Lugnut headaches

[runaway!]

Old lugnuts came off hard the entire way, is this normal on a 86 6.9?

Cleaned up the threads with a bore brush, down to the shine

Old nuts went on just as hard with new studs

Cleaned up old studs down to the shine, same story with old nuts

Chased all the threads on the old nuts, still nothing on either new or old studs

I'm used to being able to spin the nuts all the way really easy, then tightening to spec... But I'm also used to working on passenger vehicles

Is there some great big piece of info I am missing here? I have no issue buying new lugnuts, but the local parts guy talked himself out of a sale by saying nothing is wrong and they should spin on free. Neither of which is true as of right now.

 

[towcat]

they're worn out. the tip of the threaded part on the came of the lugnut is being drawn through the lugnut hole on the wheel.
I make a run down to the local tire store and get some nice shiny chrome mag type lugnuts and change them all out

 

[runaway!]

So you mean the end is pinched and rubbing on the threads? Not entirely sure what you mean. They are difficult the entire length of the stud.

I thought about some nice looking lugs, but something like that on my truck would be akin to polishing a ****...

 

[jwalterus]

"polish a **** and it's still a ****"

who cares, shiny stuff is always good lol

you need em replaced or their gonna seize on you when you have to change a tire in the cold rain on the side of the road

 

[icanfixall]

Its just as towcat posted. They get tightened down by the tire shop idiots with the impact guns so much the taper the threads tight on the studs... You need some new lugs.

 

[runaway!]

Yeah, I've known about needing new ones since the first time I was told in this thread. I am simply making sure I understand *** went wrong.

Regardless, thanks to everyone for their input

 

[Logroller]

to make a long story short you have 2 aspects of threads in your lug nut 1 is the pitch of the thread and the other is the thread size or count as it can be put ,, if the pitch is messed up then they will go on hard and if the count is off they will go on hard ,, so either way = new lug nuts

 

[Knuckledragger]

I am pretty sure Ford made the lug nuts to be tight always. I've even oiled them, thinking that would work. Nothing doing. And don't tell me about the rule of not oiling lug nuts, I have done it for years, love it, and am not stopping. I spent some money ($24!) on a new tap and time to re-thread my lug nuts, thinking that they were worn somehow, but no. I broke the tap trying to chase the threads on the hardened lug nuts! One nut was missing so I used a chevy lug nut and it spun on as easily as anything.

I would venture to guess that Ford decided to eliminate the problem of wheels falling off by making extra big, hardened, deformed lug nuts for their trucks. The constant interference fit assures one that once installed, those lug nuts are not going ANYWHERE. It's a task to put them on by hand and no treat for your impact wrench unless you have 1/2 inch hose and 150 psi. But you don't see Ford trucks losing wheels as they drive down the road.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

umm You can assume what Ford was thinking all You want, but You still need new lug nuts.

I had the same problem. After replacing all 32 nuts, mine spin on by hand. Just torque them on every time and You wont have a problem.

 

[Optikalillushun]

I am pretty sure Ford made the lug nuts to be tight always. I've even oiled them, thinking that would work. Nothing doing. And don't tell me about the rule of not oiling lug nuts, I have done it for years, love it, and am not stopping. I spent some money ($24!) on a new tap and time to re-thread my lug nuts, thinking that they were worn somehow, but no. I broke the tap trying to chase the threads on the hardened lug nuts! One nut was missing so I used a chevy lug nut and it spun on as easily as anything.

I would venture to guess that Ford decided to eliminate the problem of wheels falling off by making extra big, hardened, deformed lug nuts for their trucks. The constant interference fit assures one that once installed, those lug nuts are not going ANYWHERE. It's a task to put them on by hand and no treat for your impact wrench unless you have 1/2 inch hose and 150 psi. But you don't see Ford trucks losing wheels as they drive down the road.

im sorry but that was funny.

 

[Hyde]

You wanna hear a lugnut headache, try not noticing the driver rear has reverse thread studs and nuts. Suckers musta been tight when I was done!

 

[smolkin]

You wanna hear a lugnut headache, try not noticing the driver rear has reverse thread studs and nuts. Suckers musta been tight when I was done!

I spent an hour with a 3-ft cheater bar on mine before I realized that...

Luckily, steel wheels are tough! I always make it a point to show the little "L" cast on the end of the stud to every tire shop I go to, and most of the time it's a surprise to them too.

 

[RLDSL]

On an f350 dually, there's a torque spec of 140 ft lbs , you'd really have to work at it to overtorque and stretch those suckers, I imagine a 3/4" drive air gun was involved I have to use mine sometimes to get them off even when properly torqued.
I have had a tire shop not tighten them enough once and then while towing the 5er on a mountain road, I noticed a tire passing me that looked awful familiar... and as it hit me and I started shutting it down, the other one came off and the left rear of the truck hit the ground HARD You wouldn't believe how far out in the woods those things can travel, one even jumped a fence.

 

[Agnem]

Don't discount the likelyhood that they are supposed to be this way. It's been 26 years since I had factory lug nuts on the Moose Truck, but I'm pretty damn sure they didn't spin easily when that truck was brand new, and I noticed that on the Scarlet Moose that they ARE still that way.

 

[forcefed]

I just put anti-seize on my studs because I always use impact guns for my lugnuts. Been using anti-seize for years and never a problem yet. I also have a old IR impact so it might not get them tight as used to though.