Mostly I use it on stock studs and stainless lug nuts. German torque, by hand. Retorque the next day. Never had a problem.
I only use lubricants when specified, like ARP rod, head, rocker studs. They spec wet torque with the included lube. I follow their directions to the letter.
I commented that I liked to use never seize, & the mechanic said he hated the stuff, gets on everything. ( true, that's what gloves are for ) And that he used grease! Proud of it, too.
So, you were saying?
So you are saying this mechanic believes there is a difference between Never Seize and grease in terms of the physical application and resulting mess? I would find a different mechanic.
Here's the video. It's actually a good watch, IMHO. Also, note the application of the Never Seize.
(Message edited by fresnobuell on November 30, 2018)
I do use hand tight "but about 30% less grunt" on lug nuts with anti seize, based on a different mechanic buddy's recommendation, and he builds bicycles, and used to be a Lotus mechanic.
I started pulling the seal out of the bearings with a dental pick every time the wheel was off and repacking with fresh grease. Never had a failure after starting that routine. The failed ones had clear signs of water contamination.
On my Uly, I'd have rear bearing failure fairly shortly after every belt change.
This. I had it happened to me on my 1125R a couple months ago in this exact scenario. Bearing had 29K miles on the clock, so it maybe a combination of those factors.
quote:
I started pulling the seal out of the bearings with a dental pick every time the wheel was off and repacking with fresh grease. Never had a failure after starting that routine. The failed ones had clear signs of water contamination.
I have thought about doing this, but the seals are fragile IMHO and I figured I would invite contamination by compromising the seal. The seals are not designed to be removed, correct?
No, they aren't designed to be removed, but they are just dust seals, not water tight seals. They can be popped out pretty easily with a small screw driver or a dental pick. They pop in again just as easy. Even if you nicked the edge of the seal pulling it out, I don't thing it would hurt it much and the fresh grease will certainly help. It's still a positive trade off IMO. I can't remember who it was on BW that I first read about this procedure from, but I think it's a good idea. It's far easier that you might imagine.
Just out of curiosity I tried removing the seal on the "good" bearing after my drive side bearing self-destructed. Since I was replacing the set, I figured it wouldn't matter if I butchered it up. It actually came out ok (didn't try to reset it,) but I was still wondering if it was a good tradeoff. Perhaps I will do this on tire changes...if nothing else you will see if the condition of the bearing.
What harm can come from wiping as much dirty grease out as you can and packing in a good quality clean grease? Any yes, there is a slim chance of seeing a problem before it's a failure on the road. IMO, keeping clean grease in the bearing keeps water out. Both bearings that failed on my spit out rusty water when they failed. YMMV.
You will find if you look a lot of these type of nongreasable sealed bearings.
I put a water pump on my pickup a couple of weeks ago. Popped the seals on the idler and tensioner bearings and loaded them with a fresh load of bearing grease. Yep, it runs quieter.
I have done the inner and outer idler pulley on the Ulys drive belt. Yep. Runs quieter.
Having been a mechanic in the rust belt for decades, I find it best to use a little dollop of antisieze,or white grease on wheel studs.
I like to torque my wheels by tightening two rounds of criss cross even pressure to tight. Drive ten miles do it again. Then drive 100 miles go over them one more time. Then they will be good for thousands of miles without worry. I do not use a torque wrench on them. Usually a socket and big ratchet.
Most of the times that I recheck what has been done by an employee, one or two will be super tight, one or two will be looser than the rest. This even when they rely on a torque wrench.
The rim has to seat on the center and each nut has to seat it's tapered face in the tapered hole.
It is amazing how much a rim will bend or deflect if not tightened evenly. Even thick aluminum can distort.
It doesn't hurt to clean off the crap that build up on the hub too. If that gets trapped between the hub and wheel, it won't seat well. A good wire brushing once in a while won't hurt.
I try to always use a torque wrench, twice around in a star pattern just to be certain. If your employees aren't getting it right with a torque wrench, they may need some education on using a torque wrench. Smooth and steady gives a good torque. If you stop turning without reaching the desired torque, then hit that torque without turning the nut, you may have to back it off slightly and hit it again to get it right. The friction to get it moving again can give a false reading. It's a precision tool that requires proper use. I will say that an experience hand is probably good enough for lug nuts, but if you haven't mastered it with a torque wrench yet, you may not have developed that precision yet. That's not aimed at you Vern. I know you've been around the block a few times.
Dynamic torque is an odd creature. Permatex had this to say about anti seize; "GENERAL INFORMATION WARNING: Not for use on wheel lug nut or stud applications."
I like to put an 1/8" ball of anti seize on my lug nuts.
Leagalease. If they said it works for lug studs every wheel that comes loose becomes there's.
I was not just referring to my employees. I just got a car in that got new tires from a big tire store. They must use torque wrenches on lug nuts. They are on camera doing it even. Again two lugs tighter than hell, one just right, two looser. Both sides.
Typical of young buck mechanics taught that the torque wrench can replace your brain and cannot be wrong.
Insurance companies fixing cars in fear of litigation, in place of mechanics being taught how to do a job properly. I recall in the eighties when working in a dealership shop, the mandatory classes we had to attend. We had to start using a torque wrench on wheel fasteners, even though,no one you knew ever had one fall off over life times in the car business, but you heard of one somewhere. and at the same time we had to learn how to do drugs in the work place.
I towed some of the "customers" straight to the tire shop. Some before I put the dough nut tire on and some the next week after I put the dough nut tire on and it was still on there but flat. With customers saying it did just what the tire before it did. Yalp, that's what happens when you keep hitting those chuck holes.
