axle nut torque specs and some guidence

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

trucker_dave

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1993
Engine
V8 5.2L
howdy guys n' gals, I have a bit of questions I need help with.....

First off, I've got a 1993 Dodge Power Ram W250 5.2L V8. this truck is powerful little thing.. Ive enjoyed driving it. Though now Im in a bit of a bind....

I have just redone all the brakes (front calipers, pads, rotors, Rear shoes, drums, wheel cyl. brake lines, ebrake cables hub seals etc...) I have also managed to find and download the FSM for the truck and found the torque specs that I believe are for the axle nuts but I'd like to double check to make sure I have the right ones......

for the front, I have 2 nuts which take a special socket ( looks like 4 tabs), I read that the inner locking nut torques to 50ft lbs to seat the bearings, loosen, then torque back to 30-40ft lbs and then back off 135-150 degreess..... should i be rotating the hub while im torquing this down?

for the rear, I just have one big nut, and from what i gather that gets torqued down somewhere around 140-150ft lbs? im not sure if something is binding up in there but when i get to 20+ ft lbs, I can't rotate the hub at all unless i put a large wrench on the studs.... is this normal? or should I look into it? I really dont want to burn up the bearings down the road, so I wanna make sure everything is smooth.....

thanks for your time..

Dave
 

RonJon '06

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Posts
3,372
Reaction score
1,183
Location
Southern Minnesota
Ram Year
2014, 1985
Engine
6.7, 360
Dana 60 rear axle? That 140-150 ft lb number doesn't sound right. I have a Dana 60 rear and did a similar procedure like you did on your front axle, tightened it down to seat the bearings then backed off so that the hub spins freely but has little or no wobble.
 
OP
OP
T

trucker_dave

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1993
Engine
V8 5.2L
Dana 60 rear axle? That 140-150 ft lb number doesn't sound right. I have a Dana 60 rear and did a similar procedure like you did on your front axle, tightened it down to seat the bearings then backed off so that the hub spins freely but has little or no wobble.

well that im not sure about... I know its not the Chrysler rear end but un-sure if it's a 60 or 70.... no plates to tell me the numbers or anything......

150 ft lb doesnt feel right either when I do it as i can't turn the drums AT ALL... even with a big ass pipe and breaker bar...... Im just wanting to cover myself and not have to fork out more for new bearings.... right now its torqued to about 10 ft.... by 12-15 it gets hard to rotate without help of a breaker bar... i pretty much snugged it up and then backed it off 1/4 turn, put the lock in place and bloted everything else up.....
 

crazzywolfie

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Posts
16,422
Reaction score
3,183
Location
under the truck
Ram Year
81 93
Engine
5.2
i don't know which manual you got but the manual i am looking at says crank it to 120-140ft-lb and then loosen it about 1/3 of a turn or about 120*. sounds a bit high but i guess it is best to try it and see how it feels like that.
edit. i looked a bit farther and it says 10-20in-lbs

also i don't know exactly what tools you need to take apart the front axle but summit has a few on sale right now. i had to order the special hub nut socket for my 89 but it was not too bad at $10
 

Attachments

  • dana 60 torque specs.png
    dana 60 torque specs.png
    53.8 KB · Views: 1,192
Last edited:
OP
OP
T

trucker_dave

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1993
Engine
V8 5.2L
ive got a blue 1993 D&W 150-350 Ramcharger Rear Wheel Drive Truck Service Manual

@120+ ft lbs in neutral on an incline, I don't roll, ive i give it a bit of gas/clutch out it'll move but stop as soon as i go back to neutral.. now i think thats way to tight and i should be able to freely coast right?


just wanting to get my numbers right before I start driving it back n forth to work....

EDIT: pic of the manual cover
1993DodgeRamTruckORM.jpg
 

crazzywolfie

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2013
Posts
16,422
Reaction score
3,183
Location
under the truck
Ram Year
81 93
Engine
5.2
i think if you back it off 120ft-lbs a 1/3 of a turn or so like it says it should probably spin nicely. if not it is probably best to snug it up till the drum spins nicely
 

Rustycowl69

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Posts
857
Reaction score
171
Ram Year
2001 ram 3500
Engine
V10
I don't think I ever read that in a manual, but I've done what you're doing a dozen times without a problem. I just tighten it while rotating it until I can't rotate it any more, then back it off a little to where it turns freely, then just re-tighten it just enough, until there is no wobble in the drum. Seems to work for me.
fyi. Dana''s used to have the number cast into the lower, right (if I remember correctly ) cast center section to tube gusset, viewed from the rear. You may have to clean off grease to see it, but the numbers are about 5/16 or 3/8" tall.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
T

trucker_dave

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1993
Engine
V8 5.2L
Untitled.png



This is what i got under.. pg 160 for anyone who has the same book as i posted above..
 
OP
OP
T

trucker_dave

Junior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
1993
Engine
V8 5.2L
I don't think I ever read that in a manual, but I've done what you're doing a dozen times without a problem. I just tighten it while rotating it until I can't rotate it any more, then back it off a little to where it turns freely, then just re-tighten it just enough, until there is no wobble in the drum. Seems to work for me.
fyi. Dana''s used to have the number cast into the lower, right (if I remember correctly ) cast center section to tube gusset, viewed from the rear. You may have to clean off grease to see it, but the numbers are about 5/16 or 3/8" tall.

Yeah I may try this tomorrow and see how it drives.. i'll attempt to clean everything off and see if i can get the numbers on the diff and confirm which one i have..
 
Top