Found loose axle nut - The Light Goes On!!!

Matt Colie

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2008
11,101
807
113
South East Michigan near DTW
I am glad this thread got started..

Some years (now) back, there was an owner on Facebook that needed advice about his knuckles. I tried very hard to tell him that he was in real
trouble and should stop what he is doing and get it fixed right. Well, He choose not to read what I wrote and instead followed the advice of an
individual that said great things but was obviously not very familiar with TZE stuff. (Claimed to be an RV wrench with some experience.)

Anyway, the owner went and tightened the front bearings several times until it failed on the road. One front wheel was now completely out of place
(no pictures provided) so badly that a wheel lift wrecker could not pick it up correctly. They finally got it off the road to a wrecking yard. When
I told him it would need at least new knuckles and lots of other parts and a possible cost. I even suggested that he contact Manny about a 1-ton kit,
because he would probably have few parts that could be salvaged. Again, he took the advice of others and turned it over to the towing company in
exchange for the towing bill. Last I heard, the wrecking yard had sold the doors and the engine/trans.

Actually, I could not, until now, identify the actual failure mode that caused all this.

Matt - Doing a front cover and water pump today
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Matt,

Comes under "you can lead a horse to. . . . . ."

I hope you have taken the advice given here and have obtained a water pump with a roller and ball bearing! ;-)

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808

-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Matt Colie
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2018 2:48 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Found loose axle nut - The Light Goes On!!!

I am glad this thread got started..

Some years (now) back, there was an owner on Facebook that needed advice about his knuckles. I tried very hard to tell him that he
was in real trouble and should stop what he is doing and get it fixed right. Well, He choose not to read what I wrote and instead
followed the advice of an individual that said great things but was obviously not very familiar with TZE stuff. (Claimed to be an
RV wrench with some experience.)

Anyway, the owner went and tightened the front bearings several times until it failed on the road. One front wheel was now
completely out of place (no pictures provided) so badly that a wheel lift wrecker could not pick it up correctly. They finally got
it off the road to a wrecking yard. When I told him it would need at least new knuckles and lots of other parts and a possible
cost. I even suggested that he contact Manny about a 1-ton kit,
because he would probably have few parts that could be salvaged. Again, he took the advice of others and turned it over to the
towing company in exchange for the towing bill. Last I heard, the wrecking yard had sold the doors and the engine/trans.

Actually, I could not, until now, identify the actual failure mode that caused all this.

Matt - Doing a front cover and water pump today
--
 
> Matt,
>
> Comes under "you can lead a horse to. . . . . ."
>
> I hope you have taken the advice given here and have obtained a water pump with a roller and ball bearing! ;)
>
> Regards,
> Rob M.

Rob,

The new pump is already installed.
I don't have the cylinder heads back from the shop yet, but the new timing chain and water pump are both there.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Another chapter in this saga... after the shock of finding a loose nut, I kind of left the knuckle alone while I worked on other things. Went back
today and discovered that there was no washer under the axle nut.

Doesn't portend well for the knuckle.
--
Bill Van Vlack
'76 Royale; Guemes Island, Washington; Twin bed, full (DS) side bath, Brazilian Redwood counter and settee tops,455, 6KW generator; new owner a/o mid
November 2015.