Does that wheel look a little funny to you?

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phaelax

phaelax

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I feel like my car posing its inner lightning mcqueen, ka-chow! Anyone else feel like their car is cursed? Like every summer I feel like ok this is the year I get to drive my car with no issues..... Then the wheel falls off.

Driving down the road to get a haircut, then I hear something break and fly off the car down the street. Next thing I know my car isn't steering properly. Pulled off and felt like the wheel was hanging on. I guess the good news is, cars and coffee isn't for another 3 weeks.

491014182_541734178631565_3721110114561733692_n.jpg


491097846_662619703143840_8224437461291311690_n.jpg
 

Get the weight off the wheel and see if the nut came off the spindle. The nut that is supposed to have a cotter pin.

Should be an easy fix even if you replace the bearings or worse case scenario replace the whole spindle
 
phaelax said:
I feel like my car posing its inner lightning mcqueen, ka-chow! Anyone else feel like their car is cursed? Like every summer I feel like ok this is the year I get to drive my car with no issues..... Then the wheel falls off.

Driving down the road to get a haircut, then I hear something break and fly off the car down the street. Next thing I know my car isn't steering properly. Pulled off and felt like the wheel was hanging on. I guess the good news is, cars and coffee isn't for another 3 weeks.

View attachment 1716393936

View attachment 1716393937
Click to expand...
That's an accident waiting to happen. Fix it on the spot or have it towed. Don't drive it.
 
toolmanmike said:
Don't drive it.
Click to expand...
Undoubtedly damage has been done to any or all of the following:

  1. spindle
  2. bearings
  3. seals
  4. brake caliper

As Princess Valiant mentioned, get it in the air and see what's missing. If you can not afford a tow and its only the nut that came off, put it back together and limp home. then take it all apart and see what needs to be replaced.


BUT Regardless of what you do as @toolmanmike said DO NOT DRIVE IT as is.


And don't forget to update us with photos!
 
Fix it on the spot or have it towed. Don't drive it.
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I towed it home, ain't no way I was gonna roll that back out onto the road!

Good thing it had disk brakes
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You're not wrong! The caliper was really the only thing keeping the wheel from coming completely off. Well, actually it was those thin little brackets bolted to the caliper at the top and bottom really.

Undoubtedly damage has been done to any or all of the following:
Click to expand...
Bearing is totally shot, there's some scratches and a good knick/bur on the spindle. I'm not sure about the caliper yet, but I think it looks fine so far. Brake pads maybe not so much.


see if the nut came off the spindle. The nut that is supposed to have a cotter pin.
Click to expand...
yea.... that's probably what I heard fly off. Here's what it looked like when I stopped.

491117913_1202453624942341_8107289461761929982_n.jpg
 
If the grease cap is still on the hub, then you might still have all your parts but If the grease cap is gone, then your nut and keyed washer and outer bearing are probably MIA as well
 
phaelax said:
I towed it home, ain't no way I was gonna roll that back out onto the road!


You're not wrong! The caliper was really the only thing keeping the wheel from coming completely off. Well, actually it was those thin little brackets bolted to the caliper at the top and bottom really.


Bearing is totally shot, there's some scratches and a good knick/bur on the spindle. I'm not sure about the caliper yet, but I think it looks fine so far. Brake pads maybe not so much.



yea.... that's probably what I heard fly off. Here's what it looked like when I stopped.

View attachment 1716393968
Click to expand...
You better run out and buy some lottery tickets. It's your lucky day.
 
Nope, grease cap is gone, nut is gone. Long gone! Just need to find a place to buy the new parts.

You better run out and buy some lottery tickets. It's your lucky day.
Click to expand...
yea things could've went a lot worse, it was a busy road too. Was across the street from my barber and she was nice enough to drive me home.
 
phaelax said:
Nope, grease cap is gone, nut is gone. Long gone! Just need to find a place to buy the new parts.


yea things could've went a lot worse, it was a busy road too. Was across the street from my barber and she was nice enough to drive me home.
Click to expand...

Uh, is the end of the spindle still there? Because none of that should have been able to come off with a cotter pin in there. Unless the spindle failed through the cotter pin hole
 
Uh, is the end of the spindle still there?
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Uhh part of it, lol. The threaded portion is completely gone.

I'm trying to look up parts but every website is saying they're for drums when I have discs on the front of mine. (it's a '73)
 
Thanks for the link. I'm gonna take off the other side and inspect it before I order anything. A spindle shouldn't just snap like that! The break was so clean I didn't even realize it at first until I was like way a minute shouldn't this be threaded on the end
 
Simular event.

I bought a car at tow auction. Good tabs, all fluids uo. Looked like a runner. I get it started and drive off, many folks milling around all stat yelling. STOP! I stop, get out, front wheel at 45 degree angle.

Outer wheel bearing seized and spun off the end of the spindle. Cap still on and welded bearing still in the hub.
 
phaelax said:
Thanks for the link. I'm gonna take off the other side and inspect it before I order anything. A spindle shouldn't just snap like that! The break was so clean I didn't even realize it at first until I was like way a minute shouldn't this be threaded on the end
Click to expand...

Yeah that’s a good plan. I would suggest checking the brakes and suspension all the way around at least.

That’s an unusual event and certainly might not be isolated. How long have you owned the car? Do you know anything about its history?
 
Might as well spend the money & do both sides of the car. If that happens again on the right side, you may not be so lucky.
 
I've had the car for about 10 years. I did the front suspension last summer (shocks, ball joints, tierods) but didn't replace the bearings, they seemed fine then.
So on the damaged side (driver), the inside of the rotor is marred so I'll be replacing that again. Since I just replaced them with the brakes last year I should be fine only replacing the one side. The boot on the lower ball joint is torn, may be unrelated who knows. Passenger side checked out ok but i'll replace its bearings as well.

Bearings (both sides)
Spindle
Rotor
brake pads

491014221_651979977606286_1315387682913523235_n.jpg
 
That looks like metal fatigue.

I had a tie rod that I modified break like that because my machinist did not fillet the end where the thread stopped.

There is a possibility that the wheel offset is so much outboard that there is excess pressure on the outer wheel bearing.
 
mabe off a crashed car at one time...or wrong bearing on it
someone smoked the bearing /and put a new bearing on it ...never seen one just snap
 
phaelax said:
I've had the car for about 10 years. I did the front suspension last summer (shocks, ball joints, tierods) but didn't replace the bearings, they seemed fine then.
So on the damaged side (driver), the inside of the rotor is marred so I'll be replacing that again. Since I just replaced them with the brakes last year I should be fine only replacing the one side. The boot on the lower ball joint is torn, may be unrelated who knows. Passenger side checked out ok but i'll replace its bearings as well.

Bearings (both sides)
Spindle
Rotor
brake pads

View attachment 1716394045
Click to expand...

So you’re gonna get 2 spindles unless you track down a used single so replace them both. There’s no bluing or signs of overheating there, so it doesn’t look like the bearing overheated, although that remaining inner bearing looks gnarly. A overheated bearing would be the easiest cause to explain the failure. What you’ve got there is something else, looks like it could be a stress fracture. Failure looks close to the end of the key way or maybe the last thread? So possibly a stress riser. Still, not knowing the history whatever happened to the failed spindle could have happened to the other one too.

For my money I’d be replacing both spindles, all the bearings and both rotors. Maybe overkill but wheels falling off is nothing to mess with.
 
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