Wheel popped off while driving (!!!) Serious lesson learned. Now replacing manual lock hubs + rotors. Could use some purchasing advice…

[eightynine4x4]

Hello all,
Yep, drivers front wheel flew off while driving. I had done about 6-7 hours of driving, including highways, to pick up about 1000 lbs of windows and bring them home. I was just 4 miles from reaching home, and was on a small slow road. Got lucky to say the least. I was only doing 25-30 mph and it was at midnight so nobody else was on the road. The wheel rolled about 100 yards straight up the opposing traffic lane until it veered into the shoulder and ditch. It was exactly like a comedy movie would have done it.

After the immediate clunk, and now driving with one of the wheels being a metal disc, i pulled slowly over out of the lanes while watching the wheel roll down the road. I shut down and left the truck on the side of the road for the night and came back the next morning for repair. It was pretty stressful and my lower back is a bit strained but not too much.

The manual hub “cap” section had flown off and cracked off about 50% of its edge sections but the core was ok. After probably 3 hours of navigating getting the truck out of loose gravel and repositioned on flat land, and assessing the state of the rotor lug threads, i lifted it and borrowed 1 lug nut from each of the other 3 wheels and fastened the 4th wheel back on and carefully drove home. I also thoroughly cleaned out the gravel from the rotor/brake sections. I did use the cracked hub because i was unsure of the state of threads the further in i went with the lug nuts since that section of threading had never been used probably. I bolted a triangle pattern with the nuts, focused on the strong areas remaining in the manual hub edge.

Anyways, the lesson is that i need to regularly re-torque my wheels. I had done everything properly in May of 2023, including a follow up re-torque. But this wheel’s lug nuts worked themselves away and off on this special day. Probably because of the extra amount of highway driving i did. Or, maybe i‘m human and when i re-torqued the wheels i skipped that wheel. I’ll never really know. Or, maybe there is just too much gunk / grease on these old rotor stud threads and i didn’t clean them well enough so they gradually all loosened.

I could have easily died from this. If this had happened while going 60+ on the busy highway in the middle lane, it would have been an absolute wreck and made the news.

So now I’m buying a pair of new manual locking hubs. I’d wanted them anyways because one of mine had a nearly non existent handle part so was tough to turn.

And the rotor’s perimeter was smash-flattened in a few spots from dragging on the road briefly, and since I’m buying one I may as well get a pair of new front rotors.

It actually drove home fine without any strain or noises, so I think the brake system, and pads, are fine. But I’ll inspect the pad when i redo the rotor.

My truck is a 1989 4x4 (Manual Locking) Auto-Transmission V6 2.9.

I believe i have the Dana 28 axel but I would appreciate confirmation of that.

Can i just buy a set of manual hubs and pop them right on? Like these?

Dana 28 Mile Marker Lock-Out Hubs, Pair-Broncograveyard.com

Mile Marker D28 Supreme Hubsbr The cure for those stock hubs that never hold up when you need them.br Made using a new process of die-casting aluminum into a pre-made jacket, it provides lightweight, strength and corrosion resistance.br It uses the ultimate combination of materials for the cap...

shop.broncograveyard.com

I see that some manual locking hubs come with more parts, such as the rings with notches in them. Could there be some brand compatibility issue if i pop on these Mile Marker brand ones onto the guts of the “OEM” ones that are still on my truck?

My former lock-hubs are the OEM ford ones I believe. Although, i don’t see “FORD” written on them like some other locking hubs.

This first pic is of my setup, from May 2023, before i did the restoration work to it. The second and third pics are from today.

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm glad you're OK. Below is a link to some info to help you know the differences between the Dana28 and Dana35 axles. A replacement manual hub should slide right on regardless of brand as ling as you are replacing a manual hub. The majority of them are made by Warn and Milemarker. I know that I have used both brands interchangeably on my Dana35. The hub seems to be the weakest link in my front drivetrain.

Ford Ranger 4x4 Front Axles: 1983-1997 - The Ranger Station

(Dana 35 Above / Dana 28 Below) Ford Rangers appeared with a reverse cut Dana 28 TTB (Twin Traction Beam) 4WD front axle in 1983. In 1990, Ford Introduced a 4.0L V6 to its engine lineup, and along came the … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

 

[franklin2]

What are you torquing them too? I never check my lug nuts and have never had one come off. I use a 24 inch breaker bar and tighten them by hand with that.

There is a big controversy on lubricating the threads. I have aluminum rims on my BII and I have put just a dab of oil on each thread and a little bit on the taper area of the wheel. The lug nuts will dig into the rim and can gald the aluminum and I have found a little dab of lube prevents that and lets you get the lugs tighter. I put very little oil or grease on there, and you do not have to do it but once and it lasts many years. If you put too much you will have to clean it off the rims in a few days.

 

[Curious Hound]

Torque spec is probably 85-100 ft-lbs. Check the owners manual. That would be dry threads. When lubricating threads, the torque spec should be decreased (a lot more than you think) because of the reduced friction. A 24" breaker bar makes it easy to overtorque wheel lugs and that is just as Dangerous as undertorqueing them. You can stretch and damage the threads with too much torque. Some have also reported rotor damage from overtorqueing.

 

[eightynine4x4]

I torqued them to whatever the spec is as listed in the actual shop manual which i bought on eBay. It’s been since mid last year so can’t remember if it’s 100 FtLbs or something close.
I also have a 4 foot breaker bar that i use to get them off. It’s just a steel closet rod, cheap from any box store and makes incredibly easy work of wheel changing. Sometimes i just use that when torquing them back on, but do it lightly. Once there’s any real resistance i stop. It’s always felt pretty similar to the proper torque wrench result, in terms of what it feels like when taking them off.
My lug nuts are also old. The rotors are old. I suppose it could just be that the thread mating of two old pieces is not sufficient to keep them together without torquing regularly.

 

[JoshT]

I can't really help with the hub questions, but just a few things to say/ask from the first post.

1) Did the 1000 lbs of windows survive the ordeal?

2)

Anyways, the lesson is that i need to regularly re-torque my wheels. I had done everything properly in May of 2023, including a follow up re-torque. But this wheel’s lug nuts worked themselves away and off on this special day. Probably because of the extra amount of highway driving i did. Or, maybe i‘m human and when i re-torqued the wheels i skipped that wheel. I’ll never really know. Or, maybe there is just too much gunk / grease on these old rotor stud threads and i didn’t clean them well enough so they gradually all loosened.

Some times shit just happens, no matter how much effort is put into preventing or avoiding it. Don't overthink it, fix it and keep trucking.

3) Looking at those last two pictures, I'm wondering if those lug nuts are appropriate for the wheels. They look like they are sunk way too far into the wheel. I think I'd be wanting a bulge seat style nut, they should have a larger seat and provide better clamping force on those wheels. Bulge seats should fill the seat on the wheel and have the whole hex portion above the face of the wheel. I'm thinking that what you appear to have is more appropriate for steel wheels.

 

[Curious Hound]

I can't really help with the hub questions, but just a few things to say/ask from the first post.

1) Did the 1000 lbs of windows survive the ordeal?

2)


Some times shit just happens, no matter how much effort is put into preventing or avoiding it. Don't overthink it, fix it and keep trucking.

3) Looking at those last two pictures, I'm wondering if those lug nuts are appropriate for the wheels. They look like they are sunk way too far into the wheel. I think I'd be wanting a bulge seat style nut, they should have a larger seat and provide better clamping force on those wheels. Bulge seats should fill the seat on the wheel and have the whole hex portion above the face of the wheel. I'm thinking that what you appear to have is more appropriate for steel wheels.

I agree that something looks wrong with those nuts. Aluminum wheels often take a different style lug nut than steel wheels. Maybe someone with the original Alcoa wheels like those could chime in.

 

[JoshT]

My lug nuts are also old. The rotors are old. I suppose it could just be that the thread mating of two old pieces is not sufficient to keep them together without torquing regularly.

Unless there is obvious physical wear and damage, I doubt it. I don't see any thread damage on the studs, or wear (ovaling) on the holes in the rotor. There are plenty of 30, 40, 50+ year old vehicles still running around with original studs and/or lug nuts without a problem.

 

[franklin2]

A 24" breaker bar makes it easy to overtorque wheel lugs and that is just as Dangerous as undertorqueing them.

I need to stop recommending how to tighten various fasteners. After you have been wrenching for years, you can guess pretty good by feel how tight something should be. I only use a torque wrench on head bolts and maybe once in awhile other critical nut or bolt applications. But after some experience, you can tell how much to tighten something. On the lugs I do not put all my weight on the bar. I could easily twist the stud off with that bar and my full weight on it.

 

[eightynine4x4]

This is really interesting info about the lug nuts. I’ll go ahead and dive into that and figure it out. Thank you.

The windows made it. The custom crate i built worked perfectly.
This is after getting the wheel back on. Mind you, i had to move the truck forward three times, without a wheel on. In the second pic you can see a scrape in the road. The truck was first pulled over at midnight night prior into the spot where the red car is, which was my rescue car.
The wheel rolled straight down and almost into that tunnel up ahead that you can see in second pic. If this had happened at this exact spot n the daytime, it wouldn’t have been fatal probably but it would have hit some vehicles and been a total nightmare for weeks on end.
I wish i had taken a pic of the position it was in after the first “pull forward”.. The passenger wheel was fully up on some steep incline, and the driver wheel was still off so the rotor was on the ground. So picture your most extreme posing photo of your truck’s articulation flexing, but make it more extreme due to missing wheel, and then put a huge crate of windows on top leaning to the side. It was so stressful that i forgot to take photos.

 

[franklin2]

I can see having all that weight on the back may have hid the fact the wheel was loose. These trucks get a little wobbly with that much weight in them.

 

[19Walt93]

I use a drop of oil on the threads and none on the taper. On 1/2x20 threads I torque to 95 ft/lbs, the 12mm lugs on my Escape get 90 ft/lbs. After torqueing the last wheel I go around and double click each nut. I've never retorqued wheels after driving and so far they've stayed on.

 

[JoshT]

Good to hear the cargo survived.

This is after getting the wheel back on. Mind you, i had to move the truck forward three times, without a wheel on. In the second pic you can see a scrape in the road. The truck was first pulled over at midnight night prior into the spot where the red car is, which was my rescue car.
The wheel rolled straight down and almost into that tunnel up ahead that you can see in second pic. If this had happened at this exact spot n the daytime, it wouldn’t have been fatal probably but it would have hit some vehicles and been a total nightmare for weeks on end.
I wish i had taken a pic of the position it was in after the first “pull forward”.. The passenger wheel was fully up on some steep incline, and the driver wheel was still off so the rotor was on the ground. So picture your most extreme posing photo of your truck’s articulation flexing, but make it more extreme due to missing wheel, and then put a huge crate of windows on top leaning to the side. It was so stressful that i forgot to take photos.

Should have mentioned... BTDT!

First time was on my 99 Ranger. Tire shop didn't properly tighten lug nuts on a wheel. Drove on it for a few days after. The last day I was driving home and something sounded wrong. I actually stopped at a gas station and put a lug wrench on the wheels, but by that point the damage had been done and with the load on them they wouldn't tighten. Ofcourse I didn't realize that and though they were tight so drove on home. Litterly just as I pulled into my driveway the driver front wheel came off the studs and got pinned under the truck and wheel well. When I say just in my driveway, my back bumper was 3-4 foot from the road. Could have failed anywhere in my 60 mile daily commute, but it let go there.

Second time was in my F-100. Kind of happened like yours. I was coming out of a curve and the pass rear tire kept going straight. That was the result of wear as you mentioned concern about. I'd made a mental note when I Was putting it on the road that the lug holes in the drums had been beaten oblong and raised a bit around the edges, then drove it anyway because it had been like that for a long time with no problem. Probably would have stayed that way if I hadn't put wheel spacers on the back axke, those year models had a really narrow track width compared to front. Axle studs sheared and the drum and wheel went rolling across someone's front yard and into the woods. Fortunately I was out in the country near my house and noone was in that yard, or else there could have been damage and injury. Considering how that truck sits it had exactly the flex you're talking about. After inspecting the parts you could see that the raised edges on the drum around the stud holes had worn into the spacer and allowed the nuts to loosen.

Now let me be clear that I do not blame the wheel spacers for the second one. That was my own negligence for ignoring the problems, not pulling the wheel and retorquing, and ignoring warning signs. For a few days prior to that wheel exiting stage right I had heard a rattle that I couldn't quite figure out. Turns out it was one of the lug nuts that had backed off and was rattling around in the wheel spacer. I learned my lesson and the 99 Ranger is currently running spacers that I properly torque and will retorque in a few more miles. Dad's Ranger ran the same spacers for months trying out a differet tire size and no problems there with proper installation.

Pretty certain that in both incidents, photos were the last thing on my mind as well.

 

[Shran]

I have yet to lose a wheel but I have acquired vehicles that had lug nuts put on way too tight that damaged the wheel or the stud... it is horrible when the stud starts spinning. Tapered lug nuts & wheels like on our trucks are VERY forgiving... lug centric (IE, the old slotted mag wheels) and hub centric (Super Duty wheels) are NOT. You better torque those perfectly or you'll break studs off or have the wheel vibrate against the lug and egg out the holes.

I just figured it was a good habit to get into so I torque all lug nuts now. I never grease or oil them either - not necessary.

 

[Curious Hound]

It only takes a few seconds to get the torque wrench out.


IF you put it away in the correct place last time you used it.