This happened today when i was driving, what can i do

I was driving today and these bolts came off, can I put new bolt in or do I need to replace the axle

Thanks

I'd pull the whole axle out to check for spline damage, if there isn't any then five new bolts and a good clean up are in order

Bit of a worry! Front or rear?

If the rear I would pull the shaft out and check the splines for any damage. If its the front should be fine.

I would use new bolts and get a new gasket while your at it, I'd also torque them up correctly and check the rest of the bolts arnt loose too.

Thanks for your help, i will look

bankz5152 said:

Bit of a worry! Front or rear?

If the rear I would pull the shaft out and check the splines for any damage. If its the front should be fine.

I would use new bolts and get a new gasket while your at it, I'd also torque them up correctly and check the rest of the bolts arnt loose too.

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If it's the front then he's proper goosed cos the cv joint has collapsed

I'm guessing 10 spline rear axle cos 24 spline don't have those robber cap jobbers

yes its the rear axle

harrytooth said:

yes its the rear axle

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If the worst come to the worst rear half shafts aren't that expensive

How'd those bolts come so loose they're lost? I'd pull the half shaft and check the other end?

John S said:

How'd those bolts come so loose they're lost? I'd pull the half shaft and check the other end?

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That is the million dollar question, and somewhat worrying?

If the threads got covered in grease during the last bearing inspection, it can prevent them from tightening up properly as it creates a "cushion" effect.

I've seen half shaft bolts come loose after a dozen miles due to this, despite being tightened with an impact gun.

With a new bolt, screw it all the way in then back a couple of turns, waggle the bolt side to side up and down. There should be little or no movement. Do each hole in turn [ no flange on ] and should you find movement then a new hub is recomended.
If bolts are loose for some time the holes/threads can wear and even when tightened will work their way out again.

Are you supposed to loctite them?

sp00k said:

Are you supposed to loctite them?

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yes loctite, they shouldnt be over tight else they snap

jamesmartin said:

yes loctite, they shouldnt be over tight else they snap

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James is as usual correct. Not sure what model but a series drive flange has fine thread bolts that should be torqued to 34lb/sq inch. For normal peeps that's quite manually tight but not so your going to have a hernia tightening. I doubt vibration did that more likely loosely tighted bolts.

Ive never loctited mine always greased them as per all other bolts I remove/refit and never had one come loose.

lynall said:

Ive never loctited mine always greased them as per all other bolts I remove/refit and never had one come loose.

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Same here, smear of copper grease ad then torqued correctly. Never had one come loose, but a friend did in the desert in morocco. Thank fully noticed before the bolts were lost so a quick clean and re tighten got us to the end of the trail.

Definitely check the holes, as if they have worked looses because the threaded holes are worn then you will need a new hub.

Pretty sure mine have spring washers.

Don't think you should be lubricating the threads on these bolts, if anything they should be degreased (including the bolt hole) and have thread locking compound applied. Greasing a bolt thread greatly increases the stress on the bolt for a given torque as most of the applied torque is used to overcome thread friction when tightening up, the remainder is the actual clamping force that holds the bits together. General practice is to reduce the applied torque by about 25-30% from that specified for a dry fit to achieve the same clamping force. If you apply lubricant and then torque the bolt to its dry torque loading then you are probably increasing the stress on the bolt by 30% and therefore it may be more likely to fail. I think new drive member bolts are supplied with a locking compound already applied and therefore the torque specified in the book will be for a dry thread as obviously putting locking compound on a lubricated bolt thread won't do a thing!

Haynes says use loctite. I recently removed my front ones to change discs and they had loctite on them when I took them out. I cleaned the holes with a tap and cleaned the bolts thoroughly before refitting. As Kwakerman says, you can get new bolts with the compound applied. If you're not sure about the history, it might be worth replacing with genuine bolts as they are high tensile. These are safety critical so do it properly and torque them too.