gtstcactus

Can someone tell me what size the front drive shaft nut is on a 1992 ES300 / Windom......

It's bigger than my biggest socket and I don't have a ruler / tape measure handy...

The biggest socket I have is a 12 point 1 3/16 which seemed pretty damn close but wouldn't fit on, but I think it's just because it's not a deep / long socket...

Anyhow I was just thinking that seeing as I'm going to have to take a trip to the auto parts store in the morning it would be good if I got the right size socket the first time!

Is it a 30mm deep socket that I need???

Is it ok to use regular sockets (non-impact) with a 600mm breaker bar??

ES300NZ

It's a 30mm, but it's smart to have a 28mm, 30mm, and 32mm in case you do cv's in other cars later on. I've got 28 - 36mm for that reason.

Non-impact sockets are ok, but that nuts on pretty tight so it if the sockets are cheap ones it might hurt them. I tend to do the nuts up by hand (tight), then I drop the car and with the full weight and finish with a breaker bar and a huge metal pole I have, all up it would be easily 150ft/pounds. That's pushing the limits for a 1/2 inch drive, 3/4 inch drive or 1 inch drive would be better. That nut is also compressing the wheel bearing.+

a 1/2 inch torque wrench is probably the best way.

gtstcactus

Man that nut is a real pain in the butt! The torque spec is something like 217 ft/lbs which is outside the range of my 1/2" torque wrench...

I tried it with a not so good impact gun (i know you shouldn't use regular sockets with impact gun) but it's a good socket I got... Anyway that didn't break it but it's just a 12v gun that goes up to 150 ft/lbs and I don't think it operates to spec anymore but I hoped the impact would help... I'm waiting on a replacement charger for my dewalt 18v cordless which has a bit more grunt but I'm not so sure that will do it either....

I tried with the 1/2 inch 600mm breaker bar and it really didn't look like budging... I weigh just over 100kg and even with me putting all my weight on the end of the bar it wouldn't move!

I've just dug out the 750mm breaker bar which is the biggest the local auto shops sell... they don't have 3/4 or 1 inch but I'll have a look for one if I can't get it off...

I read somewhere online of people putting the wheel back on and lowering the car, removing the centre cap, putting the socket on with the breaker bar parallel to the ground and using the hydraulic jack on the end of the bar to push it up and loosen the nut that way....

If nothing works I guess I could put it back together and take it to the tyre shop or garage to crack the nut for me....... FRUSTRATING!!

LeX2K

Put the wheel on car and lower it on the ground, have someone step on the brake. Put a pipe on the breaker bar and you'll loosen the nut no problem. Wear eye protection in case your breaker bar explodes.

gtstcactus

closest thing to a pipe I've got is the inner tie rod tool..... that should be good for a bit of extra length / leverage...
Hopefully the extra 15cms of breaker bar with the tie rod pipe will be enough!


I suspect either the nut or the bar will give, I hope like hell it's the nut! Eye protection definitely required!

gtstcactus

It is actually a must to remove the axle shaft from the hub to remove the lower control arm????????

In looking at it I wondered if I could get away without taking the nut off and removing the shaft... but it sort of looked like you might have to to get enough wriggle room to remove the LCA....

ES300NZ

I use a 1/2 breaker bar, and nut. and long metal pole. all high quality steel. I take the centre cap off, drop the car on the ground. I make sure the handbrake is on strongly. I've always done it like that, it works just as well for tightening. Sometimes I have to ask someone to put their foot on the brake.

I'm 125kg, I can tell you, you won't move that nut with your body weight, or a small breaker bar like that. The metal pole I use has a 6mm wall, and it's 1.6mtrs, it's the pole from a 9 ton truck jack I have. I use it gently, cos it can put down a lot force, it weighs about 20kg :P

I wouldn't want to drive a car with that nut loose, it compresses the wheel bearings so they would be damaged quickly. Least, that's my understanding of the way that stuff is put together.

ES300NZ

It usually is. Most FWD cars are like that. (not all). ppl often drop the top because it's easier to move the nuts, and pay for a re-wheel-alignment. That's not my method. :P

ES300NZ

I bent a 10mm solid bar trying to lossen that nut once. Turns out it was just mild steel.

gtstcactus

Well that was not successful...............

I broke a torque wrench (one of the metal bits in the head which locks the ratchet cog in place)...



Also broke an impact extension



The breaker bar was flexing more than I was comfortable with, I don't think the nut is going to budge without me taking it to the a mechanic with an air impact wrench... So I've left the centre cap, cotter pin and lock cap off until the morning when I will take it 30 seconds down the road to get the mechanic to try and tackle it........ I gave it a final blast of CRC 5.56 to soak overnight...

Total waste of a day on this damn nut!

ES300NZ

.. get ya tig welder out and turn it into a breaker bar. At least it wont be a total loss.

damn, that nut's really giving you some trouble. I guess you have to visit a mechanic.

gtstcactus

I've seen ratchet / torque wrench repair kits for sale.... they come with the bits inside the head including the broken bits I now need + the spring I just lost after it hit me in the face and flew across the room (just to add insult to injury)... The heads internals seem pretty similar to the koken brand repair kits and a couple of others I've seen so I might try one of those....

I really hate giving in and getting a mechanic to loosen it for me but I think if I persist I'll probably just waste more time, and break more tools and end up rounding the nut.... I've never seen a breaker bar flex so much! I'm pretty sure it was damn close to exploding on me.... just what I need breaker bar shrapnel to the jugular!

I wish I had a Torque multiplier!!! They don't seem to be available anywhere in the city I live in, so frustrating!!!

LeX2K

Most breaker bars (and tools in general) are made of cheap, mild steel that flex. In the 60's and 70's Craftsman and others used drop forged designs that had very little flex and rarely broke. You can still find these on Ebay from time to time, or you can go out and buy from the likes of Snap-on but a 1/2" breaker bar from them can run $200.

gtstcactus

I think I might just have a wee look on Ebay for some old school breaker bars! It was quite scary how much flex I was seeing last night!

Just been down to the mechanics, he got it off with the air impact gun.... It took a lot of impacts for it to break free, and he commented that there is no way it should have been that tight....

I'm pissed about my torque wrench breaking but can only blame myself, I should have known better...

LeX2K

This is the one I have:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331505290440
It has not failed me yet but lately I'm more afraid to put extreme force on it, I really like it and don't want to destroy it. If there is a new breaker bar sold that is made from forged material I have not found it. Well in actuality the ones I've used say they are forged (maybe they are) but they flexed like crazy.