Piston Slap: It Ain't Easy Being on the Front Right, Either!

by Sajeev Mehta

Updated: May 16th, 2014 Published: November 28th, 2011

piston slap it ain t easy being on the front right either

Jeff writes:

I have owned my 1965 Mustang convertible for 30 years. It has a problem that puzzles my trusted mechanic and me. The right front wheel cover rotates on the rim, counter-clockwise, as I drive, which pinches the valve stem in about 50 miles. I have swapped wheel covers and had the tire remounted on the spare’s rim with no joy. There is no vibration felt in the body or steering wheel or body when driving, nor is there any uneven wear on the tire.

Ideas?

Sajeev Answers:

Quoting the great Ned Flanders, “As the tree said to the lumberjack, “I’m stumped.”

This shouldn’t happen. And while vintage steel wheels don’t have the torsional rigidity of the newest, latest CAD inspired unit, the wheel cap shouldn’t spin around like a centrifuge when you hit a bump. But maybe it does.

I have two bits of advice, the first is free and possibly helpful, while the second could very well fix it.

1. Pull off all the wheel caps and use a pair of pliers to “open the mouth” of the clips that hold the cap to the wheel. There are multiple tabs with “mouths” around the circumference of the cap, they all need a slight bend to get the mouth opening bigger, pressing stronger against the steel wheel. But only a slight bend! No need to induce further metal fatigue to a 46-year-old piece of metal.

2. Replace one (or more) steel wheel with an aftermarket reproduction…or a similar unit from a 1980s vintage Ford Fox Body. The Fox wheels have 20 years less metal fatigue, look significantly more efficient which–if they are anything like the Ford Fairmont from whence they came–might be from computer assisted design. I assume you have 14” wheels with 4 lugs, therefore the base hoops from any Fox Body Ford give you a fair shot at having a stronger, less-flexy wheel…hell, it might even be a touch lighter for less unsprung weight!

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com . Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

#1965 #Ford #Mustang #Rotate #Spin #SteelWheel #ValveStem #WheelCap

Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments

Join the conversation

3 of 28 comments

Daveainchina on Nov 28, 2011

I'm guessing he tried the bend the clips thing. It's an obvious answer. The silicone is a decent suggestion too. If I was him I'd just get a set of tasteful aftermarket wheels from tire rack (or something like that) and stick them on there. Put the original wheels away in storage and save them. I can understand the desire to remain stock, but sometimes solving a problem means changing or upgrading as the effort required to remain original is too high. He doesn't say what he uses his car for. Pleasure rides? or is it a show queen at this point? I doubt it's a show queen since he's talking of driving it for 50 miles. so take the practical route, get something tasteful and enjoy your ride instead of chasing down something that probably can't really be fixed. There is a reason hubcaps have disappeared and this is one of them, the other is the hubcap popping off and having to chase it by the side of the road. Just bad technology and better has come along since then.

Like Reply
Jordan Tenenbaum on Nov 29, 2011

The wheel covers on my Caprice have locks, but unfortunately they click. Annoying, but not as bad as spinning hubcaps. The silicone sounds like a good suggestion. And, for what it's worth, kudos for keeping the hubcaps and not going with aftermarket wheels.

Like Reply
- Getacargetacheck on Nov 29, 2011
  
  Jordan Tenenbaum: try spraying some white lithium grease to quiet your wheel cover locks. This was the advice from Pat Goss of Motorweek back in the mid-80s when wire wheel covers were popular. For some reason that segment has stayed with me all these years.
  
  Like

Recent Comments

CaddyDaddy Start with a good vehicle (avoid anything FCA / European and most GM, they are all Junk). Buy from a private party which allows you to know the former owner. Have the vehicle checked out by a reputable mechanic. Go into the situation with the upper hand of the trade in value of the car. Have the ability to pay on the spot or at you bank immediately with cash or ability to draw on a loan. Millions of cars are out there, the one you are looking at is not a limited commodity. Dealers are a government protected monopoly that only add an unnecessary cost to those too intellectually lazy to do research for a good used car.
Redapple2 I gave up on Honda. My 09 Accord Vs my 03. The 09s- V 6 had a slight shudder when deactivating cylinders. And the 09 did not have the 03 's electro luminescent gages. And the 09 had the most uncomfortable seats. My brother bought his 3rd and last Honda CRV. Brutal seats after 25 minutes. NOW, We are forever Toyota, Lexus, Subaru people now despite HAVING ACCESS TO gm EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT. Despite having access to the gm employee discount. Man, that is a massive statement. Wow that s bad - Under no circumstances will I have that govna crap.
Redapple2 Front tag obscured. Rear tag - clear and sharp. Huh?
Redapple2 I can state what NOT to buy. HK. High theft. Insurance. Unrefined NVH. Rapidly degrading interiors. HK? No way !
Luke42 Serious answer:Now that I DD an EV, buying an EV to replace my wife’s Honda Civic is in the queue. My wife likes her Honda, she likes Apple CarPlay, and she can’t stand Elon Musk - so Tesla starts the competition with two demerit-points and Honda starts the competition with one merit-point.The Honda Prologue looked like a great candidate until Honda announced that the partnership with GM was a one-off thing and that their future EVs would be designed in-house.Now I’m more inclined toward the Blazer EV, the vehicle on which the Prologue is based. The Blazer EV and the Ultium platform won’t be orphaned by GM any time soon. But then I have to convince my wife she would like it better than her Honda Civic, and that’s a heavy lift because she doesn’t have any reason to be dissatisfied with her current car (I take care of all of the ICE-hassles for her).Since my wife’s Honda Civic is holding up well, since she likes the car, and since I take care of most of the drawbacks of drawbacks of ICE ownership for her, there’s no urgency to replace this vehicle.Honestly, if a paid-off Honda Civic is my wife’s automotive hill to die on, that’s a pretty good place to be - even though I personally have to continue dealing the hassles and expenses of ICE ownership on her behalf.My plan is simply to wait-and-see what Honda does next. Maybe they’ll introduce the perfect EV for her one day, and I’ll just go buy it.