Wheel Bearing Slop???

Clois Harlan · #1 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 11:22 AM

I just installed new Wilwood brakes, rotors, bearings etc> and when I tug on my wheels I feel a slight amount of slop. I have tried to tightened up the spindel nut. If I turn it tight enough where the perceived slop is gone in the wheel won't turn. My Wilwoods came with new in the box Timkin bearings and they were properly packed before installation. Any ideas? I am leaving for Road America Wednesday morning. I have orderded an extra set of bearing to be picked up tonight but these bearing are new and shouldn't have any play in them when installed.

Clois

Excaliber · #2 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 11:38 AM

Strange the wheel "locks up" when the bearings are tight enough to be pre-loaded. Which is exactly what your trying to do when you adjust the wheel bearings, "pre-load" them. Thus the nut needs to be tightened some amount AFTER zero is reached, perhaps an 1/8th turn or so.

I've never seen a situation where the wheels totally "lock up" when apply this reasonable amount of pre-load to the bearing. It makes me wonder what is really going on in there.

Perhaps the bearing cone secured inside the hub is in place at a slight angle? Something mechanically has to be binding as some pre-load HAS to be there. The tire might turn a little stiffly, but no way should lock up.

Try removing the caliper and adjusting with it off. Perhaps the caliper assembly is binding in some way?

trularin · #3 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 11:56 AM

Gee, don't take this wrong, but are the races seated all the way?

If not, they would move a little in everytime you tighten the nuts and seem like they never are correct.

Did you mic the spindle and the bearing to make sure there isn't any un-necessary play?

Ernie is correct in that the nuts should be adjusted and locked with the brake assembly removed.

Just my $0.03 ( you get extra )

Clois Harlan · #4 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 12:14 PM

Ernie and Dave,

I may have mis-stated the situation a little. The wheel will turn but not as freely as I would like for it to. I am comfortable with a little freerer wheel.

I haven't mic'd the spindal or the bearing yet but I will tonight. I have a new spindel on standby just in case. This is a new problem but I may just need to pre-load the bearing more than I am accustomed to doing. The old hub and rotor were steel and these are aluminium.

Clois

trularin · #5 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 12:44 PM

I hear aluminum hubs are nice.

Let us know what you end up with.

Excaliber · #6 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 01:37 PM

I hear you Clois, turns but feels "tight", not quite "right". Right?

I wouldn't think there is any difference from iron to alum as far as "feel" goes, but I don't know. Hmmm,,,,,, perhaps it's OK after all?

coyled · #7 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 03:56 PM

Clois, make sure the races are seated. Then check the id of the bearings against the od of the spindle. My wheel bearings never felt correct to me. It would drive me nuts. I would adjust them properly, put the wheel on and it would feel like the bearings are loose. I would recheck it and they were adjusted properly but were still loose. You never want a bearing to tight. A little loose is better than too tight. I finally measured and figured out that the id of the bearings were 1.380 (I think) and the od of the spindle was 1.375 . That .005 difference was enough to make it feel a bit loose even after I adjusted it properly. I changed the bearings and now it is perfect. Good luck, Scott.

DAVID GAGNARD · #8 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 06:56 PM

Clois;

Had a similar problem with my car hauler trailer just before going to Tulsa this year......Trailer place were I got the new bearings suggested to tighten them a little on the tight side and take it down the road a mile or two and return,then re-check,sometimes they need this to "seat in".... Tried it and it worked out fine. I'm kinda like you,I'd rather them a tad loose than tight,but you might give this a try and see if it helps,sometimes that all it takes for things to "seat in correctly"....

BTW; I must have stopped every hour or so on the way to Tulsa (8.5 hour trip) to check the spindles for excessive heat,all was well and I sure was relieved when I finally rolled into the hotel parking lot,only to have a flat on the trailer the next morning,you drive 8.5 hours with no troubles and as soon as you get there you have a flat,well, better in the hotel parking lot than on the highway......

David

Rick Parker · #9 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 07:17 PM

There is a very fine line between "Too Tight" and "OK". With new bearings and races it will feel tighter until the cones and races have beded together. Remove the caliper, snug the center retaining nut down slowly until it feels tight (the rotor) then loosen it very little so the cotter pin retainer lines up and then spin the rotor a few times. If it is not binding it will probably be OK as it will spin easier when the bearings and races bed in together.

Do a small amount of low speed driving and then check the bearings again, you may find that they are much easier to spin after just a few miles.

Rick

G.R. · #10 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 11:56 PM

I agree with Rick on this--the bearings may need to just be bedded to seat properly, and after a few low spped "break in" miles and some minor re adjustment it may be just fine. I would doubt that the spindle would be bad, if new units, but anything is possible.

Hope everything is just a matter of new part "break in blues"

Clois Harlan · #11 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 07:55 AM

I took everyones advise on this (after checking the Id and Od measurements) and torqued my wheel nut down to 65 pounds of torque and backed the car up about 50 feet or so and then brought it back into the garage. Loosened the wheel nut and adjusted the wheel nut by hand until the bearing was tight and the wheel turned freely. No more slop in the wheel. I guess I had never got the bearing seated correctly.

As usual I get everything all together the day before I leave for a race. Heading to Elkhart Lake at 9:30 am today. Had to clear a few things off my desk first. Hope to see you there Scott.

Clois

trularin · #12 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 08:29 AM

Good luck at the race.

Michael C Henry · #13 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 09:47 AM

I'm a heavey junk mech.What works for me is with the bearings packed with grease, the hub has some grease in its voids so grease doesn't run from bearing and stay in hub. Tighten spindle nut while turning the hub perferably with tire and wheel.Rotating (just turn it by hand ) the hub and wheel so the bearings don't get jammed and find there correct and even seat. Over tighten a little,to seat everything .Back off the spindel nut till all preload is gone and retighten the spindel nut ,again while turning - rotating the wheel, to desired preload.Never crank the nut down wtihout spining the hub.You'll find that the whole wheel will give you a better feel for exactly how tight or too tight everything is.Remember everything will change when the weight of the car is setting on those bearings and there will be a readjustment after the bearings have worn -seated them selves in.Remember the forces and temperatures that those bearings will see in normal operations.