Wheels coming off - losing pegs

[dgently]

Was on a long run on Wednesday and very nearly lost a wheel. Had put my spare on the back to replace a misshapen tyre, but may not have fastened the replacement properly or may have had a buckled spare.

In any event, I began to hear the wheel slapping the pegs on power on or braking but (foolishly) assumed it was a pad moving around.. 100km later there was an almighty grinding from the rear and my spinner was 50% off and the wheel was moving around on the hub.

I'll admit I was and am too releived to be suitably ashamed. I just tightened it up and carried on. 2Km later, same thing. I eventually swapped the "square tired" spare back on. I noticed I've now got two missing pegs, one on the hub in question and another on my front left. These hae both vanished fairly recently.

So, three questions.

Am I right to assume my spare is now so warped it works its way off?
Is there any chance of getting it righted?
Must I remove the hubs to fit replacement drive pegs?

Offers of help to this lucky fool appreciated.

[RichardHawkins]

dgently,

Do you have steel or aluminium wheels?

Have you owned the car very long? The hubs are handed, left hand thread on the left hand side, right hand thread on the right side. If the hub in question is on the wrong side of the car it will work itself loose.

My car is a 1968 S4 Elan, and yes you can change drive pegs without removing hubs. Drive pegs should be an interference fit in the hub. If the pegs have fallen out there is a good chance that the hole in the hub is no longer the correct size, and should be checked. I would also expect the hole in the wheel that the peg fits into to be damaged, again check carefully.

Richard Hawkins

[quaybook]

When I first had my Elan I swopped the wheels around and very soon a rear wheel became loose. Investigation showed that the peg holes on the wheel were slightly elongated allowing the wheel to 'work' as it went from braking to acceleration, so loosening the wheel spinner. That particular wheel had been on the front before where it caused no problems because on the front there is no torque reversal. Have a look at the peg holes in the offending wheel and see if there are oval.

Vernon

[dgently]

Steel wheels, spinners correctly handed.

Will check for oval stud holes because that's exactly what the sounds were like and it makes sense that they would gradually turn the spinner out under braking and drive. Wheel was on the rear.

I'll check the hub holes too. Thank you very much for the advice.

[alan]

dgently,

Do you have steel or aluminium wheels?

Have you owned the car very long? The hubs are handed, left hand thread on the left hand side, right hand thread on the right side. If the hub in question is on the wrong side of the car it will work itself loose.

Richard Hawkins

I saw this on an Elan or a +2 with the hubs fitted the wrong side and can only imagine that he had a mgb or triumph before that which are fitted the opposite sides to a Lotus
At the "Southwards Car Show " New Zealand 2013

[gus]

AFAIK by now all steel wheels have egged holes, and they do not fall off. It is simple, you have not tightened them properly. One must always tighten the wheel then drive a short distance and do it again. Always.I have a 3 foot long wrench it it never fails that I get another 1/8 turn the second time.

Of course I forget once in a while after 30 years and almost lost a wheel last year, 'gee what is that rumbling, I seem to remember that sound.....

OF course a wheel could be done in, but I have not had it happen. It may now be damaged, but usually can be repaired by heating and peening the holes back to shape

[Plus 2]

Hi, I do tend to agree with Gus here and have had rear wheels that you can hear a 'click' on braking and acceleration but never had the wheels come loose due to elongated holes. Normal practice as stated above is place worst ones on the front wheels.

I remember many years ago working on a friends Elan where a PO had turned down some shouldered pegs for the hubs and then increased the hole size in the wheels.........thankfully after a thorough inspection he had actually done the whole car so the spare worked for any position too but only for this car obviously. The accuracy all round was spot on and the wheels could be interchanged and turned round to any position and always lined up so one would assume he had access to some quality machines or made a good jig to do the work.

Do also remember to check the inner sidewall of the tyre as this can have rubbed on the lower spring pan of the strut.

I have seen rear tyres with deep grooves worn through to the inner webbing on the inside walls when rear bearings/hubs have worn and the wheel has tilted in at the top slightly.

Regards

Steve