No More Lug Bolts for the Saab

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro) 04/30/2018 at 12:30 • Filed to: Saab 900, project, wrenching

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It’s been converted to lug nuts!

We found a set of studs online that were the perfect thread size and pitch. They didn’t come with instructions, so before putting them in, we chased the hub threads, wet them with brake cleaner and hit them with a wire bore brush in a drill to remove old anti-seize, then gave it a final brake cleaner rinse. Once dry, we applied some red threadlocker to the studs, and torqued them to about 35 lb-ft, per !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

I did one side, while my brother did the other. But he soon ran into an issue at the LR hub, which wasn’t turning easily. Welp, no point in putting studs in that one now. The one on the other side spins freely, but bearings are one of those things that I like to replace in pairs anyway. So I yanked the studs back out of the one on the other side before the threadlocker could fully cure. We’ll pick up where we left off here another time. Good thing we caught it before putting the car on the road!

A test fit also revealed that the studs were too long for the wheel center hubcaps. These studs are 63mm long, and the next shorter ones available were 44mm, which would have engaged only half of the lug nut’s threads. We knew these would be close, but they will have to be cut down after all.

Test fit with only two of four studs in place

In other news, we got the clutch line bled. Last week, the clutch master cylinder was moving fluid, but not really pumping it the way that it should.

We thought about removing the pressure line, but soon found that the only tool that we could squeeze in there was a “2 point” open-end wrench. And the line nuts did not want to play along nicely. Removing the line to check fluid flow would likely involve cutting it to put a socket on the nuts.

So before committing ourselves to replacing the line, we removed the supply hose from the reservoir to verify that the MC was getting fluid to push downstream. The hose was supplying fresh fluid, but the inlet at the MC was caked in orange goo. So my brother gently picked at it with a toothpick while I found some EPDM rubber hose to replace the supply hose.

Before reattaching the reservoir, we decided to go ahead and try back-flushing the system. I had been avoiding this technique because the fluid in the shared reservoir was so nice and clean from bleeding the brakes, and I didn’t want to contaminate it. But now that we had gone and disconnected that hose, there was nothing to fear. We hooked up a medium-sized syringe to the bleeder, started pumping fresh fluid upstream, and this is what came out.

This is what it looked like after settling overnight. When it came out, the fluid was chocolaty brown with a hint of orange (rust?), and solidly opaque. A flashlight would not penetrate it. There were solid particles too, some of which were attracted to a magnet.

We kept pumping and pumping until the fluid cleared up, then removed the syringe and bled it normally using the pedal. I could have used my DIY pressure bleeder, but felt that it was better to give the MC piston some exercise to free up any more particles that might be present in the bore.

It worked, and the pedal feels better than ever! I think that it’s releasing the clutch more fully now, too. It was sufficiently disengaging earlier, but it feels like it has a fuller stroke now.

On to the next thing...

diplodicus > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 12:34

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SAD! Lug bolts>Lug Nuts

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 12:38

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converted to lug nuts

McLarry > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 12:41

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Cool idea, but what’s wrong with lug bolts?

My bird IS the word > McLarry 04/30/2018 at 12:43

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When putting the wheel back on, there is nothing to rest the rim on, which means you are left with a heavy thing with no way to line it up, and only two hands.

My bird IS the word > diplodicus 04/30/2018 at 12:44

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I expect a reason for that statement.

Urambo Tauro > McLarry 04/30/2018 at 12:45

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It’s WAY faster and easier to hang the wheel on studs and spin the nuts on than it is to hold the wheel up and align the holes to thread the first bolt in.

Urambo Tauro > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/30/2018 at 12:45

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Not from a Swedish Jedi!

McLarry > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 12:47

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Hmmm, my car has a thin lip the wheel rests on so it’ll sit there with no bolts in it - my biggest pain with that is usually getting the wheel off :P

jimz > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 12:47

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Because German.

McLarry > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 12:48

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Gotcha. Isn’t there a little lip to rest the rim on while you put the bolts in? Mine does, but maybe it was a generational change for Saab.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 12:50

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Probably just because weirdness and bonus Jalop points

Urambo Tauro > McLarry 04/30/2018 at 12:57

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There is a slight lip, but the wheel wants to fall off anyway (even if the car is parked on a level surface...). It needs to be constantly held in place while staying properly clocked for the bolt to go in. $35 in studs and nuts eliminates that hassle.

My bird IS the word > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/30/2018 at 13:01

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weirdness does not equate to betterness.

My bird IS the word > McLarry 04/30/2018 at 13:02

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none for my mini. The lip is basically just there for show.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 13:02

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No it doesn’t...weirdness is usually weird for the simple reason that it’s a dumb idea

Shift24 > McLarry 04/30/2018 at 13:15

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Reporting in E39s do not have a lip

shop-teacher > diplodicus 04/30/2018 at 13:59

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False.

shop-teacher > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 13:59

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Good work!

diplodicus > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 14:11

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Haven’t had one swell or seize unlike lug nuts. And it’s a lot easier to clean your hubs up.

Urambo Tauro > shop-teacher 04/30/2018 at 14:13

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Those studs were worth every penny. (Well, my brother’s pennies, that is.) This is going to make tire rotations, brake jobs, etc. that much faster and easier.

My bird IS the word > diplodicus 04/30/2018 at 14:21

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I’ve never had a lug nut swell or seize, but my rim continually seizes to the hub with the lug bolts.

diplodicus > My bird IS the word 04/30/2018 at 14:40

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Every car with lug nuts I’ve had has had at least one nut seize or swell at some point.

I have had zero issues with rim to hub seizures with lug bolts. Can’t say the same for lug bolts.

I find most peoples main complaint that it’s harder to put wheels back on with lug bolts nonsense too.

McLarry > Shift24 04/30/2018 at 14:58

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Dag, that’s surprising...what you supposed to do, levitate the wheel? My wife’s e46 has it

McLarry > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 14:59

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Gotcha - nice work!

Roadster Man > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 15:50

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only using red loctite is making me uneasy

Urambo Tauro > Roadster Man 04/30/2018 at 16:46

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The MotoIQ article suggested using the blue stuff. But I feel better going with the red.

Roadster Man > Urambo Tauro 04/30/2018 at 20:25

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You right. They much have switched colors because I could have sworn it was Blue that was the strongest

Urambo Tauro > Roadster Man 04/30/2018 at 20:50

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Gee I wonder where anyone would get an idea like that...

Roadster Man > Urambo Tauro 05/01/2018 at 22:58

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Oh no...