Wheel Covers - Loosen/Fall Off

87ford5

Article No. WHEEL COVERS - LOOSEN - INSTALLATION TIPS
87-8-5


LINCOLN-MERCURY: 1986-87 TOPAZ


ISSUE: Wheel covers may loosen or fall off because they were installed without retaining washers or with the retaining washers incorrectly installed.

ACTION: To correct this, use the following service installation procedure.

NOTE: The wheel cover's plastic teeth DO NOT hold the wheel cover to the wheel. The wheel cover is held to the wheel by black plastic split ring retainers which are included in the wheel cover package. These retainers must be snapped into the grooves in the lug nuts to hold the wheel cover onto the wheel.

Figure 6:

1. Remove two (2) lug nuts from the wheel 180~ opposite of each other, 1 and 3 or 2 and 4, see Figure 6.

Figure 7:

2. Install the plastic ring retainers into the groove of the two (2) removed nuts. Make sure the retainers snap into place, see Figure 7.

3. Install valve extension and then place wheel cover in position on wheel, and reinstall lug nuts with plastic retainers. Torque to 85-105 ft.lbs. (115-142 N-m), see Figure 7.

Figure 8:

4. Remove remaining two (2) nuts. Install plastic split ring retainers into grooves of nuts making sure they snap into place and reinstall lug nuts with plastic retainers. Torque to 85-105 ft.lbs. (115-142 N-m), see Figure 8.
NOTE: When removing wheel covers do not pry on the edge of the wheel cover. This could result in damage to the wheel cover. To remove wheel cover, remove lug nuts and then remove the wheel cover by hand. The plastic retainers should be left on the lug nuts and the wheel cover reinstalled to the wheel using the plastic teeth for guides. Once the wheel cover is on the wheel, reinstall the wheel to the vehicle using lug nuts with the plastic retainers and torque nuts to 85-105 ft.lbs. (115-142 N-m).

OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES: None
WARRANTY STATUS: "INFORMATION ONLY"