Symptom | Possible Sources | Action |
Tires show excess wear on edge of tread | * Under-inflated tires. | * ADJUST air pressure in tires. |
* Vehicle overloaded. | * CORRECT as necessary. |
* High-speed cornering. | * CORRECT as necessary. |
* Incorrect toe setting. * Incorrect camber setting. | * |
Tires show excess wear in center of tread | * Tires over-inflated. | * ADJUST air pressure in tires. |
* Excessive acceleration or braking. | * CORRECT as necessary. |
Other excessive tire wear concerns | * Incorrect tire pressure. | * ADJUST air pressure in tires. |
* Tires need rotating. | * ROTATE tires. |
* Front end out of alignment. | * |
* Vehicle overloaded. | * CHECK load specification against work load requirement. |
* Loose or leaking front or rear suspension unit. | * |
* Wheel bearings worn. | * |
* Loose, worn or damaged suspension components, bushings and ball joints. | * INSPECT, REPAIR or INSTALL new parts as necessary. |
* Excessive lateral or radial runout of wheel or tire. | * CHECK, REPAIR or INSTALL new parts as necessary. Use a dial indicator gauge to determine runout accurately. |
Wheel mounting is difficult | * Incorrect application or mismatched parts, including wheel studs and nuts. | * FOLLOW manufacturers specifications. |
* Corroded, worn or damaged parts. | * CLEAN or INSTALL new parts. |
Wheel rust or corrosion | * Poor maintenance. | * CLEAN and PROTECT with paint |
Wobble or shimmy affecting wheel runout | * Damaged wheel (eventually damages front wheel bearing outer cone and roller bearings and causes uneven tire wear). | * INSPECT wheel rims for dents. INSTALL new parts as necessary. |
Excessive vehicle vibration, rough steering | * Loose suspension components. | * TIGHTEN or INSTALL new parts. |
Vehicle vibrations from wheels and tires | * Inflation pressure too high or low. | * ADJUST air pressure in tires. |
* Wheel or tire imbalance. | * BALANCE wheel and tire assembly. |
* Uneven tire wear. | * INSTALL new tire if necessary to correct vibration. |
* Brake disc imbalance. | * |
* Water in tires. | * REMOVE water. |
* Bent wheel. | * INSTALL new wheel. Attempts to straighten a wheel can cause fractures in the wheel and weaken wheel strength. |
* Incorrectly seated tire bead. | * SPIN wheel on vehicle. EXAMINE area where the tire and the wheel meet. If that section of the tire appears to waver while being rotated, the tire bead may not be seated on the wheel. REMOVE the tire and CLEAN bead seat areas on both wheel and tire. |
* Excessive radial runout of wheel or tire. | * Use a dial indicator gauge to check the radial runouts of both the wheel and the tire. If either the wheel or tire is out of specification CHECK the radial runout of the wheel stud. When components are out of specification INSTALL new components. |
* Loose or damaged wheel stud, wheel nut or enlarged stud holes. | * TIGHTEN or INSTALL new parts as necessary. |
* Debris between wheel mounting face and hub mounting surface. | * CLEAN mounting surfaces. |
* Excessive lateral runout of wheel or tire. | * Use a dial indictor gauge to check the lateral runouts of both the wheel and the tire. If either the wheel or tire is out of specification CHECK the lateral runout of the wheel hub. When components are out of specification INSTALL new components. |
* Damaged front wheel bearing. | * |
Cracks develop in rim base back (rim bead seat) or the gutter area (drop well radii) | * Overloading or abusive use. | * INSTALL new wheel. CHECK loading and operating conditions. Avoid over inflation of tires. CHECK specifications for rim load capacity, working load, tire size, ply rating and tire construction. |
* Incorrect use of tools. | * CHECK mounting, demounting, and maintenance procedures. |
Damaged wheel stud threads | * Sliding wheel across wheel studs during assembly. | * INSTALL new wheel studs. TIGHTEN to specification. |
Loose brake drum | * Wheel studs too long. | * INSTALL new wheel stud of correct length. |
Broken wheel studs | * Loose wheel nuts. | * INSTALL new wheel studs. TIGHTEN to specification. |
* Overloading. | * INSTALL new wheel studs. TIGHTEN to specification. Compare actual load against vehicle load ratings. |
Stripped wheel stud threads | * Excessive torque. | * INSTALL new wheel studs. TIGHTEN to specification. |
Rust streaks from wheel stud holes | * Loose wheel nuts. | * CHECK complete assembly. If parts are damaged INSTALL new parts. TIGHTEN to specification. |
Damaged wheel nuts | * Loose wheel assembly. | * INSTALL new wheel nuts. TIGHTEN to specification. |
* Over tightened wheel nuts. | * FOLLOW correct tightening procedure. |
Seized wheel nuts | * Corrosion or galling. | * CAUTION: Do not permit lubricant to get on cone sets of stud holes or on cone angle of wheel nuts. If corrosion is slight, wire brush away corrosion. If corrosion is excessive, INSTALL new wheel studs and nuts. If condition persists, LUBRICATE first three threads of each wheel stud with a graphite-based lubricant. |
* Overloading. | * REDUCE weight. |