Axle shaft movement - how much should there be?

[psychonaut]

Hia ll - I'm replacing the rear wheel bearing on my '81 van. I've got the new bearings in the bearing housing and the axle shaft is back in there too, but there still seems to be a certain amount of "play" in the axle shaft. Not much, just fractions of a millimetre really, but enough to make the movement tangible. This will of course be amplified once the wheel is back on. I checked the races on the axle shaft before I put it back in and they seemed fine.

So, my question is, should there be some movement even with new bearings, and if so, how much? Or do I need to consider a new axle shaft / bearing housing?

Thanks as always in advance for any help anyone can offer.

[Aidan]

Greg there is some play, inner bearing is a C3 grind so has enough clearance in it so it doesn't bind when up to temperature; even when you've just pressed it all together with a couple of tonne holding the stack together you will be able to feel a knats play in the the housing if you rock it, wheel on that equates to a couple or three mm in 6 and 12 o clock positions, less when hot, another reason to take it for MOT with a good run on the way

[psychonaut]

Brilliant, many thanks Aidan, you're a star. I'd followed the Haynes to the letter, packed everything in grease, and popped the sleeve back in when it came out with the shaft when i slid that back in - gggrrrrr. So I was a bit narked when there was movement still!! I'm right though that there should be no movement in the 9 to 3 o'clock axis?

I'll start putting it all back together again now

Thanks again Aidan