Steering and Suspension Wheel Bearings

Fronts

Tex Ritter - Not sure if the front wheel bearing is worn or not?

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

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.

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.

Johnmck: Thanks! Don't appear to have any 3.00 and 9.00 oclock movement on front

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

HarryMann: Rears are 350~375 ft-lb, one ball and one roller bearing with a thick-walled spacer between them. 

Go to about 350 ft-lb or so and then on to the next split-pin hole.

The outer rear bearings are plain roller bearings with a spacer/sleeve between it and inner ball-bearing. They usually come as one unit (but without the spacer which doesn't usually wear, a thick-wwalled hard-steel tube). 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 (but read-on below!).

Johnmck: Thanks! Rear is a little bit but much less than 6+ 12

HarryMann: Rears often move in and out (axially, as 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 bearing carrier( more likely). 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.

Recent forum questions (2008)

Dubstar: I've found a bit of play in one of my rear wheel bearings, so I just want to know, are they adjustable or is it a replace only job?

HarryMann: Not adjustable, often play is just in one plane, vertically, due to wear of bearing housing.

Redstar: Snap! I have play in mine (sorry to hi-jack thread) but I dont have any noise coming from it... do I need to zap mine out too...?

Titus A Duxass: I've had play in mine for the last 4 years. I think they come with play built in.

The MOT man said "ignore it until it really whines"

HarryMann: Leave then... Up to the point is starts to hum, drone (actual bearings) or the play just gets too much, which it can eventually... but if its just a slight top-to-bottom rock with no real side-to-side play then leave it I think... having 'done' several and they still rock vertically! Pretty sure this is the rear (ball-bearing) outer race rocking in the housing that has slightly ovalled - if you do change the bearing(s) then clean up the shoulder this sits againts if any burrs at all, drive [i]outer [/i]race well home and use Loctite Bearing Fit or similar, having fully degreased the housing and outer race first..

Some also have innate in-out play, again, it's been suggested to leave unless excessive, can't work out where this comes from unless again, it's wear/fretting of the housing/retainer circlip.

Methinks a lot of this is that the original design was for the Bays with 13" wheels, we are now oftne using 15" wheels and the Syncros of course give them an extra hammering at times.

Notes

NB. See EMPI Rear Hub Nut tool in General Tools, Tips and Techniques