Kind of a "Challenging" Day Today

[snubbyfan]

Actually, it started yesterday.
We were driving our Toyota Yaris to the trail head for our hike and the tire light was on. We turned around, went home and I grabbed our floor pump. I didn't feel like hooking up the portable 12 volt pump.
The left front tire was at 25 pounds and the right rear tire was at 15 pounds. We've had a slow leak but it was never a real problem. Just pump it up every now and then.
When we were close to home on our way back, the tire light was on again and by the time we stopped in our driveway it was flat.
I figured I'd just grab the floor pump, pump it up and take the car to the local garage the next morning. Wouldn't take much, it's just a coupla blocks away.
After a coupla hundred pumps with no results, 'cept a heck of a triceps pump, I decided to get the electric pump. Ran that for 'bout 15 minutes with no results.
Okay, I'm just gonna put the spare on.
Wrong.
Had to use a heavy duty breaker bar to get the lug nuts loosened. 'Cept one would not turn. I was actually picking the car up by the passengers side rear lug nut and it wouldn't loosen.
Okay, if Fix a Flat don't work, we're driving there on a flat tire. Just hope we don't damage the rim beyond use.
Fortunately the Fix a Flat worked and we were able to take the car a coupla blocks. The tires are kinda old so we're just gonna replace all four.
It'll probably take a coupla days but that's okay, we can drive our truck in the meantime.
Today was a workout day but by the time we got to the gym, I already had a pretty good workout.
Dead lifting the back of a car by the lug nut's some good exercise.

 

[robvious]

don't forget the cardio you got from jumping up n down using "colorful" language as my mother called it..lol

 

[DeathGrip]

The last guy that took that wheel off over torqued it. You have to go to someone who knows the proper torque. Imagine if you had to remove that tire in the snow on the side of the road.

Tire guys and impact wrenches can do some serious damage.

 

[Rustyt1953]

There are still some good old boys around these parts that say to get the lug nuts off you have to "unloosen" them.

 

[peyton]

Now I am old enough to remember either Dodge or Chrysler had a reverse thread on the lug nuts long ago. After we broke two lugs off of my friends car I went to ask my Dad what were we doing wrong!!

 

[Krogen]

Now I am old enough to remember either Dodge or Chrysler had a reverse thread on the lug nuts long ago. After we broke two lugs off of my friends car I went to ask my Dad what were we doing wrong!!

As a pup, I learned that too in my Dad's auto shop. The left hand threaded studs were on one side only. Can't remember which side. They had a little "L" stamped on the end of the stud. Dad said the idea was to keep them from loosening with wheel rotation. That's why the left and right sides were different. Apparently it wasn't a big problem since they eventually stopped using left hand studs. As far as I know, no other manufacturer used them.

 

[Marshwheeling]

As a pup, I learned that too in my Dad's auto shop. The left hand threaded studs were on one side only. Can't remember which side. They had a little "L" stamped on the end of the stud. Dad said the idea was to keep them from loosening with wheel rotation. That's why the left and right sides were different. Apparently it wasn't a big problem since they eventually stopped using left hand studs. As far as I know, no other manufacturer used them.

I don’t remember, either, but at least a couple of foreign mfrs have used left-hand lug nuts. Then there were the sports cars with knock-off hubs, that had LH threads on one side. You had to useh a lead mallet to get enough weight, but not break off the cast ears on the knockoffs. That was a real risk if you were hitting them the wrong way.

 

[RichardWA]

Chrysler products had left hand thread on the drivers side

 

[CH4]

Yep, the family’s 66 dodge station wagon had LH lug nuts. Think they stopped doing this in ‘73.

 

[bdGreen]

That's not a car, it's a pregnant roller skate.


bdGreen

 

[5-Shot]

I have an 06 Toyota Matrix. Every time I take it in for routine service, they warn me the lug nuts are swelling. Turns out it has something to do with the plating on them. Could be you have the same problem.

Ed

 

[Leslie Sapp]

I got a 1/2" dewalt impact driver and a set of impact sockets for the truck a couple of years back. It's saved me on several occasions, and I'm think about getting another set for my wife's suburban.

 

[Old_Cop]

I though that you bought a Hellcat.

 

[snubbyfan]

Now I am old enough to remember either Dodge or Chrysler had a reverse thread on the lug nuts long ago. After we broke two lugs off of my friends car I went to ask my Dad what were we doing wrong!!

My '68 Chrysler Newport was like that. Had to make sure to turn the lug nuts in the right direction when I put the studded snow skins on every winter and the street skins on in the spring.

 

[snubbyfan]

That's not a car, it's a pregnant roller skate.


bdGreen

It does have some unique stylin' but it is fun drivin' on these West Virginia mountain roads and gets up to 40mpg.

 

[snubbyfan]

I have an 06 Toyota Matrix. Every time I take it in for routine service, they warn me the lug nuts are swelling. Turns out it has something to do with the plating on them. Could be you have the same problem.

Ed

Lug nuts are swelling?
I worked in Toyota Parts up 'til October 2000 and I never heard of such a thing.
They must have switched suppliers shortly after I left.

 

[snubbyfan]

Anyway, we have four nice shiny new Goodyear tires on our Yaris.

 

[venomballistics]

That's not a car, it's a pregnant roller skate.


bdGreen

Consider this line stolen.

I had rented a Yaris IA a few years ago. It was almost a good car.
Passenger side rear wouldn't hold air, and it started to feel pretty sketchy above 75.
Tire not withstanding, that physics imposed speed limit was the only dealbreaker

 

[snubbyfan]

Consider this line stolen.

I had rented a Yaris IA a few years ago. It was almost a good car.
Passenger side rear wouldn't hold air, and it started to feel pretty sketchy above 75.
Tire not withstanding, that physics imposed speed limit was the only dealbreaker

It does get to feeling kinda twitchy at higher speeds.

 

[raljr1]

Guys at the dealer or service shop overtorque them lots od times. Or they run the first one in tight and then when the rest get tightened, the first one is "break you butt" tight.....I have had a few like that that took all 1/8 of a ton of me to get loose.