Quick question on front rotors / wheel bearings

[Octane]

Professionally doing this types of work for over 30 years, for the DOT.
Pack them bearings until grease pushes out the opposite side from which You are packing the grease into.
Smear a light coating into the hub and onto the inner races. Just enough to prevent hubs from rusting. Smear the spindles with a nice light coating of grease and the seal area too.
Install the back bearing into the hub and drive in the seal.
Install the hub/drum onto the spindle and shove on the outer bearing and screw on the nut.
Tighten down the nut, rotating the hub/drum, tighten it down real tight while spinning the hub to force the excess grease from the bearings. NOW BACK OFF THAT NUT. Turn it down to about finger tight. Using fingers You will not get it too tight that it will burn out the bearings. If there is a cotter key, back the nut off until a slot in the nut aligns with the hole in the spindle. Never tighten the nut to make it align. You want a very slight movement between the hub and the spindle.
If there is an outer nut, leave the inner nut slightly loose. Install the outer nut so it is to torque spec. Now grab the hub/drum and pull out, push in, is there movement between spindle and hub ? Yes, back off outer nut, tighten inner nut slightly, repeat until a very slight bit of movement can be felt.
If the outer nut tightens the inner nut too much so no slack is felt, then slightly back off the in er nut and repeat the steps.

You da man...

 

[idahovette]

@MrMarty51 we musta had the same old harda@# guy bustin our chops when we were learning this!!!......long ago

 

[MrMarty51]

@MrMarty51 we musta had the same old harda@# guy bustin our chops when we were learning this!!!......long ago

I burned a bearing, ONCE.
Never did that again, a old timer taught Me after I told him what had happened.
Never another burnt bearing since.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Professionally doing this types of work for over 30 years, for the DOT.
Pack them bearings until grease pushes out the opposite side from which You are packing the grease into.
Smear a light coating into the hub and onto the inner races. Just enough to prevent hubs from rusting. Smear the spindles with a nice light coating of grease and the seal area too.
Install the back bearing into the hub and drive in the seal.
Install the hub/drum onto the spindle and shove on the outer bearing and screw on the nut.
Tighten down the nut, rotating the hub/drum, tighten it down real tight while spinning the hub to force the excess grease from the bearings. NOW BACK OFF THAT NUT. Turn it down to about finger tight. Using fingers You will not get it too tight that it will burn out the bearings. If there is a cotter key, back the nut off until a slot in the nut aligns with the hole in the spindle. Never tighten the nut to make it align. You want a very slight movement between the hub and the spindle.
If there is an outer nut, leave the inner nut slightly loose. Install the outer nut so it is to torque spec. Now grab the hub/drum and pull out, push in, is there movement between spindle and hub ? Yes, back off outer nut, tighten inner nut slightly, repeat until a very slight bit of movement can be felt.
If the outer nut tightens the inner nut too much so no slack is felt, then slightly back off the in er nut and repeat the steps.

Interesting you say never to tighten to align a slot but then nearby tie rods often are never loosen to get a flat, only rotate up to a certain amount to achieve a flat after torque or so

 

[MrMarty51]

Interesting you say never to tighten to align a slot but then nearby tie rods often are never loosen to get a flat, only rotate up to a certain amount to achieve a flat after torque or so

And that is correct. You never want to loosen the nut on a tie rod or ball joint, tighten only to the next available slot.
On wheel bearings, once the proper setting is achieved, only loosen to the next adjuster slot, to not risk the adjustment to getting too tight and having a bearing burn out if it is tightened to the next slot.

 

[Ron Sebastian]

More like a stupid question.

Getting ready to assemble the front rotors. One of the inner bearing is well packed with grease.....so after I smear some grease on the inner race and set it in - probably smear the whole spindle down good too? How far does the inner seal go in? Flush?

I've done many seals but never these - just dont want to screw this up. Always the little things.

Thx.

I know this tread is a year old, but I am getting ready to jump on this endevour. Got every thing on hand except the new brake pads, which arrive today. Tried to find every thread related to absorb the knowledge. Wish me luck.