Are locknuts reuseable?

[jmiller]

Got my rear subframe apart...can I reuse the locknuts on the halfshafts, diff carrier, subframe mounts, etc., or is that a big no-no? I've got replacement bolts, but the metric locknuts with proper coating seem hard to come by.

Jeff

[SteveJ]

Could you?

Should you?

In a perfect world, NO. You would always have the proper, new part on hand and do the job correctly every single time. However, this is the real world. If you had the time and the funds, I would go ahead and get the proper, new part and then you have no worries. I try to order all new hardware when I am able. For one, it just makes the job easier, and having all those squeeky clean new parts makes you drool.

I think all of us have been stuck at one time or another and had to reuse an otherwise single use fastener. If you look at the new fasteners you will see that the holes are actually oblong. They are made to deform to help them hold in place. As they are taken off, they become more round and loose their holding abilities. Figure if it was put on and taken off several times, it ain't gonna hold anything.

So, if you have the time and funds, do it right with the right parts.

If you are flat broke and on the side of the road, do what you can, but be aware of what you have done and consider fixing it properly at the first opportunity.

[dubois]

my guess is that if reused several times they would loose all their locking factor, I have re-used a few over again, and I remember one half shaft coming loose once in five years (cause and effect still undetermined). You can check the locking factor by backing out the nuts and feel the resistance. I would be curious to see how much torque it would take vs a new one.

My thinking is that I am often crawling, changing, replacing and adjusting things, so I usually check all those bolts anyway.

[2002]

(nt)

[jmiller]

Thanks, all. Looks like I'm in for a trip to the dealership, although the locktite tip is tempting.

Jeff

[SteveJ]

Go through the ETK parts CD to find out what parts you need. It makes things sooooo much easier when you just tell them the numbers.

If you don't have the ETK and RealOEM doesn't show it, give a shout back here.