I hope I didn't just total my car

kkiley

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Moved back to Indiana, was driving down a county road and hit a pothole that blew out the front tire. Put the spare on and now it is pulling badly to the right. If it bent the sub-frame, this car is toast.

I had never had the spare out and I found some basic revelations from the factory that amazes me.
1. The lug wrench does not work on the lugs. With whatever cap they have on the lugs, you have to beat them on with a hammer. WTH? If this car is fixable, will have to replace all 20 lugs.

2. The scissor jack. It doesn't fit under the car at all. When fully compressed, it is at least 4" taller than the rocker panels. It would never work with a flat. I cannot believe they let that go from the factory.

i haven't driven this car much over the last 5 years. Now that I am using it, AC is out, got an EGR code today, and then this. I hope I can tape it together for a little longer. The car is in beautiful shape and I like the way it drives. But AC is a must, lol
 
1. Your lug nuts have corroded and expanded out the appearance covers over them. You do need new lug nuts.
2. This is certainly not a design problem. The factory jacks do fit, with lots of room to spare. Mine has fit with even with two completely flat tires on one side. You have a seriously lowered LS, or the wrong jack, or you are trying to put it in the wrong spot.

I doubt that you bent the frame or sub-frame. However, you possibly did damage the bushing(s) of a control arm. You probably will need new control arms.
 
Thanks for the feedback, but none of what you said is true about my car. It is a rust free CA car. Been in Orange County it's whole life. Was a dealer demo for the UCM at a Lincoln store until I bought it. The lug nuts are not corroded, they just flat out do not fit the lug wrench without a hammer. Every single one of them are like that.
My car is completely stock. I just measured it. 7" from the ground to the jack point under the car. With the tires aired. Flat it is probably 5" at most. The scissor jack at it's lowest point is 10"

This spare and jack have never been out of the car.

It was going to the shop to get the AC looked at. Hopefully when I get a new tire installed, it will correct the pulling. The spare on these are really strange.
Thanks!
 
...The lug nuts are not corroded, they just flat out do not fit the lug wrench without a hammer. ...

Well, I'm sure you are the exception then. No moisture at all in the air there? Must have a lot of nose bleeds...
 
you either don't have an OEM jack, or you are not lowering the jack all the way down. it really is that simple


FYI, if you just took the jack out of the car, then it is not in its lowest setting. it sits in the car far from fully collapsed.
I have owned two LSs, both jacks fit with out any problem, yours is not a special snowflake...

also, I had no problem getting the OEM lug wrench to fit the OEM lug nuts. its actually the only lug wrench I have that fits properly, the two 4-ways I have are a little loose and one of them caused the chrome caps on the lugs to get damaged and not be able to be removed. since replacing the lug nuts, I have only ever used the OEM lug nut wrench.
 
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Also think if it this way...

The lug nut wrench doesn't fit, so then you hammer it on... That means that the chrome metal cap HAS expanded and pushed away from the actual steel lug nut. Hammering it on just pushes the chrome cap back up tightly to the steel lug nut.

Whether it be from corrosion, black magic, or the normal liberal bullsh!t that is ruining your state, it doesn't really matter, you need new lug nuts.
 
We will just leave this one alone. I was just pointing out factory issues on my car. I know how to operate a snowflake special lug wrench and scissor jack. I have been wrenching on my own cars and motorcycles for almost 50 years now. I am just disappointed that none of the factory stuff worked when I needed it.
 
And I live in Indiana now, so u can keep your liberal comments to yourself.
 
Also think if it this way...

The lug nut wrench doesn't fit, so then you hammer it on... That means that the chrome metal cap HAS expanded and pushed away from the actual steel lug nut. Hammering it on just pushes the chrome cap back up tightly to the steel lug nut.

Whether it be from corrosion, black magic, or the normal liberal bullsh!t that is ruining your state, it doesn't really matter, you need new lug nuts.
Ha Ha Ha good stuff! :D
 
When I replace them, I will cut one open and show you the results. All 20 lug nuts are exactly the same. They just do not fit any lug wrench without hammering. You are correct about them squeezing to the nut to fit. I am telling u, rust is not the problem. They were never right from the factory.
 
Ok, at least I am not as livid about this car being wrecked. That is my main concern. I have owned this car for 5 years, put 25,000 miles on it, and I know it has no value but I really am not in the market to replace it. I can handle a lower control arm. Subframe is a different story. I lost a '89 Tbird to a subframe wreck from my stepson years ago. Wasn't pretty.
 
They were never right from the factory.

so you were there to verify that as it rolled off of the line, the OEM jack would not fit under the car and the OEM lug nut wrench did not fit a single one of the lug nuts?

My car is completely stock. I just measured it. 7" from the ground to the jack point under the car. With the tires aired. Flat it is probably 5" at most. The scissor jack at it's lowest point is 10"

my short answer is go and measure again... lol

the slightly more detailed version...
the jack is FAR for 10" fully collapsed.

IMG_20180510_224431_zps8hjggfwt.jpg

this is the jack right as it comes out of the car, measuring in right at 9.5"

and if you turn the big handle lefty loosey, it gets flatter... much much flatter
IMG_20180510_224534_zpsansyfipt.jpg


and this is what it looks like when it is fully compressed.

Flat it is probably 5" at most

so then it should fit without problem.



so now its killing me and I need to know...

Is that jack that has never been out of the car until now the correct OEM jack?

or

Is the rust free car's jack so rusted that it cant be lowered all the way?

or

are you just a moron that can't figure out how to lower a jack? (honestly I would never think it would be this one, but knowing how people can be, this option can never be taken off of the table)
 
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a couple of things worth pointing out...

while rust is a type of corrosion, corrosion does not equal rust. there is a difference.

If you have only owned the car for 5 years, then there is no way you can know or say with any kind of certainly that the spare and jack and never been out of the car. #JustSaying
 
The lug nuts, with their 'covers' were definitely one of Ford's 'better ideas'. It probably makes sense for you to go get a set of 'lock' nuts. I believe the ones you want will be for one of the mid-size Chryslers. A complete set for your car can be had from Autozone, complete with the key, for around $25.00 (Last time I looked). Custom wheels will come with their own sort of lug nuts.

KS
 
We lost a tire to a pothole this past winter. No problem with the jack or nuts.

With the spare on, and inflated, the car pulled badly to one side. I thought that I experienced some damage or line up issues.

Garage put on a new tire and checked the line up. Line up was perfect. Car no longer pulled.
 

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