I don't know if I have just been having bad luck, or I am doing something wrong, but the last 3 weeks I have had some loose bolts/nuts under my truck.

The last week I noticed loose steering. Then a "popping" noise on turns. Checked my steering rack bolts, and they were ALL LOOSE, the middle one was able to be turned with my finger. Scary stuff. I added blue thread locker and torqued to spec.

Last week I found that my auto trans shifter linkage was loose enough that I (luckily) got stuck in park.

Also the 4 bolts that hold the tranny to the mid crossmember were all loose.

Maybe a leprechaun was under there, or my torque wrench is flawed but it just a good reminder to myself and hopefully others to check once in a while any work you may have done within the past few months.

The last 3 months I replaced my steering rack, lower control arms and ball joints, went on a ~1000 mile trip to Baja (~200 offroad) and then have gone to the desert about 4 times. It just might have been enough to vibrate things loose.

 

Yeah I really think that one thing guys forget to do alot is go over all of the bolts involved with a torque wrench and be sure they are tight, and some times we might just think that they do not need torqued and tighten with a short wrench. Honestly I am not in the possession of a torque wrench so alot of the time I use a cheater pipe and tighten them.
However it is essential to go back over all of the bolts and double even triple check!
One time Mom had a shop do a job replacing the steering and they did not tighten all the bolts and when I got under to look the bolt in to the steering rack was soo loose that it was close to coming off.. I left it that way and drove the mile to the shop and damn near tore the guys "Owners" head off with my words, he had the guy that did the job in the first place get back under it and tighten and torque all the bolts involved in the job no matter how hard they were to get to! I mean it really could have meant life or death if that one nut just came off, then you have no control over the vehicle.

And those simple seeming rattles are best found and checked due to such easy life or death situations to prevent!!!!!!!!!

 

you always tighten bolts until they are just about to break..then you stop..LOL