Wheel hub going bad - nut was too tight, problems if it is loosened and driven?

[Steelwheel]

I have a Oldsmobile Intrigue FWD with a bad wheel hub on the front left. It is noisy and has some vibration, but still drives fine. From what I can tell, it went bad too fast because the wheel hub/cv axle nut was over-tightened.

Now, I can change the hub myself, and have the tools and part. However, the nut is so tight, I need a shop to loosen it.

I was wondering if there were any major risks associated with doing that. If the nut is loosened and then re-tightened to spec, does that increase the chance of the wheel hub going out? I would just need to loosen it then drive a few miles back to my garage.

Thanks to all who respond.

[Stealthee]

I doubt the nut was too tight, or that being "too tight" caused it to fail. I know some guys tighten theirs to 140 ft lbs and don't have premature failure.

Was it a cheap bearing? If so, that's why it failed.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

I doubt the nut was too tight, or that being "too tight" caused it to fail. I know some guys tighten theirs to 140 ft lbs and don't have premature failure.

Was it a cheap bearing? If so, that's why it failed.

X2 on what Stealthee said. I've seen them so tight that I had to use a floor jack handle as a cheater on a breaker bar to get them loose. I think yours torques to about 118 ft. lbs. - now figure that it's been heat cycled multi-thousands of times and throw in a little rust. So, it's probably REALLY tight!!

As to having a shop break it loose, re-tighten it and drive it a short distance - I can't imagine that would have any noticeable effect. Just be glad that it's a GM hub that bolts to the spindle. Most of the others are pressed in. In those cases, you either have to pull the spindle to have the old one pressed out and the new one installed... or have access to a Bearing Shark!

In any case - good luck with your repair!
DB

[Steelwheel]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

I doubt the nut was too tight, or that being "too tight" caused it to fail. I know some guys tighten theirs to 140 ft lbs and don't have premature failure.

Was it a cheap bearing? If so, that's why it failed.

You think so? Some people have told me (mechanics) that (at least on this car) having it too tight can cause the hub to wear out faster.

Originally Posted by Dave B.

X2 on what Stealthee said. I've seen them so tight that I had to use a floor jack handle as a cheater on a breaker bar to get them loose. I think yours torques to about 118 ft. lbs. - now figure that it's been heat cycled multi-thousands of times and throw in a little rust. So, it's probably REALLY tight!!

As to having a shop break it loose, re-tighten it and drive it a short distance - I can't imagine that would have any noticeable effect. Just be glad that it's a GM hub that bolts to the spindle. Most of the others are pressed in. In those cases, you either have to pull the spindle to have the old one pressed out and the new one installed... or have access to a Bearing Shark!

In any case - good luck with your repair!
DB

Yeah it's 118.

Interestingly, the other side loosened up easily, and was at about the right ft-lb. I used a long breaker bar + cheater pipe with a jack as a support stand under a 1/2 inch drive extender, and snapped the extender. Tried lube spray. It is nearly welded in there, somehow.

And yeah, I can give this car props for making things easy to change. The struts and suspension is designed in a way that (usually) causes little grief when installing new parts.

[Stealthee]

I've had axle nuts that I know weren't over tightened be so tight coming off that I literally picked a car up with a breaker bar and cheater pipe. An impact wouldn't have budged it.

You've probably got a gaulded nut. Again a cheap (or defective) bearing fail prematurely, if it was too tight I still doubt that caused premature failure. My Grand Prix uses the exact same bearing and I didn't even use a torque wrench when when I replaced my fronts two years ago and they are still silent.

[Steelwheel]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

I've had axle nuts that I know weren't over tightened be so tight coming off that I literally picked a car up with a breaker bar and cheater pipe. An impact wouldn't have budged it.

You've probably got a gaulded nut. Again a cheap (or defective) bearing fail prematurely, if it was too tight I still doubt that caused premature failure. My Grand Prix uses the exact same bearing and I didn't even use a torque wrench when when I replaced my fronts two years ago and they are still silent.

Well, took it to a shop and a mech blasted it with an impact wrench, after 30 seconds, it loosened. Drove it home no problems and installed the new bearing. Nice and quiet now!

It sounds like you're right about the nut tightness. The bearing did last a few months without noise, but it must have been from the bottom rung quality wise.