Wheel bearing Problem

[Bronco_bill]

I have a grinding noise in my front wheels so I disasembled to check everything out and found that the bearings are bad again. About six months ago I replaced everything up front: Bearings,Rotors,Calipers,Brakes,Hardware,Shocks, and Tires. The spindles look fine, so the only thing I can think of is maybe I am not getting the spindle nut tight enough even though I follow the instructions that came with my hubs exactly. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[TunnelFear]

if you wheel and go through water above your hubs, you have to repack the bearings otherwise they will go out on you. i know from experience. cost about $300 to have them changed the first time. didnt maintain them...6 months later, dead again. only cost $24 this time as i did it myself if you dont wheel it...im not too sure what could be wrong

 

[Bronco_bill]

I don't go to through water. I wonder how everone else adjusts the spindle nut? Also how would I be able to tell if the spindles are bad? Going to try again Mon.
Thanks

 

[Bronco_bill]

Tried to take the rotors off but the spindle on the drivers side was so out of shape that the bearings would not come off or slide on. I replaced the spindle put in new bearings and took a drive. It made it feel like a new truck!!!!! I felt a little vibration on the other side so I swaped the other spindle even though there was no distortion or major wear. This took away 99% of my vibration. Might be worth a try for someone else with the vibration problem. The spindles cost me $20 a side.

 

[94EBexplorer]

AHHHH where you get spindels for 20 bucks?

 

[Bronco_bill]

The local junk yard. Its what the hanyes book calls a spindle. The cup with the bearing in the back that bolts on with 5 or 6 bolts and the bearings ride on it. He has a 93 with two more.

 

[94EBexplorer]

yeah they usually are a dealer part... none of my local junk yards had any..... i just replaced mine... 155 bucks... and thats with the parts managers discount....

 

[410Fortune]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh the ol dana 35 wheel bearings.

OKay well tons of stuff can cause these baby'sto fail early, especially if they are not torqued properly.
Getting the pre-load on the bearing is tricky and doing it by the book often is not good enough, especially if you have larger tires.

They recommend torque the inner spindle nut to 35 ft/lbs, then back off 1/4 turn, then re-torque to 18 in pounds. Then install the lock washer and torque the outer nut to 150-180 ft/lbs.

This works okay but it is important to turn the rotor several times after each step.

I have also found that 18 in pounds (finger tight) is not enough for bigger tires, they will just come loose again. So I usually set the preload, back it off 1/4 turn then torque them down to about 15-25 ft/lbs. Yikes! That seems like a lot, and my bearings may not last as long torqued down this tight. Not a problem for me since I have to clean and re-pack them twice a year anyways due to big tires, road trips, water, and 4x4ing. So I use Timken bearings, keep a few extra grease seals around and I can re-pack my front bearings and clean the brakes up in about 1/2 hour per side..

Timken makes the best bearings for the D35, they seem to last twice as long.

Also a bent wheel or unbalanced wheel can cause all sorts of wheel bearing problems!!!! Towing is also hard on the bearings and a perfect alignment is necessary, or you will be on there re-doing the bearings every 3 months.

I have not had any negative side effects from running the inner spindle nut at 15 ft/lbs to date, with 31" tires, towing, and a lead foot.

 

[94EBexplorer]

i run 35's on my wheel bearings... and i make sure i check em afdter every off road trip and run... cause with bigger tires the nuts always work them selves... me i take the ineer nut and tighten it enough to where it snugs up nice... the after i put the washer on i tighten down the otter one real good... and make sure you turn the rotor back and forth a few times ...... make sure its not real tight... .and everything is fine that way...

 

[Bronco_bill]

The new spindles made the ride the best I can remember in years. I suspect that they will solve my problem with premature wear. 94ebexplorer what made you replace yours?

 

[94EBexplorer]

i roasted the bearings.... and scored them to the spindel and couldnt remove them

 

[Rhett]

Timken bearings eh? I'll remember that for next time I need to repack. Is it just me, or does the truck ride a little better after you replace the spindle and repack the front wheel bearings? My truck seems to ride a little better for some reason.

 

[jemail]

Hi,

What is the part # for the Timken bearing?

Thank you

 

[410Fortune]

Jemail, getting the part number from here is probably not a good idea. It seems that in January of 92 Ford changes a few things about the D35 TTB front end, so it is best to get the part number at time of purchase from your Timken dealer based on your vehicle.