So I've been trying to chase down a vibe that I've been getting for a while now and I think I have found where it's coming from. It seems to be from loose lug nuts. I say this because every once in a while I will start getting a vibe, so I have been checking the torque on the lugs and the front lugs will usually be just a little loose. After I tighten them the vibe will go away for a while, until the cycle starts again. I don't know why the lugs keep going loose and I'm not sure how to fix it.

I replaced the front bearings in the spring and have put probably 5,000 to 10,000 miles on them since then. The lug nuts are new with the bearings and I tighten the lugs to 110ftlbs in a star pattern.

Another thing is the alignment keeps going out and I think it's the tie rod because I have replaced most everything else. So inevitably I end up driving with the toe out for a bit until I notice and fix the alignment.

Has anyone else had this type of issue with a vibe being caused by the torque loosening by just a couple pounds?

 

Do you have aluminum alloy wheels?

 

I don't remember all the Jeep wheels but I'll attach a picture if you know what they are. I thought they were steel, but I could be wrong

 

I'd start with a little blue loctite on the wheel studs before you torque the lug nuts to spec. That should either eliminate the issue or help a great deal.

However, I had my new lug nuts loosen up a few times on me like that and just checked them every so often, eventually they "broke in" and I haven't had an issue since.

 

Those are steel. I was asking because aluminum wheels will loosen a little after a couple hundred miles. In NY, it is not uncommon for your invoice to have a little signature block reminding you to bring the vehicle back after some amount of miles to have them checked (it is a formality, that almost nobody ever does).

I think your alignment getting out of adjustment is probably the cause of the loose lug nuts. Were the ball joints replaced on both sides?

 

It should be past the break in period, it's been about 6 months and more than 5k miles.

I have a torque wrench that I keep with me all the time so anytime I tighten the lugs they are 110ftlbs.

But it does make sense for them to loosen with the alignment going out, I just never thought of that before because I've never had that happen.
I replaced the whole axle assembly with a junkyard axle early this year. The ball joints were from that axle, but I had the whole thing looked at by a mechanic and he thought they looked good. I just had to replace a u-joint because it was frozen.

 

Your wheels look like they are in pretty good shape, but another thing that can lead to lug nut problems is if in past there was damage to the holes in the wheels. For example, if a previous owner drove with loose lug nuts once and the holes got wallowed out.

Do the lug studs have any foreign material on them such as anti-seize, or penetrating oil?

 

I'll have to take a good look at the holes to see how they look. But the studs don't have anything on them.

 

I always thought dates made a weird shake.....

 

Hey guys sorry I haven't updated in a while, I got super busy and haven't been on on a couple months.
So I replaced my ball joints and TRE's and my driver's side was pretty shot.
It's already driving better, but I still have a shake between 65 and 80 mph. Oddly enough there was no shake before I got an alignment (but the steering was flighty) and now that I had the alignment fixed it shakes a bit. It's not as bad as before, but it's there. The wheels and tire seem ok and the shop didn't say anything about them if there were issues.
If you have an idea or suggestion on what I should look for next, let me know.