Coat Hangers And Locking Wheel Nuts!

[z-tune-z2]

Morning people!

The other day while I was driving I noticed the sound of metal coat hangers clanging on the left hand side of the car, I jumped out to check if someone had actually hung some on my wing mirror but no...

So I checked if anything was hanging on, nope all clear. Then proceeded to touch my nuts :D I noticed the left hand side locking wheel nuts swivelled while the right hand side didn't. I got the wrench and corresponding 'key' to try and tighten the locking wheel nuts up, but they didn't seem to want to tighten any more.

I just wanted to ask if they should be able to rotate 360 degrees or not? Because have of mine do and the other half don't.

Also I just gave the car a drive around the block and noticed the sound isn't with me any more.

Thanks guys.

[Chris81]

If they're the Toyota locking wheel nuts then the outside part will spin round - that's the whole point of it - to stop anyone being able to hammer a nut on and remove it. However, in time and with dirt and corrosion they can become a bit stuck, but would soon loosen again if you grabbed it with pliers and tried to turn it. As long as the nut is on tightly you have nothing to worry about.

As for the metal scraping noise... I hear this on many cars, including my own t-sport. I think its to do with rust forming on either the brake disc or the rim of the brake disc as it catches on the brake shield/stone protector. Seems worse on a morning i.e. after rust forms overnight. Like you say after a bit of driving the noise wears off. Is yours a rhythmical scrape sound, most noticeable with the windows down driving 20mph ish??

[Red Yaris 54]

Morning people!

The other day while I was driving I noticed the sound of metal coat hangers clanging on the left hand side of the car, I jumped out to check if someone had actually hung some on my wing mirror but no...

So I checked if anything was hanging on, nope all clear. Then proceeded to touch my nuts :D I noticed the left hand side locking wheel nuts swivelled while the right hand side didn't. I got the wrench and corresponding 'key' to try and tighten the locking wheel nuts up, but they didn't seem to want to tighten any more.

I just wanted to ask if they should be able to rotate 360 degrees or not? Because have of mine do and the other half don't.

Also I just gave the car a drive around the block and noticed the sound isn't with me any more.

Thanks guys.

I hope that you had some gloves on :P ;)

Seriously............as said above, the sound may just be rust on disc.

[z-tune-z2]

If they're the Toyota locking wheel nuts then the outside part will spin round - that's the whole point of it - to stop anyone being able to hammer a nut on and remove it. However, in time and with dirt and corrosion they can become a bit stuck, but would soon loosen again if you grabbed it with pliers and tried to turn it. As long as the nut is on tightly you have nothing to worry about.

As for the metal scraping noise... I hear this on many cars, including my own t-sport. I think its to do with rust forming on either the brake disc or the rim of the brake disc as it catches on the brake shield/stone protector. Seems worse on a morning i.e. after rust forms overnight. Like you say after a bit of driving the noise wears off. Is yours a rhythmical scrape sound, most noticeable with the windows down driving 20mph ish??

Well I figured they wouldn't be able to get the nut off because it's on so tight and they're circular! I'll loosen my right hand side locking wheel nuts if I can later.

I'm not too sure about the rust theory, I've been driving the car regularly, regularly enough to keep rust away. It has also not rained for a long time... The sound wasn't a sort of squealing like what you normally hear on rusty disks, but literally a clanging of sorts as if someone were playing with metal frame coat hangers beside me! It did this all the way until I got home which was just before midnight. Then I drove it the next morning and it was fine!

The sound seemed completely random, no rhythm at all. I could also hear it with the windows up.

Thanks for the replies.

And RedYaris, I washed my hands afterwards ;)