1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Swollen Nuts

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by GorgeRunner, Nov 19, 2024.

  1. Nov 20, 2024 at 12:22 PM
    #41
    RadiantRed07TRD

    RadiantRed07TRD Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2023
    Member:
    #425211
    Messages:
    7
    Vehicle:
    2007 TRD OR M6 Radiant Red
    AC drain pipe extension, removed faded/cracked paint protection stickers, CD Player AUX tap in, cut rear storage shelf, removed side Tacoma letters, hose clamped rear bumper security.
    I had two of the OEM ones on mine fail me during my first tire rotation last year, the rest looked beat enough to avoid putting them back on. I replaced them with one piece design (I guess it's really two pieces if you count the captured JIS washer, but the nut itself is one solid piece and thats what matters) Gorilla brand lugnuts, this seemed to be the only option in a 1 piece design avaliable for these trucks.

    I cleaned the studs with a paper towel and put a TINY amount of silver antiseize, like a barely wet q tip amount for each wheel then ran the new nuts on and off a few times before fitting the wheels on to make sure it was distributed evenly.

    https://www.gorilla-auto.com/gorilla-automotive-73138tbc

    Double check these are your size before buying. Got two sets in case they go out of production or need one out in the boonies.

    This is a industry wide problem and I can only imagine the grief techs at tire shops get for the crap OEM 2 piece designs failing.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2024
    SH10151 likes this.
  2. Nov 20, 2024 at 12:25 PM
    #42
    SH10151

    SH10151 Farang

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2018
    Member:
    #250059
    Messages:
    3,187
    Gender:
    Male
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2022 SR AC UP 4x4
    I had the same problem with acorn nuts I bought from Amazon. China strikes again.
     
  3. Nov 20, 2024 at 12:30 PM
    #43
    winkel

    winkel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2015
    Member:
    #173039
    Messages:
    2,683
    Gender:
    Male
    Corydon, IN
    Vehicle:
    2014 Spruce Mica, TRD Off-Road, 6 Spd Manual
    Sliders, Tailgate Liner
    Gorilla nuts.... sounds like a Jane Goodall documentary.
     
  4. Nov 20, 2024 at 12:44 PM
    #44
    amyracecar

    amyracecar suck it up buttercup

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2020
    Member:
    #322824
    Messages:
    1,343
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Virginia Applejack
    SouthEast USA
    Vehicle:
    2013 AC V6 MT OR Spruce/Mica
    This thread continues to disappoint me..
    The joke potential was endless yet so few were made

    unsubbed!
     
  5. Nov 20, 2024 at 12:49 PM
    #45
    kwanjangnihm

    kwanjangnihm Timeout Terminator

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2012
    Member:
    #91851
    Messages:
    4,299
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jeff
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    13 DCLB TRD SP PR OTT
    "If it ain't a longbed it ain't shit! :)
    Last time I had my tires rotated, the dude said my nuts were swollen!! :anonymous: need to order a new set
     
    wilcam47 and amyracecar like this.
  6. Nov 20, 2024 at 1:53 PM
    #46
    TnShooter

    TnShooter The TacomaWorld Stray

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2010
    Member:
    #42625
    Messages:
    21,343
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Deogee
    Vehicle:
    07' TRD Off-Road, Auto
    STOCK
    MGMDesertTaco, SH10151 and amyracecar like this.
  7. Nov 20, 2024 at 6:21 PM
    #47
    GREENBIRD56

    GREENBIRD56 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2014
    Member:
    #136508
    Messages:
    754
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Steve
    Casper / Tucson
    Vehicle:
    014 Taco 4Dr 4wd
    I think one of these experts needs to saw the cover off one of the swollen nuts and show us the massive corrosion. I'm pretty sure mine didn't rust - they were beaten to death by yoyos at the dealer doing a freebie rotation (bad move on my part - should have known better).

    One of the "recommended" replacement nuts I looked up was way too short to replace the Toyota nuts on my factory aluminum wheels. Nimrods need to be sure they check the dimensions of the nuts they find - jamming a capped nut on a long stud is not a good plan.
     
    SH10151 likes this.
  8. Nov 20, 2024 at 6:32 PM
    #48
    TnShooter

    TnShooter The TacomaWorld Stray

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2010
    Member:
    #42625
    Messages:
    21,343
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Deogee
    Vehicle:
    07' TRD Off-Road, Auto
    STOCK
    It's a known shitty design.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. Nov 21, 2024 at 4:20 AM
    #49
    spitdog

    spitdog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2014
    Member:
    #137440
    Messages:
    3,995
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2015 Access Cab V6 4x4 SR5 MGM
    Well, we have to spray our frames , maybe we should start soaking our nuts in corrosion x.
     
    wilcam47 likes this.
  10. Nov 21, 2024 at 4:40 AM
    #50
    Marshall R

    Marshall R Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 28, 2015
    Member:
    #156224
    Messages:
    4,897
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Marshall
    Vehicle:
    07 White TRD double cab
    none
    Was buying new tires at Sams Club 5-6 years ago for my Ford. They told me they wouldn't sell me the tires until I got new lug nuts. The truck was 6 years old and getting the 2nd set of replacement tires. Said they could get the old lug nuts off but wouldn't guarantee they could get them back on. The closest AutoZone only had 18 in stock. I bought them and had to drive to the other side of town to find 6 more. It was a PITA, but after looking at the old ones I'm glad I bought new ones.

    A year later when buying new tires at Discount Tire I was told the same thing about my 12 year old Tacoma. They had them in stock and they were a lot less expensive than the ones I bought for my Ford.

    Manufacturers shouldn't put that junk on their vehicles.
     
  11. Nov 21, 2024 at 6:06 AM
    #51
    Pyts

    Pyts Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2020
    Member:
    #338854
    Messages:
    138
    Vehicle:
    09 2.7 RWD
    Stock
    Former discount tire employee from whay back when! This whole thread blew my mind. I don't know that I ever encountered lug nuts that had swollen from corrosion (worked in CA, so.. prolly wouldn't), but dealing with those vanity sleeves, primarily on American brands, was constant. They'd deform the first time someone screwed up not putting the socket on fully before gunning them off.

    It was so commonplace, yet strikingly we never once talked about it. The business model was all about bay times, with the ideal being 6 minutes. So you'd see guys in every bay with a demolition hammer driving that impact socket home. Then it was a matter of chucking the socket at the ground hard enough to pop the nut back out or massaging it out of the socket with an ideally singular well-placed blow from said hammer.

    You could really gauge the kind of day a tech was having off of their nut-freeing aggression.

    I keep meaning to get McGard nuts for the family vehicles, but damn it, it's never stopped me from services. There I am, in my oversized sweater, coffee mug clasped with both hands, pondering the most effective ways to protect my wife from an impending vehicular death. I set my mug down gently on the table saw, pick up my impact, and the next thing I know 30 seconds have passed, I'm fully naked, and the lug nuts are mangled, strewn about the front lawn, each in their own 19mm harbor freight deep well.
     
  12. Nov 21, 2024 at 6:20 AM
    #52
    velogeek

    velogeek Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2018
    Member:
    #250496
    Messages:
    1,351
    First Name:
    Andrew
    Gilbert, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2024 4Runner
    I didn't see a response but it's 100% from using an impact. The sleeve is just thin metal formed over a steel lugnut but since the two aren't bonded, each time you hit them with an impact, the sleeve twists against the nut. From the first hit, the corners of the sleeve start to round out which lifts the flats which makes socket fit tight.

    If you remove them by hand and torque them properly, you'll get years out of them, but it's just easier to get proper chromed lugs.
     
    TacoTime55[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. Nov 21, 2024 at 8:14 AM
    #53
    TacoTime55

    TacoTime55 TT59

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2021
    Member:
    #378314
    Messages:
    10,263
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Ed
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2021 Midnight Black TRD Sport AT/DCSB
    TRD Lift,OTT Tune, LED HLs,TRDSkid, TalonCAT
    So are ALL Lug Nuts capped?

    Even OEM?

    Or is it the "blingy" ones that bring attention?

    I always used the Impact Gun at the Auto Hobby Shop on Air Force bases I was assigned w/my previous vehicle & never suffered this tragedy--I had an '03 Honda Pilot for 16yrs/200K+ miles.

    I'm hoping OEM aren't capped!

    But if they are, such is life. I'll be looking at them more closely during periodic inspections.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Nov 21, 2024 at 8:50 AM
    #54
    Steve_P

    Steve_P Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2009
    Member:
    #22854
    Messages:
    751
    Gender:
    Male
    TN
    Vehicle:
    09 Tacoma SR5 4WD 4cyl
    It's not from using an impact (with the proper socket), it's from rust forming under the stainless cap; the rust grows, which expands the cap outwards, and it actually grows across the flats. There are pictures above. This is the issue. The corners of the lug nuts on my truck aren't rounded or deformed. But there are a few that have expanded.

    I have the same flip socket shown earlier, a short extension, and a breaker bar in my truck. Yes, I could just change the nuts out, that's the real issue, but what if I meet someone offroad with a flat tire that cannot get the wheel off? So, I just bought the socket.

    Manufacturers have been using stainless capped lug nuts for 50+ years and none of this is anything new. The big issue is if the cap falls off since that's not a slow process that warns you like the rusting.
     
    TnShooter likes this.
  15. Nov 21, 2024 at 9:22 AM
    #55
    spitdog

    spitdog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2014
    Member:
    #137440
    Messages:
    3,995
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2015 Access Cab V6 4x4 SR5 MGM
    That was always my thought on why this happens. I also bought the 21 & 21.5 mm socket and keep that with a 24” breaker bar behind the seat.
     
  16. Nov 21, 2024 at 10:57 AM
    #56
    tak1313

    tak1313 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2020
    Member:
    #338673
    Messages:
    711
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2013 Base 2WD
    Clicked on the thread, and it's everything I thought it would be...
     
    GREENBIRD56 and Steves104x4 like this.
  17. Nov 21, 2024 at 11:41 AM
    #57
    TacoTime55

    TacoTime55 TT59

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2021
    Member:
    #378314
    Messages:
    10,263
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Ed
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2021 Midnight Black TRD Sport AT/DCSB
    TRD Lift,OTT Tune, LED HLs,TRDSkid, TalonCAT
    I was curious and wanted to know how mine looked.

    So the OEM are capped (I didn't know that).

    There's a washer wedged in between that is kept in-place by what looks like braiding near the top.

    As long as the cap is sealed and not cracked all-the-way-around, there shouldn't be any water migrating inside.

    The problem is...how does the cap get damaged?

    Yeah, it could be the Impact Gun but it all depends on the care taken during removal/installation.

    Taking proper care of lug nuts is key but is not a guarantee of long-life.

    I can only speak from experience to which this (Thread Subject) has never happened to me.

    Like I said, I will keep an eye out for the condition of lug nuts on my truck.

    upload_2024-11-21_14-41-23.png
     
  18. Nov 21, 2024 at 1:00 PM
    #58
    velogeek

    velogeek Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2018
    Member:
    #250496
    Messages:
    1,351
    First Name:
    Andrew
    Gilbert, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2024 4Runner
    No, it's an impact. I turned wrenches professionally in southern California for a decade and damn near every vehicle with these nuts had this issue with zero corrosion present. Because the physical nut is undersized, you're basically doing the same thing as you would do forming sheet metal over a mandrel.

    You can literally test this in about 5 minutes on a brand new nut.
     
    GREENBIRD56 likes this.
  19. Nov 21, 2024 at 4:41 PM
    #59
    TacoTime55

    TacoTime55 TT59

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2021
    Member:
    #378314
    Messages:
    10,263
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Ed
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2021 Midnight Black TRD Sport AT/DCSB
    TRD Lift,OTT Tune, LED HLs,TRDSkid, TalonCAT
    Not all of us spray our frames...depends on where you live and road treatment conditions.

    I think the Thread Title should say, "Lug Nuts" because the thread phrase tends to lead to a play-on-words.
     
  20. Nov 21, 2024 at 4:56 PM
    #60
    colinb17

    colinb17 If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2008
    Member:
    #4127
    Messages:
    20,184
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Colin
    Charleston, SC
    Vehicle:
    '07 TRD Sport 4x4
    Build thread in sig... 4-link long travel
    I've uga-duga'd mine up to a 22mm
     

Products Discussed in

To Top