Yeah, it is possible to do it improperly..... and that is indeed bad.... Like any job, you need to pay attention to the details. Last one I did here in the home shop, I just used my press.

 

The issue with using a nut to pull the lug studs in has to do with the quality of the stud and flange you're dealing with. If the flange was improperly machined or the studs are the wrong size, you will be exerting much greater force and could stretch the stud, weakening it. If the studs aren't hardened, the problem is worse.

I'm not saying I haven't done it, because I have even on my own vehicles. Pulling a hub assembly apart to press a single stud in when it can be done on-car just doesn't make sense if you're using quality parts.

 

+1.... I have done this for 35 years or more and never had one related issue. If the surfaces are cleaned properly and the stud is the right one, I will position it by feel with the old splines, and pull it back in. Done, no probs. And any time you remove a wheel or do anything that relates , you are suppose to check the torque after 25 miles or so anyway.

 

I just pulled my head out and looked into the FSM... The studs are not swaged in this application, so my "typically" holds true but not in this case. The FSM says to install the studs, then with three washers stacked on the stud and a lug nut atop, tighten the 5h17 out of it to pull the stud into place. No torque value is specified, just "verify that the stud is properly seated into the flange".

In those cases in which the studs are supposed to be swaged, though, doing it that way can lead to failure. I found that out the hard way -- didn't have the manual, or a swaging tool, and being in a hurry I just used the stacked washers and cranked up impact wrench method. A few thousand miles later I was on the side of the road with a ruined rotor and very glad I wasn't running the interstate when it failed.

 

So we had our mechanic neighbor take a look at it, he immediatly identified the hub as aftermarket.

The person who worked on it last appearently didn't seat the stud with enough pressure, they took it down to their shop and used the press and got it together right.

Since it is aftermarket, it probably didn't line up just right to where the lug trick would seat it proper.

Anyway, problem solved.

 

Thanks for sharing the final issue and its resolution. I noticed the same thing - it takes a lot of pressure to properly seat the 8 lug studs. I made up a jig (nailed 3 pieces of 2x12 together and drilled 8 holes to accommodate the driven-in lug studs) to help stabilize the hub and rotor when I installed the studs with a good heavy duty air hammer and flat punch.

 

yes, we were going to make one of those and use the air hammer on them but we caught the eye of the neighbor and they offered to help. Great neighbors!