Did I do this right?

Torqued to 50 lbs-ft while rotating the wheel
Backed it off
Torqued to 37 lbs-ft while rotating
Backed it off 135 degrees
Installed lock washer - if adjustment was required, always did so backing off ever-so-slightly
Torqued outer nut to 200 lbs-ft

Is that the correct procedure? They're brand new bearings.

 

I just downloaded a Spicer Dana 50 service manual and the procedure is as follows:

Torque to 50 lbs-ft
Rotate wheel several revolutions
Back off 1/4 turn maximum
Install lock washer
Install outer nut and torque to a minimum of 65 lbs-ft

Then it mentions bending ears of the lock washer over the two nuts which isn't my setup. Which way is correct?

 

i have always run the nut in tight, then cracked it off a hair.
never bothered with torque specs.

so i would say version #2 is correct.
and you should really look for a lock ring, that is what keeps the outer nut from loosening up and falling off.

if that happens, you will be looking for a new spindle at the minimum.

 

So the second procedure is correct. These Chiltons manuals need to be questioned more often than not. I'm going to tear it down, do the preload procedure over and re-torque. The lock ring I have has holes in it which fits into a stub on the inner nut and it also has a notch protrusion that fits into a notch on the spindle. So the inner nut is locked into position when the outer nut is torqued down onto it. There's nothing to bend onto the outer nut though.

Reason I'm asking is my passenger hub feels warm after driving 5 miles home and my driver's side doesn't. I notice a very slight half-scrape noise when my wheel turns. I think it's the brake... My passenger side caliper did fall before I tied it up and I noticed some fluid that dripped from the bleeder. I'm going to bleed the brakes and hopefully it clears up.

I've never done this much front end work on my own before and I'm a bit concerned hoping I didn't screw things up.

 

About that half-scrape noise... check the pins holding your calipers. I've had those slide out a few times, and at one point they touch the inside of your rim and scrape. Sounds like a crapping out pad.
Kept happening after I just replaced the pads, took forever to figure out why they were scraping!

 

I'll give those a look. Maybe they need to be replaced. I noticed the bleeder valve's dust boot was all burned up and it literally flaked apart when I removed it. That was before replacing the bearings, seals and joints.

I drove along the back of a shopping mall last night and my wife said the noise went away when I pressed on the brake. I think it might be the rubber hoses at the calipers. Are there aftermarket stainless steel braided hoses available to replace the old worn out rubber ones?

 

Ah! Pins again... I had the same effect, when you're pushing on the brake it stiffens the caliper up and pulls the pins away from the rim. By that token it could be anything moveable that is stiffened when braking, maye anti-rattle clips not seated too?

Theres a few places that sell braided stainless, I've been searching for myself. LMC has them but they're 120$ listed for F150, I'm ordering at BuyBrakes.com, they've got some for 109$, they're "Classic Tube" brand.

 

Wow, I believe the SS braided ones I bought for my Jeep were ~$70.

Are you supposed to replace those pins every time you remove the caliper? They did seem a bit easier to squeeze than when brand new. I'm going to give the brakes a good look over.

 

i always do. it is cheap insurance.
i saw a caliper fall off once due to worn out reused too many times pins.
luckily, the driver was going slow when it happened and was smart enough to use the parking brake to stop the truck.

 

if i do it the chilton way i have play in the bearing which they actually give a spec for.. if i do it my way i dont get any play.

not sure why they want play in it.

 

Second that.
I pulled my tire off and the caliper fell right off. Looked at the other side and noticed the only thing keeping the caliper in place was the rim. Pins were gone on that side, the other they were worn down 1" at least, 8-months old. They really have to fit in tight!

 

There are almost as many ways as there are tech manuals to adjust wheel bearings.
Over the years I have developed this method.

Tighten the nut using only hand pressure, just holding the socket with your hand.

if further adjustments are needed to install the keeper or cotter pin, tighten as needed and install.

if using a jam nut, install to recommended torque. this will move the first nut to the other side of its thread grove and load the bearing

when you are done, you will have a "loaded" bearing, the brake rotor will run true without any wobble from having a loose wheel bearing.

This information is NOT applicable to ball bearing systems, It applies to tapered roller bearings only.

I have doing it this way for 40+ years and never have had a failure. a loose bearing will beat its self apart, a loaded bearing will run forever as long as it has suficient lubrication.