Lug Nuts Loose From Dealer

[EricPeterson]

I've got 6500 miles on my '16 3500 DRW crew cab LB. Dealer said it was a regular rancher customer who brought it back after a week and swapped it for a mega cab... but it could just as easily been a bounced check or failed financing after they turned in the MSO. Anyway.... it's got the stock four Alcoas and inside two steels on the back, and the Nexen Roadian ATs, but the white letters are turned out. I'm fitting custom made 17x8s with larger tires and a lift and I was check fitting stud length and any need for a spacer between the dished sides of the rear wheels with my first two prototype wheels and junker 305/70-17s.... and I found my lugnuts were LOOSE.

Knowing I would need to do the test fit along the way, I picked up a 3/4" torque wrench with a 50-300 lb-ft range, so I could put things back together properly.

How much torque they needed to break loose was below the capacity of that torque wrench to indicate. I would have estimated 20 to 30 ft-lb, at the most. After the first one I checked 'em all, and they were all about the same, needing two or three fingers on a 1/2" breaker bar to break loose. I can't believe they were tightened to spec.

So.... the dealer flipped the white letters out and neglected to torque the nuts? And they loosened up even more over time? What? Opinions?

 

[Kirwin]

DRW trucks tend to loosen those nuts a little over time after tire rotation. Remember they are pilot centered, not lug centered. The lug nuts clamp the wheels to the hub face. They do not center the wheels on the axle. The procedure to tighten then says to put a drop of oil on the washer nut assembly to lubricate the washer/nut interface, not the threads, and tighten to spec. I leave the trim caps off and retighten them at 25 and then every 100 miles until they don't move, then put the caps on. If they were loose you would know in short order. That's a good way to ruin a set of wheels. Been there, done that.

 

[EricPeterson]

Thanks for the comment. So you believe the wheels were likely removed as well then, as in a tire rotation or a white-letters-out flip. I knew that the flat washer lug nuts needed a re-torque after some miles. How many times do you generally need to re-torque them?

DRW trucks tend to loosen those nuts a little over time after tire rotation. Remember they are pilot centered, not lug centered. The lug nuts clamp the wheels to the hub face. They do not center the wheels on the axle. The procedure to tighten then says to put a drop of oil on the washer nut assembly to lubricate the washer/nut interface, not the threads, and tighten to spec. I leave the trim caps off and retighten them at 25 and then every 100 miles until they don't move, then put the caps on. If they were loose you would know in short order. That's a good way to ruin a set of wheels. Been there, done that.

 

[Jared Herzog]

I do not see a dealer removing all the wheels to flip the white letters out. They are too lazy unless a customer wants it done as part of the purchase which may have happened in this case. I added the one drop of oil to the nut/washer interface and torqued. Before i did this the caps were on pretty tight and hard to remove. Once i did the oil drop the next time the caps came off too easily. The caps snap onto the same spot where the oil is applied. This got me to wondering if this is why so many trucks toss the center caps.
After a rotation i torque. Then a week later check and retorque then put the caps on. I have not had a wheel nut come loose and need more torque. But, it makes sense that they might.

 

[Kirwin]

Generally, checking it twice after the 50 mile re-torque does it for me. Then I put the caps back on. I do clean any excess oil off the nuts though. I have never lost a center cap.

 

[EricPeterson]

Thanks! I'll keep the wrench in the truck then.