Hello everyone,

Ref: '05 F-150 SC XLT 4.6

Does anyone know why the spindle nuts on 2WD front rotors can't be reused? If it's just the nylon locking ring you can always use locktite. Besides, there's a "castle nut" w/cotter pin on it also.

Anyone reused their's? I'm getting ready to replace my rotors and would like to reuse the old nuts. Also I understand the torque should be 295#?

Thanks,
Paul

 

My wifes mercury service manual says I can reuse that spindle nut up to 5 times. But that is a car. Is that nut very expensive?

 

Why go cheap on the piece that holds the wheel to the vehicle?

If the manual says one time use, then it's one time use.

Some Fords have a solid nut, some use a nut that's actually layered material. Looks like solid steel, but it isn't. those are strictly one time use nuts.(Contours/Mysitiques)

Just looked up the nut at rock auto. For $10, I wouldn't reuse a part that has "one time use" or "Do Not Reuse" stamped directly on it.

 

I'm sure if you take it to your local brake shop they will probably re-use. Personally its the only nut that I have ever seen that says do not re-use in big letters. Given the amount of torgue that these things are specd at I would imagine that in addition to losing its locking properties, this nut's threads probably get stretched enough with that amount of torque that it is weakend significantly over a new one. And like other's have said, small expense compared to the overall brake job so why risk a safety item over $20bucks.

 

There were are at least a couple that I have read that have re-used the nuts with no problem at all. I think I would reuse 'em, but there are those that would say with chicken little "the sky is falling, the sky is falling". As stated, there IS a castle nut and a large cotter pin AND 295 lbs of torque holding that wheel hub on. Unless Ford made that nut so cheap that it will split because it's been re-used, I see no way it can come loose. Like an election, you'll have people screaming on both sides. Do you have the torque wrench to do the 295 lbs with? I haven't bought one yet because I haven't had to remove 'em yet, but I do have a complete set of both metric and US 3/4 in. sockets.

 

It's not screaming.

These aren't the old wheel bearing nuts which didn't have much stress on them. You're torquing them to 295 ft/lbs, which is a lot of stress on the threads of the nut. Looking in a few places, I found a couple references to them being torque to yield nuts, which means that when torqued to the spec, the threads stretch.

$20 worth of insurance on a vehicle isn't that much to spend. I'd listen to the engineer's advice when they stamp "do not re-use" on the nut.

 

reminds me of school... when the auto teacher told me that you can re-use torque to yeild head bolts(i knew better than that tho).........guess what we did a month later after a complete overhaul on a malibu........ well it blowed the head gaskets and warped the heads... and i thought i was the student

 

At $20. apiece (retail) I'd stamp "do not reuse" on EVERYTHING! Think of all the money you'd make! A FREAKING fortune! Do you have any way of KNOWING that the $10. ea. nuts that you buy at Rock Auto (or anywhere else) are that quality of nut? with 99.9% of EVERYTHING made in China these days, they may be made of old beer cans, wouldn't be the 1st time!

 

Do what you want, but there are areas of vehicles you just don't save money on. This, to me, is one of them.

On the contour/Mystiques, EVERY time someone reused a wheel bearing nut, it ended badly, wither with the destruction of the new wheel bearing assembly or worse.

Do what you want, think what you want, but at $10 each, they're cheap insurance.

 

Agree LOL - it a good money maker! I would still buy new ones tho' because if something catastrophic happen and can be traced to that nut - you may have some money coming; as opposed to if you reuse them and something happen - you're SOL.

IMO.