

Following in the footsteps of Family Tradition, I became VW guy at a young age. Since I was attending Aircraft Mechanic School in Houston at the time, I became associated with an employer in Pearland Texas, just a few miles South of the airport formerly known as Houston Hobby. Bill ran a VW shop for owners that didn't want to go to the dealer. VW - Airplane . . . same thing except for the wings . . . never mind. Got the job.

Anyway, I was Joe Tool, and I bought one of those Big "O metric rear drum nut beat as you turn it with a big breaker bar tools from JC Whittney. Now, I can't remember why I had the rear drum off, but I do remember that was the last time I ever used that tool. I hooked up the pound 'o matic to the breaker, pounded until the cotter pin hole aligned, installed the pin, and started the drive to school. About the time I get to the South end of the Southwest runway, my right rear wheel passed me and rolled off into the ditch across 4 lanes of traffic. A buddy of mine was right behind me, helped me retrive the wheel, finger the nut back on, (it was in the hub cap) and we weren't even late to school. Had a cool story to tell too.

Next day, I told Bill what happened. Bill explained that's why we use the air impact wrench. Tighten it good and tight, and it won't come off. The JC Whittney tool went in the trash barrel.

Question?

Did you remember to stake the nut after you torqued it? :hmm Could be operator error. :news
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Murf 59
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Welcome to the forum. Glad you were not hurt.
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metro_fiend
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where Geos come to die

Welcome to the forum! i always hand torque my lug nuts :P
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Lil red metro


Welcome to the forum Bigjohn1! :thumb I had a similar incident many years ago in an AMC Eagle station wagon. The hub snapped and the front wheel flew off and kept rolling as we came to a grinning halt. My buddies and I were all hammered drunk about 2:00am. We pushed the car off the road as our strongest friend lifted the left front of the car. We walked home and had a tow truck recover it the next day. We were glad nobody got hurt and no cops got involved.
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RobotsAteMyArms
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Space Junkie

You're supposed to torque the wheels? :-/ ...Crap.

Ahem. Hey there and welcome aboard! Hope you're able to get your Geo back up and running soon. Any damage to the frame?
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wizard93
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...So they're not torque-to-yield wheel lugs? No wonder they keep breaking off... :gamerz
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work car
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obsessed!!

impact is your friend. torque sticks are your friend. :rocker
Edited by work car, May 15 2011, 12:47 PM.
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iamgeo
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Big League

Geo Glenn
May 15 2011, 01:53 AM
Anyway, I was Joe Tool, and I bought one of those Big "O metric rear drum nut beat as you turn it with a big breaker bar tools from JC Whittney. Now, I can't remember why I had the rear drum off, but I do remember that was the last time I ever used that tool. I hooked up the pound 'o matic to the breaker, pounded until the cotter pin hole aligned, installed the pin, and started the drive to school. About the time I get to the South end of the Southwest runway, my right rear wheel passed me and rolled off into the ditch across 4 lanes of traffic. A buddy of mine was right behind me, helped me retrive the wheel, finger the nut back on, (it was in the hub cap) and we weren't even late to school. Had a cool story to tell too.
These are the kind of stories that make me go, Hmmm.
If you had pounded the nut tight and then installed the cotter pin I doubt the drum would have come off.
I would not blame the tool here.
What does not make sense also is that after it fell off you do not mention any damage to your brakes. There would have been damage. Then you just put it back together and installed the nut finger tight and made it to school.

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I guess I have to chalk it up to the fact that when I torqued the wheels down I used a Harbor Freight torque wrench. I will never make that mistake again..

Same with this story.
I do not think the tool is to blame here.
More than likely you forgot to tighten them at all on that one wheel.

A friend of mine was on his way to my house, he had just bought and had installed two used tires at a used tire shop. His left tire came off about twenty miles from the shop. Of course, the tire shop insisted it was not their fault. They stated if the nuts were loose the tire would have fallen off within a mile or two. I know for a fact that is :shit
Been there done that.
It can happen to any of us.



Edited by iamgeo, May 15 2011, 03:16 PM.
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BigJohn1
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I drove for better than a month with no problems, so Im thinking that the lugs were tight, just not tight enough,i.e. torque wrench problem.
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Stately
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Geo cheerleader

Welcome! :)

Only once, then never again! :thumb


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Coche Blanco
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Troll Certified

You have to retighten them after a few hundred miles. I used a harbor freight torque wrench, 10k miles on my lugs and they haven't fallen off.
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100MPG


i had my car passed by a harmonic balancer that was still turning 8,000 rpm, does that count? :lol

welcome aboard, i hope your a creative liar, the stories here are tall.... mine are all true of coarse :thumb

not in the qualifying?.. ok, my first car was a 1967 elcamino and it lost a a c-clip and the right rear tire was in the side view mirror out side the quarter panel and i could only turn left and not step on the brakes for fear of pumping out the slave cylinder and i got it to a stop with the wide oval 4 inches from the quarter on the skinny axle... good times :thumb

welcome aboard

Dana
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BigJohn1
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Thanks for the warm reception guys....my metro is going under the knife for some much needed subframe repair, as well as changing 4 lug studs and a rotor. I will probably put plugs and wires on her also. I will post pics when I am done ( I hope)
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