changed wheel bearings / something wrong??
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Alberta
changed wheel bearings / something wrong??
Hey fellas, i noticed my tires were shaking back and forth so i bought new ball joints and wheel bearings. It turns out my ball joints were fine.
The wheel that had play in it is where i started first, i pulled my manual hubs out and by the time i was using the 4 prong hub socket to remove the rotor bearings fell out everywheres. So that was my problem.
Problem now is tires are good and tight for a short period of time, then i have to retighten the 4 prong nut in the hub to tighten the bearings. It originally had 2 of these hub nuts with a spacer in between (i guess so they dont loosen off) but i can only get one of these hub nuts on as there is not enough thread to thread the second one on. My inner bearing is pressed all the way on the spindle and cannot move in anymore.
Any suggestions?
The wheel that had play in it is where i started first, i pulled my manual hubs out and by the time i was using the 4 prong hub socket to remove the rotor bearings fell out everywheres. So that was my problem.
Problem now is tires are good and tight for a short period of time, then i have to retighten the 4 prong nut in the hub to tighten the bearings. It originally had 2 of these hub nuts with a spacer in between (i guess so they dont loosen off) but i can only get one of these hub nuts on as there is not enough thread to thread the second one on. My inner bearing is pressed all the way on the spindle and cannot move in anymore.
Any suggestions?
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Annapolis,MD.
You definitely want both nuts on there,the "spacer" is a lock ring that prevents the inner nut from loosening,and the outer nut keeps the lock ring in place.The only thing I can think of is that the bearing races are not seated in the hub all the way,or there the wrong bearings.
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Senior User
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From: Alberta
yea im not really sure on this. The passenger side i didnt even take out the inner bearing, it was good so i left it. When i pulled the hub/rotor off the passenger side the bearing and seal stayed in the rotor.
The old outers and inners had no race (i think thats what its called, metal ring that covers the outside of the bearings) The new ones i got came with these, so i only put them around the bearings on the outers. It fit in there perfect. All old bearings looked like the exact same size as the old ones. Was i not supposed to install these outer rings on the bearings? Are the just for protection for shipping the bearings?
Also my hubs are manual warns. When you turn the hub to free is that supposed to back off the spring, and then allowing the round sproket gear thingy to come out of the housing allowing it not to turn? And when you turn it to "lock" that pushes the spring in and pushes the sproket thing in?
If hubs are in "free" position, and i turn the front tires, should the front drive shaft still turn?
The old outers and inners had no race (i think thats what its called, metal ring that covers the outside of the bearings) The new ones i got came with these, so i only put them around the bearings on the outers. It fit in there perfect. All old bearings looked like the exact same size as the old ones. Was i not supposed to install these outer rings on the bearings? Are the just for protection for shipping the bearings?
Also my hubs are manual warns. When you turn the hub to free is that supposed to back off the spring, and then allowing the round sproket gear thingy to come out of the housing allowing it not to turn? And when you turn it to "lock" that pushes the spring in and pushes the sproket thing in?
If hubs are in "free" position, and i turn the front tires, should the front drive shaft still turn?
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Annapolis,MD.
There's the problem.That ring is the race,it's pressed into the hub.By putting the new one in,with the old one still there;you've spaced the bearing out 3/8'' or so.On the hub que.,yeah that's how it works.Sometimes the gears will stick,not allowing them to unlock.A thin film of grease will help,but too much grease can cause them to hang-up because the spring isn't strong enough to push through the grease.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 984
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From: Winnipeg, Manitoba
The race is made to fit flush. A good cleaning with varsol will reveal where the old race sits. To remove, make sure you have a decent quality slide hammer on hand. If you don't own one, one can likely be rented from your local parts store.
Always replace the bearings and races as pairs. Running a new bearing on an old race will see you replacing the bearings agian very soon.
You'll want to have your repair manual handy for proper torque specs, as well as information on how to properly pack your new bearings with grease. Both of these steps are absolutely critical.
Little trick I learned when installing new races...toss the race into your deep-freeze overnight, and use something like a heatlamp on the hub to get it to expand. Makes things go together a little easier.
Always replace the bearings and races as pairs. Running a new bearing on an old race will see you replacing the bearings agian very soon.
You'll want to have your repair manual handy for proper torque specs, as well as information on how to properly pack your new bearings with grease. Both of these steps are absolutely critical.
Little trick I learned when installing new races...toss the race into your deep-freeze overnight, and use something like a heatlamp on the hub to get it to expand. Makes things go together a little easier.
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Senior User
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From: Alberta
ok i feel dumb now
Originally Posted by SRD4X4
There's the problem.That ring is the race,it's pressed into the hub.By putting the new one in,with the old one still there;you've spaced the bearing out 3/8'' or so.On the hub que.,yeah that's how it works.Sometimes the gears will stick,not allowing them to unlock.A thin film of grease will help,but too much grease can cause them to hang-up because the spring isn't strong enough to push through the grease.
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Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Glad to hear you got it fixed up right. Don't feel to dumb. Anytime you embark on a new mechanical adventure, it becomes a learning experience. Forums like this one are there to answer your questions, and help when problems arise.
Many of us have learned what we know in the back yard from trial and error. You're not the first to make what may seem like a silly mistake. You won't be the last either.
The main thing is that you learned, and won't make the same mistake twice.
Many of us have learned what we know in the back yard from trial and error. You're not the first to make what may seem like a silly mistake. You won't be the last either.
The main thing is that you learned, and won't make the same mistake twice.
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Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Alberta
Originally Posted by RR4E
Glad to hear you got it fixed up right. Don't feel to dumb. Anytime you embark on a new mechanical adventure, it becomes a learning experience. Forums like this one are there to answer your questions, and help when problems arise.
Many of us have learned what we know in the back yard from trial and error. You're not the first to make what may seem like a silly mistake. You won't be the last either.
The main thing is that you learned, and won't make the same mistake twice.
Many of us have learned what we know in the back yard from trial and error. You're not the first to make what may seem like a silly mistake. You won't be the last either.
The main thing is that you learned, and won't make the same mistake twice.