Who needs the axle nut?
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2024
- This is a response to a remark that came up in a discussion forum regarding how important the axle nut is for cars with bolt-on wheel bearings. The vehicle involved is a 2015 Subaru Forester, but similar design is found throughout the industry.
In the South, even a Subaru wheel bearing may come out without much drama. But in the rust belt, where this vehicle spent much of its life, the outer race of the bearing and its housing can be severely corroded into the knuckle. This design also has thick backing plate contact that can be badly corroded as well, making the job more difficult. To get the remaining bearing half out I used a long stroke air hammer with a chisel to open a split between bearing mounting plate and knuckle, together with a sledge hammer after an attempt to pound on the loosened mounting bolts failed.
Auto repair is inherently dangerous, both to the mechanic, the car, and possibly even to bystanders on the road. Do not walk down the pathway of DIY auto repair unless you’re prepared to accept personal responsibility for those risks.
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Well explained Dave! Yep, axle nuts are a critical component.
Outstanding presentation!
Well said! And the dog seems to agree, too!
What do you guys think? From the perspective of safety, what fastener is most important in a car? I'll argue there are other more worthy candidates....
Not sure that these are safer with this self locking type nut. When we used to have hubs retained by two nuts and a mechanical tab it always seemed better as when overheating or failing it was almost impossible for them to unwind.
I have never seen one come off of a CV type axle . However I have plenty of times on trailer axles .
You make a good point, Shawn. With a conventional brake caliper, the rotor is trapped between the brake pads and it will likely hold the wheel and hub on enough to cause the brake on that side to bind and abruptly slow rotation before the entire wheel lets loose. In a collision the forces are extreme and I suppose the whole caliper mounting bracket could let loose. As you say, trailer brakes are very different.
I've wondered this same question but never tried taking a bearing assembly apart. However, take some cars that have and AWD option and look at only the fwd version. They often use the same rear wheel bearing, but with no axles installed. Seems nuts!
Interesting point, I'll have to pay attention the next time I see one of those. The ones I've worked on in the past have a stub axle and retainer axle nut, much like a trailer wheel.
And never ever use your old axle nut when replacing the hub bearing assembly, this could be a fatal mistake but I see a lot of people do it.