Hi all;
I am new to my TC, so I have elementary questions. I'm replacing the front wheel bearings. The front axle spindles are new and unworn. I have new tapered roller bearings, but they are a very tight fit over the axle spindles, so much so that I can't push them on by hand. How much force should it take to slide the bearings over the spindle? Is there a preferred way to do it?
Thanks in advance for your advice! Mike Whalen
front wheel bearing assembly
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Steve Simmons
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Re: front wheel bearing assembly
Hi Mike, welcome!
When you say "new and unworn" do you mean brand new spindles, or originals that are as new? If brand new then everything should go together easily so I would contact the manufacturer of the spindles for their opinion. It is my opinion that the bearings can be snug but shouldn't require the use of tools to install, save maybe light taps with a small mallet. If your spindles are original, there may be some built-up corrosion on them. You could try some scotchbright or similar material to polish them a bit and see if that helps. With some grease to assist installation of course.
You may also try the old bearings to see if they go on easier or are also tight. It seems unlikely the new bearings would be out of spec but stranger things have happened.
You may already be aware of this but it's worth mentioning to be sure that the center spacer is in place and the nut fully torqued. TC spindles are not known for their longevity, and leaving the spacer out or nut loose is a sure way to crack one eventually.
When you say "new and unworn" do you mean brand new spindles, or originals that are as new? If brand new then everything should go together easily so I would contact the manufacturer of the spindles for their opinion. It is my opinion that the bearings can be snug but shouldn't require the use of tools to install, save maybe light taps with a small mallet. If your spindles are original, there may be some built-up corrosion on them. You could try some scotchbright or similar material to polish them a bit and see if that helps. With some grease to assist installation of course.
You may also try the old bearings to see if they go on easier or are also tight. It seems unlikely the new bearings would be out of spec but stranger things have happened.
You may already be aware of this but it's worth mentioning to be sure that the center spacer is in place and the nut fully torqued. TC spindles are not known for their longevity, and leaving the spacer out or nut loose is a sure way to crack one eventually.
Re: front wheel bearing assembly
Mike-
Are your front hubs new? They wear where the bearings fit in, and it is not always obvious without a careful visual inspection. The car will never drive right if the hubs are "loose" where the bearings fit into them.
Are your front hubs new? They wear where the bearings fit in, and it is not always obvious without a careful visual inspection. The car will never drive right if the hubs are "loose" where the bearings fit into them.
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Eric Worpe
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Re: front wheel bearing assembly
Hi Mike,
If one is fitting tapered bearings on a replacement stub axle spindle, the spindle journals can be polished with a strip of fine emery paper (400 or 600 grit, oiled) to allow the inner race of the bearings to be a hand push fit. This is especially true of the outer bearing which will need to be removed and replaced several times when the spacer shims are adjusted for no play. This is difficult to achieve as the difference between slight play or a slight preload can be as little as a 2 thou. shim.
Once set up, the spindle's nut (3/4" UNF )should be torqued up to 120 ft.lbf which may alter the shim adjustment, but will secure the inner races from any tendency to spin on the spindle. I've not found any definitive advice on either the levels of play or if the bearings should be preloaded, so I spend much time on adjusting the shims for almost zero play with the nut torqued up fully.
If one is fitting tapered bearings on a replacement stub axle spindle, the spindle journals can be polished with a strip of fine emery paper (400 or 600 grit, oiled) to allow the inner race of the bearings to be a hand push fit. This is especially true of the outer bearing which will need to be removed and replaced several times when the spacer shims are adjusted for no play. This is difficult to achieve as the difference between slight play or a slight preload can be as little as a 2 thou. shim.
Once set up, the spindle's nut (3/4" UNF )should be torqued up to 120 ft.lbf which may alter the shim adjustment, but will secure the inner races from any tendency to spin on the spindle. I've not found any definitive advice on either the levels of play or if the bearings should be preloaded, so I spend much time on adjusting the shims for almost zero play with the nut torqued up fully.
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Steve Simmons
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Re: front wheel bearing assembly
The specification for end play on tapered bearings is approximately 2-3 thou play.
Re: front wheel bearing assembly
Mike-
Steve mentioned to be sure and use the spindle bearing spacer, but are you aware the original spacer will be too short when converting to tapered bearings? When I got new hubs and converted to tapered, I ended up making a custom single piece shim for each spacer. No way on earth the original spacer will work with tapered, unless shims of some sort are added. It is not a small amount of shim, something in the ballpark of 1/8 inch.
Steve mentioned to be sure and use the spindle bearing spacer, but are you aware the original spacer will be too short when converting to tapered bearings? When I got new hubs and converted to tapered, I ended up making a custom single piece shim for each spacer. No way on earth the original spacer will work with tapered, unless shims of some sort are added. It is not a small amount of shim, something in the ballpark of 1/8 inch.
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Eric Worpe
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Re: front wheel bearing assembly
Steve suggests the front wheel end play is 2-3 thou. which seems very difficult to measure, a more useful measurement might be the amount of movement at the wheel's rim. This would be an amplified version of the end play, consequently easier to measure. Roger Furneaux of "Mad Metrics" offers a set of shims for adding to the internal spacer, these allow one to set up the spacer in 2 thou. increments.
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Steve Simmons
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Re: front wheel bearing assembly
The way to measure is with a dial indicator and magnetic base. Place the indicator at the center of the spindle and move the hub in and out. It doesn't have to be exact, you just don't want it too tight. A bit loose won't really hurt anything. This is standard practice on MGB. I'm not sure how else you could accurately measure it. I guess measuring at the rim might work if you did the calculations right, but you would need a fixed point for the base of the indicator that couldn't be affected by how hard you pull, or movement in the steering knuckle or king pin. The only thing I can think of would be the spindle itself.