RTH DURANGO, OH S!!T WATCH OUT, FAILURE (1 Viewer)

[Tank5]

Real time just lost a rear wheel at 60 plus mph. All 6 wheel studs sheered off.

Driving my expo rig back from Salt lake city about 20 miles west of Durango on 160. Towing a trailer with an fj45 on it. About 4:00 am, hear and feel a boom, see sparks in the driver mirror coming from the rear. Both hands on the wheel keep it strait and work it to the side of the road. Watch the wheel roll past me and launch down an embankment. This is what I found. All 6 wheel studs sheered.

 

[Tank5]

I know the first thought here is over torqued lug nuts but I installed the wheels and used a snap on digital torque wrench at about 88ftlbs if I am remembering correctly.
All of the lugs are brand new supplied by front range fabrication with the custom axle I purchase from them. The stud brand is Dorman.

What went wrong here? Thoughts?

 

[Tank5]

I am going to call my wife about 3 and a half hours away and have her grab a spare hub a few extra tools and make the drive so I can repair it on the side of the road.

Just by chance are there any members close buy that could lend a hand. Just need a ride to get new studs pressed in the hub in Durango. It would save the wife a lot of driving.

Call me if you know anyone that could help. 406-679-0251
Thanks
Dennis

 

[Yellow Jacket]

Damn Dude! Glad you got it safely to the side of the road. I'm no where near you to help, but you might want to change the title of this thread to "RTH Durango stranded" or similar to get more hits on the thread. Good luck!

 

[Tank5]

Thanks Yellow Jacket, advice taken.

 

[Technician1985]

The studs are sheared past the face of the brake, and don't appear to be cleanly sheared.

Do you have wheel spacers? Correct hub bore diameter?

If I had to take a wild guess it almost looks like lug nuts were either cross threaded onto the studs, or nuts with the wrong thread pitch were installed and torqued, leaving the wheel slightly loose and eventually causing the studs to fail under prolonged heavy load.

 

[Tank5]

I pulled the rotor off to check the hub. The is not locked up and the brakes were free too. Looked at the studs and tapped out pretty easy with a small hammer. I am curious if they are the correct studs or if the loosened up as they broke.

 

[thebigredrocker]

I'd bet those Dorman studs are made in China or Mexico

 

[Tank5]

Here is what the studs look like.

Anyone used a c clamp to press studs in on the side of the road? I can get studs and a rotor locally. If I can get the studs in

 

[Tank5]

No wheel spacers. The lug nude thread on early, I feel confident they are the correct thread pitch.

 

[Technician1985]

You can press the studs in with the lug nuts, if it seats properly simply remove the lug nut and the stud will be pressed in. If your stud came out with a light tap something is wrong, make sure your new studs are really in there good and that the stud mounting holes didn't get damaged.

 

[Tank5]

The only studs I could find locally are Dorman.

 

[Tank5]

Yeah I am worried about how easily the broken ones came out. It took about three sacks with a hammer and they started moving.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Holy sh!t! I'm glad the 80 and 45 are ok! I mean, you too...

My guess is that they are cheap, sh!tty steel. The wheel got a little loose and sh!t went sideways. I would check your nuts and make sure they are ok. All all four wheels.

 

[mehbohdi]

Get a short pipe nipple and some sacrificial nuts (use 1 nut per stud) and washers to pull studs through and grease between nut and washer on top of pipe nipple. that should get you home. Glad you and your 80 survived good luck

 

[ajax1]

You can start the studs with brass hammer, then tighten in with the lug nuts, tighten some then check tighten some then check, eventually they will pull all the way in.

 

[gbeltran]

Were the lug nuts the right taper for the wheel you have? Or were they shanked or capped muts, maybe they bottomed out against the shoulder of the stud or the end of the stud.

 

[Tank5]

This is the rim that came off. Doesn't look like the lug holes are wallowed? out from it being loose. There are a couple marks in three of the wholes. I assume that happened when they all went.

 

[thatcabledude]

What style lugnut are you using?

 

[noahfecks]

From the way three sheared off in one plane and three sheared off in a different plane i wonder if the wheel was on the hub crooked. Looks like it was wobbling slightly and popped the studs. Also looks like your hub is wallowed out, the studs should be more difficult to remove.