This maybe a dum question, but I cant find what to torque the front wheel bearing clamp nut to. This is the nut that holds in the disc to the spindel. All I can see is the value to the allen screw.

Thanks for ur help.

There really isn't an official torque setting. Here's the most common technique: Overtighten the nut, then back it off. Tighten it again until you can "just" move the washer side to side with a screwdriver. DO NOT use it to pry the washer, just apply sideways pressure on the on it. It should be somewhat difficult to move; neither too easy nor too hard. After it's locked into place with the 7mm bolt, you should just be able to feel a very slight bit of free play when grasping the top and bottom of the tire and giving it a wiggle.

The Cap'n

John...Huh???

You know I respect your knowledge or I would never have sought you out for private advise as I did.

And I'm not a professional mechanic, but I've done a lot of wrenching in my time and never seen a bolt that didn't have a torque setting. Guess I've been doing it so long that I just tighten to feel depending on the bolt size and application.

But overtighten; loosen; tap with a screwdriver; Wiggle; etc... Sounds like a comedy skit.

Happy New Year John

Page 100 of the Haynes Manual

Porsche Workshop Manual .... 5th Volume, Main Group 4, Section 2.1-2/1 ... 10.8 ft/lbs to start, then do the wiggle with the washer.

Ain 't no freakin' joke ...

Its a bearing. If you tighten it too much it'll freeze up and trash the bearing. Most older vehicles use this type of bearing setup on the front wheels. It's common knowledge that the nut isn't supposed to be tight.

OK. That's how we did it at Porsche school, that's how I've always seen it done, that's how we do it here at the shop, that's how the brake guy next door always did it. I don' need no stinkin' torque setting. Oh, when was the last time you had your "feel" calibrated? Was it expensive? Did it hurt? BTEW, there a lot of cars on which you overtighten various fasteners, back off, and then torque. Transmission and axle fasteners, mostly.

Happy new year to you, too.

The Cap'n

The Cap'n got it right (no surprise here) ...


I found something that works very well for me:

- Tighten the nut by hand
- Take a large flat screwdriver and insert it into the slit on the nut
- Give the screwdriver a "whack" with your wrist
- Double check the large washer behind the nut

The "whack" usually gets me right where i need to be with the washer where i can just move it side by side with the screwdriver.

So....in a nut shell.......give the ol'e German torque value.......GOOOOD 'N THIGHT

"That's how dad did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far."

Stu

P.S. - the reason is that 'some' of the wheel nut configurations made it impossible to get a torque wrench on the nut so "alternate" methods had to be developed.

No... Not good-n-tight for this application. Just as El Capitano described. Slightly loose actually. You want that washer to "just" slide side to side under the pressure of a screwdriver. The Allen head cap screw would then get torqued to spec. No book in front of me but, I think it's an M6 so 13-15lbft. would probably be in order.

How about rear wheel nut torque? (the castellated nut)

I have been searching for 30 minutes and can only find:
108 lbs, or 217-253 lbs.

Which is it?
It is not an easy number to find.....


Stu

The rear is 220lbft. I believe the 108 you're seeing is the control arm shaft inside torque.

I always get a breaker and kinda stand on it. With me at 170lbs and the arm length as the multiplier, it gets it there. Don't forget the pin.

I had a friend who many years ago had a 1966 bug and torqued the right front bearing nut down real tight. (Not the greatest mech.). While driving his car down the freeway his right front wheel decided to take the next off ramp on it's own.