More wheel bearing issues

[The Warden]

Hello!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, when I got my tires replaced, the shop also repacked the front wheel bearings on both sides.

Well, ever since then, my truck's been wandering all over the road...so I gave the truck to my friend to take into his shop class this afternoon. My friend went to check the alignment, and found that the front wheels have a fair amount of play. Apparently, it's as bad as the wheels were before I took the truck into the shop the first time.

He's not 100% certain that this is the issue, but his best guess is that the shop didn't set the wheel bearing pre-load properly. I have to ask, is wheel bearing pre-load a common issue on the Dana 50 front axle? Unfortunately, if I tried to hold the shop liable for not doing it right the first time, I would need to drive the truck 300 miles first...and, at this point, I don't trust the shop to do it right.

Also, IIRC, repacking the wheel bearings on a Dana 50 requires special tools...is this correct? If so, this means I can't do it myself, which means I need to wait a month for my friend to have the free shop time to do it again. Unfortuantely, since I don't want to risk messing up the new tires, this means my truck gets to play driveway queen for yet ANOTHER month.

Any thoughts?

Thanks! *sigh*

 

[JPR]

my experience is that many shops leave the spindle nuts too loose. The only special tool is a spanner socket that you can buy at the auto parts. Here's the procodure for adjusting the bearings on a 92:

While rotating the hub, tighten the inner locknut to 50 ft-lbs to seat the bearing

Back off the inner locknut and retighten to 30-40 ft-lbs while rotating the hub.

Back off the lock nut to 90 degrees

Install the lock washer so the key is positioned in the spindle groove. Tighten the inner locknut so the pin is aligned into the nearest lockwasher hole.

Install the outer locknut and tighten to 160-205 ft-lbs. Torque required to turn hub should not exceed 20 IN-lbs.

 

[HammerDown]

Originally posted by JPR
Here's the procodure for adjusting the bearings on a 92:

While rotating the hub, tighten the inner locknut to 50 ft-lbs to seat the bearing

Back off the inner locknut and retighten to 30-40 ft-lbs while rotating the hub.

Back off the lock nut to 90 degrees

Install the lock washer so the key is positioned in the spindle groove. Tighten the inner locknut so the pin is aligned into the nearest lockwasher hole.

Install the outer locknut and tighten to 160-205 ft-lbs. Torque required to turn hub should not exceed 20 IN-lbs.

Same as my 88 4x4...correct?
Come to think about it...it's about wheel bearing time again...when it gets a tad warmer out...burrrrrrrr!

 

[Agnem]

I just repacked the bearings on the Lady Moose yesterday. Specs for the 2WD spindle are quite different. 25 ft. pounds to seat the bearing, back of 1/2 turn, and retorque to 20 ft. pounds. That last number sounds awful high on the 4X4 spec. 160 to 200ft.-lbs? Wow! I'd double check that one. I have a Dana 44 on the Moose truck which does not get torqued anywhere near that high.

 

[JPR]

it does seem quite high, here is a copy of the manual

http://photos.thedieselstop.com/showphoto.php?photo=24431

 

[Agnem]

My 44 doesn't have automatic locking hubs, so that's different for me. I guess being fine thread, and of such large diameter, makes that kind of torque possible.

 

[HammerDown]

Hmmmm, 160-205 on the (outter) locknut.

 

[The Warden]

I took a look in my '84 shop manual...here's what it has to say for adjusting the wheel bearings with a Dana 50:

1. Raise the vehicle and install safety stands.

2. Remove the hub lock assembly. Refer to Automatic Locking Hub or Manual Locking Hub removal and installation in this Section. (note from me: I have OEM manual locking hubs on my truck)

3. Using Front Wheel Bearing Spanner, D78T-1197-A and a torque wrench, tighten inner locknut to 68 N*M (50 ft-lbs) to seat bearing.

4. Back off inner locknut and retighten to 41-54 N*M (31-39 ft-lbs).

5. While rotating hub, backoff locknut 135° to 150°.

6. Assemble lockwasher and outer locknut and tighten to 88 N*M (65 ft-lbs). Bend one ear of lockwasher over the inner nut and the other ear of the lockwasher over the outer nut.

7. Final end play of the spindle should be 0.02 to 0.25 mm (0.001 - 0.009 in).

8. Install the hub locks as described in this Section.

9. Remove safety stands. Lower vehicle.

This is to adjust, as opposed to repacking them...theoretically, since the bearings SHOULD have just been repacked, that should be all I need to do.

First, I know this is from the Ford manual, but I have to ask anyways...does this set of instructions sound right? I have to ask since I've seen a couple of typos in this manual before (one of which made me install the thermostat housing gasket wrong when I was putting the engine back together last summer). Unlike JPR's manual, mine gives slightly different instructions for the Dana 50 than for the Dana 44 (and the Dana 44 instructions DID say to tighten the outer locknut to 150 ft-lbs).

Second, how exactly are you supposed to check the end play? I think I can borrow my friend's dial caliper set to check it; I just don't quite know how to use it.

Third, how "common" of a tool is this spanner? I assume there's more than one size available; what size would have been used on a late '83 Dana 50?

If I can figure out how to properly use the dial caliper, and if I can get my hands on a spanner that'll fit, this sounds like something I can do myself. For some reason, I thought there was more to it, with the front drivetrain and all...

 

[Agnem]

Warden, your instructions sound more in line with what I have in my 83' shop manual.

 

[L.Wilkinson]

I don't know guys, but some of the torque/ tightening specs you're mentioning don't sound right. Generally speaking, taper bearings on wheel assemblies don't end up with preload like differentials do. But even with differential bearing assemblies, the preload is generally set in lower ranges of inch pounds, depending on how large a unit you are working on. With wheel end components, there is a process of torqueing the inner adjusting nut, then generally that innner nut is backed off the prescribed amount (1/2 to 1/3 being common). With the inner nut in that positon, the tang washers are installed, and the outer jam nut gets its torquing in the neighbourhood of X amount of foot pounds, to remain tight and in place (or have a flat bent over it)
That will allow for the operating clearance in thousands that the manual mentions (this is best measured with a dial indicator glued to a chunk of metal adjacent to the hub, you pry in and out to measure actual play on the hub).
If you torque inner nuts up against their bearings to 20 - 50 ft lbs, you will be guaranteed a pretty good failure.:***:
As well, you'll know if your off th mark, as the hub will not rotate in a friendly manner.
On re-reading the above posts, I note most actually have the proper wording, so not to worry on those.

 

[The Warden]

"They call her 'the wanderer'"...

Well, I went to a Big-O shop up here, and they honored the guarantee that the store 300 miles away gave me.

The guy re-packed both sets of bearings, and put the truck on the alignment rack to check wheel play (I think that's all he did).

The truck, however, still wanders. I'm not a good judge of this sort of thing, though...that, plus the bad roads here, made me unsure as to whether it's as bad as it was before or if it improved somewhat, but I'm still almost constantly moving the wheel slightly in one direction or the other to keep the truck going straight.

At this point, I'm thinking I'll just live with it until my friend gets a chance to take a look...I still think something's up, but I have no idea how to figure out what it is at this point; hopefully he'll have an idea...I hate suspension/steering work... *sigh*

 

[troutwest66]

Could your steering box be worn so that your play is not in the wheels but in those gears instead?

 

[The Warden]

Mel, I tightened up the steering gearbox and replaced the rag joint while I had the engine apart. Best I can tell, there's no play in the box now...

 

[dsblack]

Is there play top to bottom in the wheel when jacked up. Mine has been wandering for about 6 months and I could not find it. Just recently I lost the lower kingping bearing. Might be something to check, I am replacing mine this week.

 

[HammerDown]

Originally posted by dsblack
Just recently I lost the lower kingping bearing.

King Pin's ...sure there not just ball joints?