wheel bearing- how much movement

[Johnmck]

Hi checking my wheel bearings and have some slight movement when doing the 12.00 and 6.00 oclock shake.
However i don't know how much is excessive and requires new bearings and how much acceptable.
The Haynes manual suggests you can nip up the front ones- is this wise ?
and can you do the same at the rear?
grateful for any advice,.

Thanks
john

[Tex Ritter]

The bearings on the front wheels are 'tapered' bearings (cone shaped to look at).

The rear bearings are parralel bearings with a spacer/sleeve between inner and outer rollers, they usually come as one unit. These can be really tightened up to their required torque using a 3/4" drive socket, 'T bar' and a 4' tube, if you still have movement when they are torqued up then you'll need new bearings.

The front wheel bearings are correctly ajusted by slowly tightening the hub nut so that when all the lift has been taken off the taper bearings you should be somewhere near a split pin hole: carefully tighten to the first split pin hole you come to after you have taken up all the lift, always use the correct size split pin, and Never slacken the nut back to suit.

I can't remember the size of the rear hub nut socket (I guess 46mm?) or the torque settings but someone will be along shortly.

Tex Ritter

[Johnmck]

thanks
sorry to be thick but when you say all the lift has been taken up on the front ones does that mean tighten up til there is no movement ( shake ) in the hub and bearings.

[HarryMann]

Yes, take up all the slack...
Re-check after a while. If there's play in the 12-6 O'clock axis there should also be play in the 9-3 O'Clock axis as well, if it's the bearing, but this harder to detect due steering moving. See if you can detect this too, or get someone to look behind as you move it, if disc moves between calipers at all, it'll be the bearing.

Rears are 350~375 ft-lb, one ball and one roller bearing with a thick-walled spacer between them. Got to about 350 or so and then on to the next split-pin hole.

[Johnmck]

thanks
don't appear to have any 3.00 and 9.00 oclock movement on front and rear is a little bit but much less than 6+ 12

[HarryMann]

Well, to be sure then, you need to watch the hub itself (as described) when you rock it vertically, to ensure the movement is in the bearing and not one of the suspension joints - Oui?

Maybe you can get a good enough grip to rock it when the wheel is off?

Rears often move in and out (axially,a s if along the shaft), but not rock. Some say this is acceptable (even normal), whatever it is I haven't discovered yet, nor does a new bearing set always resolve it. It could be a crushed spacer (unlikely as I've measured them) or a worn hub. The (outer) roller bearing outer race is designed to float as the hub nut is tightened up, but the (inner) ball bearing's outer race could with advantage be loctited in, after its been driven firmly up to the locating shoulder in the hub.

[Johnmck]

thanks for the advice, should be able to sort one way or other now.

John

[HarryMann]

Good.
Have whacked this into Wiki anyway, often asked...