IRS Axle Nut Torque

[cv2065]

Hey all. Just getting around to torquing my rear IRS axle nuts as the car is now on the ground. Rears were torqued to 98 ft/lbs and working on the 45 degrees. Seems like my nuts want to stop at 35-40 degrees. I did one side and no matter how much weight I put on the 25" breaker bar, doesn't want to budge beyond that point. Virtually sitting on it. I started on the other side and the exact same stopping point. Here's where I am...Larger red dot in the middle is the 45 degree point, and silver dot is where I am in the rotation moving clockwise. Thoughts?

[Railroad]

I had similar issues. I did not have anyone to help me hold the brakes or axles, so I ran the nuts down to about 90 ft lbs. When I went back to tq and get the 45*, they would not budge. I bent one of my old time pull handles, without so much as a smidgen of movement. The nuts nor axle had loctite on them. All seems tight, we will see.

[cv2065]

I had similar issues. I did not have anyone to help me hold the brakes or axles, so I ran the nuts down to about 90 ft lbs. When I went back to tq and get the 45*, they would not budge. I bent one of my old time pull handles, without so much as a smidgen of movement. The nuts nor axle had loctite on them. All seems tight, we will see.

Thanks for the feedback RR. I think I’m going to let them settle a little more and see if they seat, them I’ll try to get a little more torque. I’m not going to force anything at this point as close as it is.

[David Williamson]

I used an air powered impact and it turned them easily
David W

[GFX2043mtu]

DONT impact the nuts you’ll birnell the bearing and it want last nearly as long as it should. If 40 degrees is all you can get then your good. If you had 20 or 30 degrees then your not good enough but 40 should be good. Run the car 50-100 miles check it and if it’s tight forget it. The torque angle on half shafts are not like that of torque to yield bolts where it is critical. Don’t over think this part. And never use a impact to install hardware, a air wratchet is ok as long as the torque it can apply is less then the faster torque. Impacts can easily destroy hardware when used for tightening and offer very little torque control.

[CraigS]

I did my IRS as retrofit on my old mkII and never thought to look for a torque spec. I tightened them to the 250# that was the spec for the old T-bird version. I also put a paint reference mark on the nut and flange. Two seasons of autocross and about 7000 miles and they are fine. In 20 years of working on Lexus cars I, and everyone else, used a 1/2 drive impact wrench on all the new style wheel bearing nuts. These style bearings use the nut to tighten the inner races against each other. Once those races are in contact, the torque spec is there to be sure they can't move under the forces of going around a corner.

[cv2065]

Definitely no impact wrench. I've always used a torque wrench or breaker bar. I'll mark with paint and keep an eye on it the first few miles. If there's no movement, then I'll assume its good to go. Thanks for the feedback gents!

[32J]

I'm on my first build. I had the tires mounted on the wheels today, and I just finished mounting the wheels onto the car. Dropped the car onto dollies, and locked the dollies from rolling. When I first tightened the IRS axle nuts to spec, I was only able to get another 20-25° with the emergency brake engaged. Today, once on the ground (dollies), I imagine I put 300 ft-lb with the breaker bar, and the nuts would still not budge. After go-kart stage I'll try again and see if anything 'loosened up'.

[Hoooper]

I also did not get the 45 degrees from mine. I checked with a torque wrench set at 250 ft lbs and it was already over 250 so I left it. Hasnt fallen off yet