Pop quiz: Front Axle Castle Bolt Size

[malber]

I need to get a socket for the front axle castle bolt on my way home from work, but unfortunately I left my Clymer book at home. Does anyone know the metric size for this bolt? This is an open book exam.

[CatatonicBug]

I just use my big set of channel-locks... When tightening, I go gootentight, and line up a slot for the cotter pin.

[DGXSER]

That bolt is required to have 76 ft-lbs of torque. Not to many folks with channel locks putting that kind of torque on a nut. Not to resurrect a soar issue, but I sure as he!! hope no one is charging people money that does that kind of work on their bikes! For the love of God and yourself or whoevers bike your working on, go buy a bloody torque wrench!!

Now, as to the size of the nut, well, the socket that fits it is not near as important as the size and pitch of the thread. That, I do not have off the top of my head. Trust me, you do not want to put the wrong pitch nut on a bolt that would be that hard to replace. DAMHIKIJK

[crazy steve]

It's a 22mm nut, but a 7/8" socket fits just as well...

'78E original owner

[CatatonicBug]

For the love of God and yourself or whoevers bike your working on, go buy a bloody torque wrench!!

I'll try not to take offence, but I DO own a torque wrench, TYVM. Just like the secondary shaft bolt in the tranny that "reqiures" 51ft/lbs, the reserved use of an impact wrench works just fine. Do you torque all the case bolts to 7.5 ft/lbs too? I think not... If you can put 76ft/lbs of torque with a torque wrench that's 18" long, I CERTAINLY can apply that much force with a pair of channel-locks that are 24" long.

[malber]

It's a 22mm nut, but a 7/8" socket fits just as well...

'78E original owner

Thanks Steve. I borrowed a 7/8" in a pinch from my neighbor last time, but my wife's gone and made enemies with him since then and I want to get the right tool anyway.

[jmnjrpa]

Yeah

In this corner we have a resident SUPER Guru and now we have in this corner another resident Super Guru. You made my case.

Now don't go getting all upset--just hear me out.

For what it's worth (and I ain't pickin on Bug) DGXSER is right in this instance. We should always torque to specs and the only way know for sure is to use a torque wrench. I am guilty as charged as I usually do not. I don't twist bolts off and have been wrenching since I was 5 (about 50 years if you're counting). My confidence is such that I take chances that I would not advise others or myself to do. We should always advise the best (and safest) methods and unless it has been proven wrong - by the book!

Now I'll line up in the stockade with the rest.

[randy]

We should always advise the best (and safest) methods

+1!!

Words to live by, John. No pun intended. We should keep in mind that some of the newbies we meet here have zero mechanical ability.

[crazy steve]

In this corner we have a resident SUPER Guru and now we have in this corner another resident Super Guru. You made my case.

...and neither one actually answered the question that was asked....

'78E original owner

[DGXSER]

First of all Steve, you are correct. I misread the question and was thinking they needed the nut and not the socket. To make up for the extreme digression in the thread, I went to the gargae and confirmed your 22mm socket requirement.

My main reason for making that point was exactly as has been pointed out. Many of our members are just learning how to be a shadetree mechanic. And I would hate for them to think this is a proper method of doing such work. And by the way....

Do you torque all the case bolts to 7.5 ft/lbs too? I think not...

I did not intend to offend you Bug, although I can see where it might be hard not to be offended, sorry about that. Actually, yes, I have a beam type 3/8" drive torque wrench that I use for everything under 30 ft-lbs. It is quite accurate. And their are several members here that can vouch for the fact that I do use it, as they have watched me do it on my bike, their bike, and other members bikes.

Now again in the interest of education, as to why I found that method so poor, channel locks are not even close to acurate in applying torque and can easily end up rounding the corners off the nut by the time you reach that torque. It is even worse than using a 12 point socket as those channel locks are only grabbing maybe four of the six corners. And even with John's calibrated arm, I bet he would find a larger difference tan anticipated in the amount of torque he has applied between two nuts he thinks are the same.

And no, I do not condone using an impact wrench for tightening a bolt in place of a torque wrench either. I had a '78 Honda Civic wagon that I had four new tires put on. Well they screwed up the rubber vibration isolators on the center dress cups on the weels, so when I got it home I went to correct it. In the process I found I could not get two of the wheels back off because the nuts had gotten stripped from over tightening. So I took it back and they broke four of the eight lug bolts trying to get the nuts back off. On that car, each wheel has four lug nuts. They expected me to drive it like that to. Ever since then, NO ONE tightens a lug nut on anything I own except by hand with a torque wrench. For anything where the torque requirement is given, the same applies.

[DGXSER]

And just to add some more levity to the thread.......

John, Steve,....who cares what you think, your not even a Guru..let alone a SUPER Guru!!!!

[jmnjrpa]

Dgxser,

Sorry to disappoint you but I don't have one of these

And even with John's calibrated arm, I bet he would find a larger difference tan anticipated in the amount of torque he has applied between two nuts he thinks are the same.

That is why I said this

We should always torque to specs and the only way know for sure is to use a torque wrench.

And a side note for those who may not know that the torque for the rear on the special is different from the standard (76 vers 108) DAMW.


BTW- I always thought that word "guru" sounded like something you would do in the toilet (preferably out of sight).

[crazy steve]

John, Steve,....who cares what you think, your not even a Guru..let alone a SUPER Guru!!!!

Hey John, is that our cue to go off??

'78E original owner

[jmnjrpa]

Sounds like I done did!

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Not that it matters, but I'm calling BS on getting 76 ft lbs with channel locks.

If I ever paid someone to change a front tire and it came back with pliar marks on the castle nut.. they'd be buying me a new one and never getting any of my money again. Losing an untorqued case bolt isn't going to make my wheel fall off and crash and your argument isn't logical. IMHO

The way you talk.. WHY do you own a torque wrench? Does it make a good hammer?.........LOL.........

JAT........... You tighten to that to 76 pounds and the hole doesn't line up for the cotter pin. Do you over-torque it by many pounds to get the hole lined up, or do you undertorque it by many pounds?