I must say, I like your method. I think it makes sense, and in order to perform your demonstration safely and accurately, the car owner must be familiar with their impact gun, and how powerful it is. Failure to know, will result in serious damage.
A click type torque wrench is always required on all aluminum wheels I take loose period, steel wheels maybe….aluminum is way to soft for any heavy duty 1/2″ impact gun.. Use no click type and you take a gamble. Its like riding your bicycle in the street…….
I really like your restate style. That’s a great learning tool. What I do is I tighten until I see the socket slow down and then stop. As soon as it stops or binds I stop immediately. I visualize a graph with a downward sloping line that starts high on the Y axis (socket speed) and where it nears the X axis (Time) it stops as the line is near parallel, but not touching yet. If you continue till absolute stopping occurs, you will inevitably cause damage.
Cool video, so just a rap up from what I just learned… You’re suggesting to use an impact gun to tighten the lug nuts until they no longer spin onto the rotor mounts, and that will justify that you have completely tightened the lug nuts?
I have a Subaru Impreza. I had my brake pads changed at the last service. I have noticed a rattle (knocking) when at slow to low speeds. I don’t think its the shocks because they don’t make a noise when going over harsh bumps. I notice the sound coming from the front of the car, and sticking my head out the window and listening, it sounds like its coming from the wheel area.
Do you think it could be the brake pads and that they didn’t glue em?
Part trois, LOL!… As I was saying, I use a good ol’ lug nut wrench and “old-fashioned” elbow grease, making sure that I tighten those nuts in the star manner Brian recommended! The more I learn about automotive technology, the more I realize I have so much more to learn! By the time I reach the age of 100, I’ll probably know about half of it! LOL! But thanks to Brian, EricTheCarGuy, Scottkilmer, and others, I may not have to wait that long! Sorry about my long diatribe, once I get started..
…actually was to do! I never looked back ever since, and continued to do more and more work on the numerous vehicles that I owned, learning more and more about those machines that seemed not to want to divulge their most intimate secrets which, little by little, are being revealed to me, thanks to my sheer Celtic obstinance of not declaring defeat that easily! I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles, and never had a wheel falling off on me yet! I use a good ol’ lug nut wrench and…
You’re not going to die, boss, you’re just going to get injured, that’s all! Just kidding, just kidding! When I became a courier almost 21 years ago at the age of 34 (Brian’s age), I started to do my own maintenance and repairs myself, which, by the way, saved me thousands of dollars over the years! My first job was indeed a brake job which seemed insurmountable and intimidating at first but once done, left me wondering why I hadn’t done that earlier, leaving me baffled at how easy it…
I usually open the bleeders when I push the pistons back. That way the old fluid that has been in the caliper for years drains out of the bleeders and does not go back into the system. Then I top off the reservoir or bleed the brakes.
I like the tire shops that torque my wheels to spec. I don’t get warped rotors and I can get the wheel off when I have a flat. I’ve had them I couldn’t get off a 6 foot cheater bar. I’ve ruined lug nuts. I’ll take the torque spec.
I like to clean them off with a little bit of auto trans fluid and a wire brush and then spray with brake parts cleaner and let dry. That leaves the studs and nuts completely clean and dry. Then I just either torque them or estimate and get them to about where they should be using a big 1/2″ ratchet.
It’s to have a silicone based grease to facilitate lateral caliper movement. Two pads that wear over time and pressure from one side only. You have to have a means for centering and adjusting over time. The slide pins allow for this and the grease allows for free movement. The seal keeps the grease clean. The problem comes when there’s crud plus grease or the wrong type of grease.
Hey Brian. Great videos.. I’ve been working on cars for years, including an auto trans rebuild. Did rear disc brakes on a buddy’s Isuzu Rodeo. One caliper bolt,(slider thing) on each side had a rubber seal on the end. Created a problem after completion, hydraulically applying the brake due to lube behind the seal. I took it apart and removed the grease.. Works fine now. Has that ever happened to you? Why the seal?.. Thanks. Bill
I’m pretty certain you have been fine with just using the gun but don’t discredit the engineers that designed the car by saying they simply figure out what torque makes the lug nuts stop. That’s incorrect. The torque is based on the forces on the wheels, the yield strength for material of the lug nuts and the studs, and a safety factor. That safety factor might be the only reason why you really don’t damage the studs/lugs with an impact wrench because they took that into consideration.
Basically, I don’t have this feel. My car calls for 70 to 85 ft lbs, so what I do is use a 60 pound torque stick (star pattern)… Then I pull out a torque wrench and go to 85 in a star pattern… Thus far no problems, but there is a LOT that can go wrong. For instance, lubricating a stud can cause massive problems where the lugs may be tight but with vibration unscrew, yet some people lube them… then when the wheel falls off they blame the shop, which did everything to mfg spect.
I have a 2008 ford focus with drum brakes in the rear when letting of the brakes or slowly pushing on them they make alot of noise. What could i do about that?
Many shops use the torque wrench and torque sticks because it’s way easier to train people to use them than it is to train them otherwise. It’s takes a lot of practice and some destruction and parts expense to get the feel if you’re doing damage or if you’re erring on the side of being dangerously loose. I trust and prefer my methods. Others have often criticized me for this, but I’ve been doing this now every day, multiple times a day on the same cars for years on end. I like my results.
I torque a bit more than spec, but it isn’t damaging the wheel, studs, or lug nuts. I see these cars over an over again for years. No one ever loses a wheel or has broken studs. The fasteners last. So I’m happy with what I’m doing. Many local shops that use torque wrenches and torque sticks have wheels fall off due to mechanical failures, failure to calibrate, and improper practices. I watch the socket slow down and then I let off when I feel and see it’s appropriate.
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I must say, I like your method. I think it makes sense, and in order to perform your demonstration safely and accurately, the car owner must be familiar with their impact gun, and how powerful it is. Failure to know, will result in serious damage.
A click type torque wrench is always required on all aluminum wheels I take loose period, steel wheels maybe….aluminum is way to soft for any heavy duty 1/2″ impact gun.. Use no click type and you take a gamble. Its like riding your bicycle in the street…….
I really like your restate style. That’s a great learning tool. What I do is I tighten until I see the socket slow down and then stop. As soon as it stops or binds I stop immediately. I visualize a graph with a downward sloping line that starts high on the Y axis (socket speed) and where it nears the X axis (Time) it stops as the line is near parallel, but not touching yet. If you continue till absolute stopping occurs, you will inevitably cause damage.
Cool video, so just a rap up from what I just learned… You’re suggesting to use an impact gun to tighten the lug nuts until they no longer spin onto the rotor mounts, and that will justify that you have completely tightened the lug nuts?
I have had this problem on my Subaru, check between the treads on your tires for gravel/small rocks.
Thanks for posting this! Great job. I’m on my way out the door to do my brakes!
did you find out what was it? i have the same situation….
Thank you
Hi I have a subaru impreza sport won’t bleed off what do u recommend how to bleed them eg bleeding order email me frankbailey38@gmail.com
thank for your video.I leraned a lot.could you post a video to how to replace the ball joints for subaru legacy 2008,thanks brian
Brain keep it up bro you’re the best. As a Subaru owner I can’t tell you how much frustration and money you’ve saved me. Cheers!!
Thank you.
well done
I like this guy
I have a Subaru Impreza. I had my brake pads changed at the last service. I have noticed a rattle (knocking) when at slow to low speeds. I don’t think its the shocks because they don’t make a noise when going over harsh bumps. I notice the sound coming from the front of the car, and sticking my head out the window and listening, it sounds like its coming from the wheel area.
Do you think it could be the brake pads and that they didn’t glue em?
Sweet. Just needed a refresher course.
It is.
Is that the same car that Pablo fixed with a rattle can?
Part trois, LOL!… As I was saying, I use a good ol’ lug nut wrench and “old-fashioned” elbow grease, making sure that I tighten those nuts in the star manner Brian recommended! The more I learn about automotive technology, the more I realize I have so much more to learn! By the time I reach the age of 100, I’ll probably know about half of it! LOL! But thanks to Brian, EricTheCarGuy, Scottkilmer, and others, I may not have to wait that long! Sorry about my long diatribe, once I get started..
…actually was to do! I never looked back ever since, and continued to do more and more work on the numerous vehicles that I owned, learning more and more about those machines that seemed not to want to divulge their most intimate secrets which, little by little, are being revealed to me, thanks to my sheer Celtic obstinance of not declaring defeat that easily! I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles, and never had a wheel falling off on me yet! I use a good ol’ lug nut wrench and…
You’re not going to die, boss, you’re just going to get injured, that’s all! Just kidding, just kidding! When I became a courier almost 21 years ago at the age of 34 (Brian’s age), I started to do my own maintenance and repairs myself, which, by the way, saved me thousands of dollars over the years! My first job was indeed a brake job which seemed insurmountable and intimidating at first but once done, left me wondering why I hadn’t done that earlier, leaving me baffled at how easy it…
wheel bearing grease or red permatex gasket maker for the back of the brakes? and do drum brakes ever run out?
I’m not sure about putting grease on the back of the pads…if it melts will get on the friction are and is very risky.Good quality pads don’t squake
I usually open the bleeders when I push the pistons back. That way the old fluid that has been in the caliper for years drains out of the bleeders and does not go back into the system. Then I top off the reservoir or bleed the brakes.
Nothing wrong with that.
I like the tire shops that torque my wheels to spec. I don’t get warped rotors and I can get the wheel off when I have a flat. I’ve had them I couldn’t get off a 6 foot cheater bar. I’ve ruined lug nuts. I’ll take the torque spec.
Yes, but they’re “drum in hat” so the process is the same for the front too.
These are the rear brakes, right?
You’re welcome. 🙂 Sounds pretty bloody!
Super helpful dude – thanks mate. I ordered up the pads and am going to steam in based on this. If I die it’s on you LOL!
I like to clean them off with a little bit of auto trans fluid and a wire brush and then spray with brake parts cleaner and let dry. That leaves the studs and nuts completely clean and dry. Then I just either torque them or estimate and get them to about where they should be using a big 1/2″ ratchet.
I have one now. AND I have a Spanky! (assistant named Spanky)
Great video man. I recommend investing in a tripod! 🙂
Could be a bad proportioning valve or Master Cylinder.
Hello Brian 99 mantana the front wheel left side brake suddenly while is running can be this to bad pads I put new caliper and es doing the same.
Go BYU!
It’s to have a silicone based grease to facilitate lateral caliper movement. Two pads that wear over time and pressure from one side only. You have to have a means for centering and adjusting over time. The slide pins allow for this and the grease allows for free movement. The seal keeps the grease clean. The problem comes when there’s crud plus grease or the wrong type of grease.
Hey Brian. Great videos.. I’ve been working on cars for years, including an auto trans rebuild. Did rear disc brakes on a buddy’s Isuzu Rodeo. One caliper bolt,(slider thing) on each side had a rubber seal on the end. Created a problem after completion, hydraulically applying the brake due to lube behind the seal. I took it apart and removed the grease.. Works fine now. Has that ever happened to you? Why the seal?.. Thanks. Bill
I’m pretty certain you have been fine with just using the gun but don’t discredit the engineers that designed the car by saying they simply figure out what torque makes the lug nuts stop. That’s incorrect. The torque is based on the forces on the wheels, the yield strength for material of the lug nuts and the studs, and a safety factor. That safety factor might be the only reason why you really don’t damage the studs/lugs with an impact wrench because they took that into consideration.
Basically, I don’t have this feel. My car calls for 70 to 85 ft lbs, so what I do is use a 60 pound torque stick (star pattern)… Then I pull out a torque wrench and go to 85 in a star pattern… Thus far no problems, but there is a LOT that can go wrong. For instance, lubricating a stud can cause massive problems where the lugs may be tight but with vibration unscrew, yet some people lube them… then when the wheel falls off they blame the shop, which did everything to mfg spect.
The rust rim on the drum outer edge and excessive brake dust.
I have a 2008 ford focus with drum brakes in the rear when letting of the brakes or slowly pushing on them they make alot of noise. What could i do about that?
Many shops use the torque wrench and torque sticks because it’s way easier to train people to use them than it is to train them otherwise. It’s takes a lot of practice and some destruction and parts expense to get the feel if you’re doing damage or if you’re erring on the side of being dangerously loose. I trust and prefer my methods. Others have often criticized me for this, but I’ve been doing this now every day, multiple times a day on the same cars for years on end. I like my results.
I torque a bit more than spec, but it isn’t damaging the wheel, studs, or lug nuts. I see these cars over an over again for years. No one ever loses a wheel or has broken studs. The fasteners last. So I’m happy with what I’m doing. Many local shops that use torque wrenches and torque sticks have wheels fall off due to mechanical failures, failure to calibrate, and improper practices. I watch the socket slow down and then I let off when I feel and see it’s appropriate.
Use a torque wrench. You are over torquing.