Front Wheel Bearings ( Problem)

[flying]

hi, i need some info/help i had the car booked in for the mot then relised i hadnt checked the wheel bearings,so i tested them and found they were wobbly so canceled the mot, i put some new ones in to find out its still wobbly even after they have been changed and it doesnt seem to go away even if i tighten it all the way which is not right.....is there normally this problem with the moggy's? im wondering if the main shaft is worn or some thing drastic.......any ideas of advice that will sort this problem has now this little problem is delaying me to get the car on the road thanks

[rayofleamington]

normally no problem at all.
Are you sure the bearings went in the right way round?
I'm assuming you mean the front wheel bearings - they should be a snug fit to the stub axle and a tight fit in the hub, with a spacer tube in between.

[flying]

yes front bearings ,i tryed them both ways and makes no differnce,it seems all snug and does have the space tub in the middle but i wouldnt say the space tub is tight in between the 2 bearings.....i was told maybe kingpin surly this wouldnt cause this problem has i dont see the bottom joint moving ,just the brake drum while the wheel is attached

[rayofleamington]

If you see the drum moving, then has to be related to bearings/hub/stubaxle.

As it was the same with the old bearings then I'd guess the problem relates to the other parts - hard to say where tho!

You say you tried bearings both ways round - does that mean they were easy to get out again?

[flying]

i wouldn't say they came out easy but they wasn't has tight has i normally expect for wheel bearings,they were brought from esm and they were already joined together where all other bearings ive done over the years are separate cups and bearings

[bmcecosse]

Is this on one side of the car - or both ? If one side - try swapping them left to right - does the wobble move with the hub unit - or does it stay with the stub axle ? The nut has to be tight - it's meant to trap the centre spacer firmly between the centre races of the bearings.

[stevey]

check its not the brake drums that are wobbley.

[bmcecosse]

Indeed - until the wheel nuts are drawn up they may not be seated properly. Put the wheel on - now is it 'wobbly' ?

[chickenjohn]

Also, Flying, you say you did the wheel hub nut all the way up, but did you use a torque wrench? They are supposed to be torqued to 37-40lb/ft- almost as tight as cylinder head. Its different from some cars where you tighten the hub nut then loosen it and put the split pin in.

[flying]

managed to get it fixed.......in the end had to stick some shims between the cone and bearing....and the cone wasn't worn etc...so still don't know what was causing the problem but it doesn't wobble now

[Willie]

As John said, the front wheel bearings should be torqued to 40 ft lbs, under no circumstances should they be slackened off in order to 'adjust'
them ( that only applies to taper roller bearings). The bearings should be made to very exact dimensions so that they automatically fit correctly.
If they are still loose then it is likely that they are not a tight fit on the
stub axle or there is play between the outer ring and its housing or,of
course, the bearings are worn. Unfortunately it is common to find that
the bearing spacer has been 'interferred with'.

[bmcecosse]

Don't understand the shims and cone bit!! Sounds quite scarey. Taper rollers should also be torqued up tight - certainly on BMC cars. The Mini front hub goes to 150 ft lbs for example! Proper taper roller bearings (Timken etc) have a central spacer - and just like the ball bearings - the inner races are clamped up against the spacer. Some other makes seem to have strange arrangement where the hub nut is left 'loose' - and a split pin holds it all in place. Don't fancy that at all!!

[Willie]

That is precisely the arrangement on my front taper bearing hubs and it
works rather nicely. Depends on how accurately the machining was done
in the first place i think.

[bmcecosse]

Hmmm - so the taper rollers are just opposing each other - with nothing in between the inner races ! It obviously works - just not what I am used to.

[Packedup]

Some other makes seem to have strange arrangement where the hub nut is left 'loose' - and a split pin holds it all in place. Don't fancy that at all!!

It's worrying when you do them up - They're barely any more than finger tight, then backed off a little too! But I've yet to throw a wheel with that design, and it does make taking up slack a lot easier when all you have to do is quickly go a flat with a spanner rather than replace the whole bearing

[Willie]

EXACTLY, and, of course there is considerably more bearing surface than on a simple roller bearing so the wear is much much slower and so easy to re adjust.

[bmcecosse]

Still don't understand the shims and cone ! Did it pass the MOT ?

[flying]

it not gone for the test yet its been booked for Monday...im hoping i get it there then has im come down with the flu

[rayofleamington]

it not gone for the test yet its been booked for Monday...

Best of luck, and an advanced congratulations on the MOT. It's always great when another resucue project makes it back to the road

[flying]

it not gone for the test yet its been booked for Monday...

Best of luck, and an advanced congratulations on the MOT. It's always great when another resucue project makes it back to the road

thank you hopefully all will go well.....(runs off to find some wood)

i have just noticed my last comment had mistakes in the sentence...sorry......typing when ill not a good thing