2000 Toyota Camry, auto, Lug nut tightening and possible alignment problem?

Joe

Is there such a thing as cranking the lug nuts too tight on each tire. I don't strip the threads or anything, but after any shop takes off and on my tire, a lug nut or 2 or 3 can always use 1/2 turn or so with my iron cross.















My front end might be out of alighnment, do u think this could be from maybe over tightening the lug nuts on the front tires.. I guess this is 2 questions. Thank You.Very Much, Joe

Huba

Too tight can be a problem for someone who doesn't have the strength you do if they have a flat. Does anyone else drive the car? Otherwise it should be no problem. The shop may be using the guidelines provided by Toyota for the torque levels on the studs. But most shops simply use an air powered tool and don't pay attention to that. You may want to find out the torque specs and use a torque wrench to set them to factory specs.































As far as the alignment goes, you aren't effecting that at all. If all bolts are equally tightened, the effect is uniform across the mounting surface.

Christine

well my boyfriend is a mechanic and he recently changed my flat tire on my 92 le...i was worried he made the lug nuts too tight but he said nothing will happen...i think they only turn so much..but like the other guy said..it may be a problem if the next person tries to change something in that area..































alignment...it could be a bent rim...i have had this issue...my dad took the car for alignment so many times and it never got better until about the 5th time the family mechanic noticed i had a bent rim...so i got a new rim and its fine....idk if thats the problem..but it is possible...

tlworkroom

Okay, if you can still turn the lug nuts with your iron cross GENTLY after they put wheel back on, then they didn't tighten them enough, which is incredibly dangerous. The problem is trying to understand what you mean by tightening 1/2 turn more and what we might consider tightening.































You want the lug nuts tight, but not so that you're needing the muscles of Schwartzenegger or Rambo to take them off. I also use an iron cross, and tighten them snugly while wheel is still off ground. Once all nuts are firm, then I lower wheel and then retighten to make sure they're okay. But I almost never have to struggle to retighten nuts on 2nd attempt. They are usually always tight enough.















So you want to tighten lug nuts tight enough as you can with wheel off the ground. That's a good guide, because if you try to torque them too much, you're bound to move car off jack. Get what I mean?































It is possible to cause damage to a wheel rim by tightening too much. It can warp the rim and wheel slightly, causing possible imbalance. Altho probably harder to find. Everyone uses air tools, and those suckers tighten lug nuts in just half-second, and then they continually tighten them again and again before stopping. When they're that tight, you can't take off lug nuts with the original tire wrench supplied with car. Can't get the leverage. You need to use an iron cross then.































But it's also possible the problem of a bad or bent rim. Much more than people realize.















But if you feel you need an alignment, it's more probably because you do need the alignment. Not because of improperly torqued lug nuts. Wheels get out of alignment sooooo easily.































But if you can still turn the lugnuts 1/2 turn by yourself, then I'd say it's too loose. Obviously, you don't want them so loose that you can do it with just your fingers.















But I see nothing wrong with tightening wth iron cross so that you can't turn them anymore. As I said, just don't use all your strength to make them THAT tight. Just enough to where they are snug tight.

Norris

The 2000 Camerys nut is smaller than the thread. If you have a flat on the road and it was put on previously by an impact wrench your probably going to always strip the threads. the replacement stud and nut do not fit each other either and once you get them on they will strip when you attempt to remove them without a impact wrench. (The wrench strips the thread but has enough power to rip the nut off and rip it back on.) Hand wrenching strips the stud. The camery also has a rack and pinion bolt loosineng problem. Check the bolt that tightens the rack and pinion together under the car. If loose, tighten it. Then have an alignment done. Tightening bolts to tight may ruin a rim however throwing the car out of alignment is a far reach. Check your rack and pinion bolts.

Norris

Also before you tighten the rack and pinion bolt make sure your steering wheel is straight. Once you raise your vehical if the tire can be moved from side to side straighten the wheels until the steering wheel is straight then tighten the bolts on both sides. On these camerys these bolts come loose and your car will swim when changing lanes or if it hits a small rock in the street. But it will only go so far because the rack and pinion bolts are set to move only so far and they cant fall out. however they have at least a two inch space to be adjusted. When driving that two inch space (when the bolt is loose) can become five feet of your car swimming when changing lanes. Yes its an alignment problem. But not from over tightening studs and nuts that don't fit each other in the first place.