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54mm nuts in front hubs

Tech Talk for Nissan owners.

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54mm nuts in front hubs

Post by D_Web »

I replaced my rotors yesterday and when removing the two big nuts holding the whole thing on noticed that the washer in between was damaged. Or so I thought. Apparently dad noticed in his 80 series service manual that the Toyota ones are designed to have one tab pushed back and one one pulled forward.

Before I put them back in I straightend them up in the vice. Is this bad? Should I open it up again and bend the washer back like it was?
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Post by MKPatrolGuy »

They are meant to be bent over to prevent the nuts form becoming loose or tightening up further.
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Re: 54mm nuts in front hubs

Post by Smartdigger »

i've got the haynes manual and it doesn't mention to much about the washer. I would assume that they are meant to be straight. I was halfway doing mine yesterday before i realised that I need a 53 mm socket. Going to get one today. I will let you know how mine come out when i do it.

Just wondering how long it took you and if its a hard job. It seemed easy enough but i didn't get very far.

Dave
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Post by Smartdigger »

MKPatrolGuy wrote:They are meant to be bent over to prevent the nuts form becoming loose or tightening up further.
haha well there you go!

now i know
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Post by D_Web »

MKPatrolGuy wrote:They are meant to be bent over to prevent the nuts form becoming loose or tightening up further.
That's what I assumed, is it bad to leave it flat though?
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Post by MKPatrolGuy »

D_Web wrote:
MKPatrolGuy wrote:They are meant to be bent over to prevent the nuts form becoming loose or tightening up further.
That's what I assumed, is it bad to leave it flat though?
Yes, very bad. The nuts will back off and undo completely on the left hand side and tighten up and sieze the bearings on the right hand side.
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Post by bundyrum4x4 »

Buy new ones - they cost about $2 from nissan.

They tend to stretch when you re-use them and the locking tab can become too short thus leaving then useless.
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Post by ausoops »

do you need a 54 or a 53 socket? and what torque should they be done up to ?
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Post by Smartdigger »

ausoops wrote:do you need a 54 or a 53 socket? and what torque should they be done up to ?
The book says 53 mm socket

167 - 196Nm
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Post by D_Web »

Smartdigger wrote:
ausoops wrote:do you need a 54 or a 53 socket? and what torque should they be done up to ?
The book says 53 mm socket

167 - 196Nm
I thought I'd heard 53mm in the past too, but the guy down at a local tool shop had these sockets specifically designed for this looked on his computer and gave me the 54mm. It did the job but it would be nice to be spot on :)

Whether I have torqued it up correctly is a guess, I don't think I left them too tight or too loose, any opinions?
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Post by AJS »

D Web,

it is 53 MM. If you buy a socket you will probably have to get a chamfer machined onto the edge as it may not reach all the way into the hub (the inside of the hub is tapered).

Use a torque wrench.

Make sure you turn the wheel while you are tightening the nut, so as to seat the bearings properly.

Use new lock washers every time or you may find your left wheel falling off. When you do the left wheel, bend the washer in two places over the adjusting nut (towards the axle) and two places over the lock nut (towards the wheel).
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Post by Shadow »

nissan is 53mm, toyota is 54mm, hence most just make a 54mm that suits all.

And follow AJS advice on the locknuts.
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Post by Woop »

Another thing that can also happen when you straighten out and re-use the washers is that small metal particles come off the washer as you straighten it out.

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Post by D_Web »

AJS wrote: Use a torque wrench.
I'll go grab a couple of new washers off Nissan in the morning. Regarding torqueing the nuts up, is it such a critical thing that I should go and spend the money on a torque wrench? Of course I would rather do it properly, but the extra costs aren't always easy when one is a student :)

Also, just out of curiosity, this diagram I pulled from the FAST system has a lock nut, a washer and then the lock washer with a screw in it, while my vehicle just has two nuts with the washer in between. I assume everybody else has the two nuts rather than what is shown on this diagram?
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Post by Woop »

Newer trucks have thick washer with 2 screws--also those with Auto Freewheel hubs. You can use a spring balance acting on the wheel studs to set pre-load. Inner nut sets the preload--outer is a locknut

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Post by Sexy Fingers »

D_Web wrote:
AJS wrote: Use a torque wrench.
I'll go grab a couple of new washers off Nissan in the morning. Regarding torqueing the nuts up, is it such a critical thing that I should go and spend the money on a torque wrench? Of course I would rather do it properly, but the extra costs aren't always easy when one is a student :)
You can tighten up the nuts using a breaker bar. Just tighten the nut up until you feel it getting harder to tighten and then just nip it up a little further. DON'T hang off the breaker bar to tighten or you will damage the bearing.
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Post by AJS »

D_Web wrote:
AJS wrote: Use a torque wrench.
I'll go grab a couple of new washers off Nissan in the morning. Regarding torqueing the nuts up, is it such a critical thing that I should go and spend the money on a torque wrench? Of course I would rather do it properly, but the extra costs aren't always easy when one is a student :)

Also, just out of curiosity, this diagram I pulled from the FAST system has a lock nut, a washer and then the lock washer with a screw in it, while my vehicle just has two nuts with the washer in between. I assume everybody else has the two nuts rather than what is shown on this diagram?
Yeah a good torque wrench is expensive. If you can't borrow one, do it the way that has been suggested but check the wheel regularly. As a matter of course you should regularly jack up the front left wheel to see if it wobbles.

Those other lock nuts are a newer version. My car is a 94 but still has the old style. If you go for the new ones you will probably need to buy, or make up, a special tool to tighten them.
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Post by spannercrab »

Buy new ones - they cost about $2 from nissan
I reckon that's what they SHOULD be ... about 2 bucks ...

Last time I bought some from Nissan they stung me about $14 each for the lock washers ...

OUCH ....
If it's worth doing - it's worth doing to excess ...
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Post by bundyrum4x4 »

spannercrab wrote:
Buy new ones - they cost about $2 from nissan
I reckon that's what they SHOULD be ... about 2 bucks ...

Last time I bought some from Nissan they stung me about $14 each for the lock washers ...

OUCH ....
Shop around, not all Nissan dealers use the same price list
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Post by Shadow »

you can hire a torque wrench from hire shops.
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Re: 54mm nuts in front hubs

Post by D_Web »

Smartdigger wrote:i've got the haynes manual and it doesn't mention to much about the washer. I would assume that they are meant to be straight. I was halfway doing mine yesterday before i realised that I need a 53 mm socket. Going to get one today. I will let you know how mine come out when i do it.

Just wondering how long it took you and if its a hard job. It seemed easy enough but i didn't get very far.

Dave
Sorry Dave, just noticed your question!

It's all pretty straightforward. It initially took a lot longer than required as I had to do a lot of running around to get the necessary tools for the job (the 8mm hex socket, 53mm socket, caliper piston thingy etc), but now that I have them all it's a pretty quick process.

Once I had the hub off I put it in the vice and a few good whacks on the spanner got the bolts holding rotor to the hub loose. Replacing the studs on one side didn't take long but once I had the new pads in the caliper it was really annoying it get it aligned again so it'd fit over the rotor.

All in all I have probably spent about a day and a half getting it all done. However, if I had to do it again I would give it an afternoon.

I've just been following my nose throughout the process and referring back to the Nissan FAST diagrams, OL and the like. Everything seems fine to me but I'll of course be keeping an eye on it all to make sure it stays nice and tight.

Also, thanks for all the help guys :D

P.S - the two washers from Nissan were $3.50
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Post by bogged »

bundyrum4x4 wrote:Buy new ones - they cost about $2 from nissan.

They tend to stretch when you re-use them and the locking tab can become too short thus leaving then useless.
agree totally have had issues with reusing them in the past with coming loose.. As said $2-3.00 for new ones.
bend oen forward and one back.
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