2nd 100 mile trip with 5th avenue

[Darth-Car]

Hey now! No running around behind your husband's back. No innocent 5th would ever want to be a home wrecker.

....Now on the other hand, a Dodge 3500 with a bull bar on the front can wreck a house, barn, or chicken coup, and just keep right on going.

 

[Justwondering]

Drivers side view is from front of wheel. What is the dark fluid? What do I do about all that rust? I am a long way from winning the 'sweetest undercarriage' award.. sigh

 

[Justwondering]

So wow look at the rust. Have to go get the jack stands. The noise is not there if I push on the car body or hood so I'm not thinking it is shocks which look relatively new.

I can't recreate the noise by moving or shoving anything while it is on the ground.

So I go get the jack.

 

[Justwondering]

Here was the problem

 

[Justwondering]

Notice on the previous picture that where there should be 5 lugnuts, there are only 4.
Of the 4 that were on the wheel, only 1 was tight enough to require a socket to get it off.

Three of the 4 lugnuts I could just about remove with my fingers only.

Now, I know I had all the lugnuts when the new tires were put on. I also know that they all looked the same. One looks like its been squished and the other looks like it is missing the decorative cap.

I tightened up the four nuts and drove the car about a mile. Turned and twisted the steering wheel, sped up, slowed down, reverse and drive, braked and did a 3 point turn-a-round -- no thump.

So where did my original lug nuts go? Why would someone replace them with this crap and how did I walk by this so many times and not notice?

It had to have happened in the parking lot at the doctors office or lowe's. I am beyond amazed at this.

 

[Jack Meoff]

First off I'd get a full set of proper lugnuts on that wheel immediately before I did any driving.

The dark fluid is no doubt just grease seepage from the rubber grease boot. There's a zerk fitting to fill them with

As far a the rust. Start scrubbong and painting.

 

[Justwondering]

Looks like I will need more cardboard. Lol

 

[Jack Meoff]

Not sure what your weather is like but I'd be waiting till spring.

 

[Darth-Car]

In the 80's Chrysler switched from a solid lug nut to a standard nut with an aluminum cap. Over time the aluminum caps would fall off leaving just the nut behind. The cap was just tack welded in place.

I am betting your tire shop snugged the nuts on when they changed the tire, but forgot to finish them off with the torque wrench. So driving caused them to loosen , and one completely fell off.

 

[kkritsilas]

Those aluminum cap nuts are useless. Find some proper, solid lug nuts. McGard are some of the better ones, but they aren't cheap (worth it in my mind).

One of the things the genius bean counters at the car companies never took into account is what happens when the aluminum caps fall off, and moisture a salt start to work on the lug nuts and wheel bolts. That very quickly ends up guaranteeing that the nuts will not loosen on their own, or any other way, either.

 

[Jack Meoff]

I've read that nuts on aluminum wheels tend to back off. Something to do with the reaction between the steel lugs and the aluminum. Always a good idea to check them once in a while.