Just changed front bearings, having strange issues.

[Dr.Manhattan]

Been some time since I've been to this forum since I've had no computer. Anyway, I resolved an issue involving poor handling while driving my truck. Turned out to be my bearings. Now that I've fixed em (new races, repacked the new bearings with bearing grease and otherwise reassembled all pieces accordingly, tightening the locking nut to 35 ft lbs).

Now I am noticing that when I drive over 65 mph the car shakes really bad and my locking hubs are also hot to the touch when I stop driving, which was one of the symptoms of the bad bearings in the first place.

Do I need an alignment, or could it be something with the bearing assembly?

 

[waskly]

are the wheels tight?

you should drive the car after you put bearings in, then recheck if the bearing seated. you should have minimum play a little too much play is no good and too tight will burn, blow up the bearings.


i dont torque wheel bearings i do it by feel.

 

[Willard]

Yea you might have to tighten the bearings after driving a couple more times as they seat into place. Also, when you tighten the locking nut down, I tighten down to almost as tight as I can using a normal wrench, then back the nut off and tighten the nut down while turning the rotor to feel for resistance. Once I start feeling a little resistance, I back it off the tiniest amount and leave it there. It's not torqued more than a few inch pounds at that point.

The proper procedure can be found here

 

[MrShorty]

I echo what Willard said. Be sure you followed the correct procedure in tightening the bearings. It sounds to me like you've got them too tight.

 

[Reejerey]

35 ft lbs is too tight. Probably smoked those bearings already.

The correct procedure is to torque to 35 ft lbs, back off the nut, then tighen to just over finger tight (I can't remember the exact spec but its in between 10 and 20 inch lbs.

With 35 ft lbs, you've got way too much preload on the bearings causing them to not roll freely.

 

[Iron Weasel]

35 ft lbs is too tight. Probably smoked those bearings already.

The correct procedure is to torque to 35 ft lbs, back off the nut, then tighen to just over finger tight (I can't remember the exact spec but its in between 10 and 20 inch lbs.

With 35 ft lbs, you've got way too much preload on the bearings causing them to not roll freely.

Factory method is to torque the nut down to 35 ft. lb. while turning the brake rotor, back the nut off 1/4 turn, and then re-torque the nut down to 16 inch lbs.

 

[Reejerey]

Thanks, the 16 inch lbs was the part I couldn't remember. Being a tech you get a pretty good feeling for how to set wheel bearings, and don't necessarily pay attention to specs.

To the OP - if you don't have an inch lb torque wrench, as tight as you can get them with just your fingers is pretty close to 16 in lbs. I know my inch lb torque wrench is 1/4 drive, so I'd end up using quite a few adapters to be able to torque an axle nut to 16 in lbs, if it even goes that low.

 

[Mike Draper]

Check your hubs, there is a bearing in there that will cause issues if it runs dry.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293940

 

[huntman58]

Check your hubs, there is a bearing in there that will cause issues if it runs dry.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293940

I agree as thats how I blew up my OE hubs .

 

[Dr.Manhattan]

fortunately I'd only been driving for a few days. My bearings are fine. I loosed it 1/4 and then tightened to 2 foot pounds, which is maybe a little more than 16 inch pounds. The car seems to not be having the shaking issue as drastically and I'm able to go a little faster before experiencing it.

Do I need to check them again now? If so, do I need to take the assemble apart again, or what am I checking for as far as reseating? What's more, when I drive to work in the morning, I feel my hubs. The drivers side is relatively cool, while the passenger side is somewhat hot. When I get home at night, the driver side is somewhat hot and the passenger side is very hot.

Is it possible that I need to realign my tires and have them balanced? Could that cause friction to make my hubs hot? There is plenty of grease in my hubs so that is not the issue, what's more I don't drive in 4 wheel drive.

I know I wrote a lot here, but it's better to write a lot, than to not say enough.

 

[waskly]

fortunately I'd only been driving for a few days. My bearings are fine. I loosed it 1/4 and then tightened to 2 foot pounds, which is maybe a little more than 16 inch pounds. The car seems to not be having the shaking issue as drastically and I'm able to go a little faster before experiencing it.

Do I need to check them again now? If so, do I need to take the assemble apart again, or what am I checking for as far as reseating? What's more, when I drive to work in the morning, I feel my hubs. The drivers side is relatively cool, while the passenger side is somewhat hot. When I get home at night, the driver side is somewhat hot and the passenger side is very hot.

Is it possible that I need to realign my tires and have them balanced? Could that cause friction to make my hubs hot? There is plenty of grease in my hubs so that is not the issue, what's more I don't drive in 4 wheel drive.

I know I wrote a lot here, but it's better to write a lot, than to not say enough.

overloaded bearings can be damaged with little usage, did you check the bearings?

also it will throw the alignment off some, shouldn't be felt that much.

did you look at the races? bearings? or just loosen / tighten again?

 

[Reejerey]

Yeah as I said before u updated, you probably trashed the bearings that you just replaced. Also make sure you replace the races that are pressed into the rotor.

 

[Dr.Manhattan]

I took the bearings out, looked at them, tried rolling them and moving them around. They seemed fine to me before I retightened em. What exactly am I supposed to be looking for as far as a cooked bearing? I check my hubs everytime I get out of my car and notice that sometimes they're hot, other times they're totally cool, even on the same amount of travel. Earlier they felt hot enough to cook an egg on, and when I got home they were only moderately hot. If it is indeed the bearings, wouldn't the hotness of the hubs be consistent?

 

[Dr.Manhattan]

Also, is it possible that it could need more grease? If so, is there a chance they are still salvageable?

 

[waskly]

I took the bearings out, looked at them, tried rolling them and moving them around. They seemed fine to me before I retightened em. What exactly am I supposed to be looking for as far as a cooked bearing? I check my hubs everytime I get out of my car and notice that sometimes they're hot, other times they're totally cool, even on the same amount of travel. Earlier they felt hot enough to cook an egg on, and when I got home they were only moderately hot. If it is indeed the bearings, wouldn't the hotness of the hubs be consistent?

groves, lines, dislocations, deformations, etc. the bearings need to be packed first also before installing.

i would just pick up 4 bearings with races, to be on the safe side. failed bearings since they are cheap is something i dont even want to have a thought that the wheel will pass me on the hwy.

 

[Dr.Manhattan]

I packed em, however I did it by hand. I had two pouches that said it would grease two bearings per pouch. Some ended up on my gloves, but I was fairly confident I'd gotten the grease in the bearings, though when I took em out to inspect I noticed that everything except the outer portion of the rollers was greased. That is why I am loosing my confidence on the issue. Fortunately I came across a set on ebay for $45. I spent a lot at autozone. Maybe this time I'll get the grease tool, as it is looking like from all of you that I need to put knew ones in again.

 

[huntman58]

I have always packed wheel bearings by hand even as I have a bearing packer tool I could use. I also buy my grease in the tub that way I do not worry about running short and I also use it for many other things like even holding a nut or bolt in a socket.

Just put a glob of it on the heal of your palm and then push the bearing into it from the top of the glob down to the bottom and at the same time slowly pull it to you. I do it tell every place grease can come out of it, it is. I also do not wipe the grease off the bearing or races at all and then I also fill the cavity between the inner and outer races with grease to. after years of doing this way I have never lost a bearing yet because of how they were packed but I have from not repacking them right away once home when crossing water off road or deep puddles in town but that is my laziness and nothing more. all it takes is one time to have a wheel take off down the road in front of you and you will be super careful after that or if you ever have to remove a welded on bearing race from a spindle you learn fast that taking care of them right is easier then a road side repair and fighting it.

 

[Dr.Manhattan]

actually my previous races were welded on. I hope that isn't the case now, though they have to be pressed in in the first place right?

 

[waskly]

i never seen welded races. the heat from welding them would destroy the race.

 

[jake122288]

i've had bearings weld themself to the spindle due to not being packed after water crossings and such.. i think thats what he is referring to not actually being welded but heating up to the point in which they stick as if they are welded.