PSA: Beware of paint on spare tire wheel bolts of the Bronco Raptor

[Raptor911]

I know some have had issues with the spare tire wheel bolts getting damaged at the factory when the spare is mounted.

So I took delivery on Wed, May 3. I get home and the 1st thing I did was to remove the spare as I wanted to detail behind the spare. I go to remove the 3 lug-nuts and 2 were on super tight and the 3rd one was not even flush with the wheel.

In an ideal situation, you loosen the lug-nuts 4-5 revolutions and it should just back out the rest of the way via your fingers. BUT no, all 3 were tight as hell and I had to use a socket to remove all 3 ... all the way out.

I carefully remove the wheel and it is obvious that my bolts suffered some damage at the factory when the spare was mounted. Was this the reason why my bolts were difficult to remove? Maybe.

I texted my salesman and he made a comment that the issue is prob the fact that the spare bolts were painted. BINGO! Wheels bolts are not painted and yet why did Ford paint the spare tire bolts? BTW .. I have to check my Wildtrak to see if the spare tire bolts are painted. I don't recall those bolts were difficult to remove.

Anyway, I stopped by Harbor Freight to get a tap and die as I wanted to clean/chase the threads. Remember we need M14 x 1.5 (Bronco Raptor). Base bronco is M12 x 1.5.

The tool requires an attachment to use and it is not possible due to spare pole (camera is mounted to the end). See red arrow below. So I had to put on some grippy gloves and just spin it by hand. I consider myself pretty strong but I can only chase the threads for about 1-2 inches then it becomes impossible by hand.

Sure enough, the part of the bolt that is free from the black paint, I can just spin on the lug nut .. and when it hits the paint, you will need a socket to turn it further. 2nd pic below shows the paint removed from chasing the threads.

One last note. It occurred to me that every time one removes the spare and puts it back on, you will run the risk of dragging the wheel across the threads.

Here's a simple solution for any vendor to make and sell. Produce a hub-centric adaptor that will slide on the black piece that holds the camera. In other works, the inner collar will slide on while the outer collar is hub-centric.

Bronco Raptor is 87.1
Base Bronco is 93.1
And lots of guys here are running toyota whels so 106.1

With what I suggested above, the spare will just slide onto the wheels bolts without ever touching the bolts. I hope this makes sense.

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[swamp2]

Fantastic PSA. Thanks.

You could also get better access with a hex style die and adjustable wrench.

 

[RHeinz]

Why not brush off the paint with a small wire brush on a drill or Dremel Tool? And/or paint remover?

EDIT: You should probably clean the threads on the lug nuts too.

 

[Bad hand]

What about a ratcheting tap and die set. Would that be able to be used without interference from the pole?

 

[Raptor911]

The more I think about it, the paint is on purpose. This must be a safety feature. You don’t want a loose lug nut working itself off the spare. What are the chances that 3 lug-nuts falling on the spare. And if that spare ever came off while you were driving, it would kill someone

 

[swamp2]

Isn't proper torque going to handle it? That does keep the wheels on the vehicle under immensely higher loads.

What do Jeeps do, I doubt the nuts barely move like this?

 

[Figmo]

 

[swamp2]

 

[Tex]

Torque is all that's ever necessary to keep lug nuts secure, provided you torque to spec. I doubt there's a single reputable manufacturer painting threads for the purpose of fastener retention, as there are a multitude of other ways to secure fasteners that are more reliable and consistent than errant paint. Threads should be free enough that you're able to thread a lug nut on by hand using nothing more than a socket when you can't get a good grip on the nut itself, you'll feel some drag but nowhere near enough to require a wrench to thread them down to the wheel itself. Threads are required to be clean and oil free (paint free as well) when torqued to achieve correct specs. Spare tire torque measurements are lower than the standard torque you'd use on the wheels, presumably due to the mount deforming under the additional torque but I don't know what the actual reasoning is from Ford.

 

[2023bronco]

I noticed this when I swapped McGards for the factory lug nuts. I don't think there's any rhyme or reason why those studs got painted.

If you torque properly, there's no need for thread locker or paint on the spare tire studs. Nothing is going on back there to loosen them up.

 

[HeliPilot]

I removed mine for the first time with a cordless impact wrench. Came off so fast, I never realized there was any paint there.

 

[Sparkherd]

Fantastic PSA. Thanks.

You could also get better access with a hex style die and adjustable wrench.

There is a tool called a thread file, which is kind of hard to find, and will do what you need to do, but requires a bit of skill to use.

 

[ColonelAngus]

I like to chase my threads with a little pb blaster and a whole lot of ugga duggas...

 

[derichio02]

What’s everyone torquing the rear wheel to? For the Wildtrak the value was around 41 I think the Raptor is higher at 60 something. I set mine to 50 ft/lbs but wondering about others

 

[OCNORB1974]

I'm not concerned, it's not like you use a spare that often. In my 44 years of driving, I've used a spare twice.

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