Front wheel bearings

john charlton

john charlton

Well-known member
To preload or not to preload that is the question (apologies to Shakespeare) I always snug up the nut till I know I am metal to metal for sure .I do not seat the bearings by really tightening the nut as I have found cracked outer races which I think is a result of this .I then adjust the bearings until I have the barest discernable play at the rim. I check this by grasping the tyre at 6 o,clock and 12 o,clock and giving the wheel a hard rock . The bearings are now not preloaded but Guess in a neutral load . My rock is probably in the low thous but it would be hard to measure . i select a nut from my nut tub to suit if I dont have one I dress a nut on a thick piece of window glass with WD 40 and 3 M 600 grit . When I do a front end grease job I also check the wheel rock ,never ever any change . Cars drive straight and true with no undue wander also no odd tyre wear . Just wondered what the "Barners " do does everybody else put some preload on , just wondering !!!

John still in Suffolk County England .
 
I was always taught to tighten the nut until there is no play and everything turns smoothly. So pretty much the same.
 
I was taught to tighten the nut till there is just discernible drag, then back off to the next slot for the split pin.
 
As a final check, I make sure that the washer is not bound up and can be moved back a forth a bit with a sharp blade and slight pressure.
 
Yes sir. Tight then back off one notch. With wheel and tyre mounted in place a good pull down on the tyre shoul give you from five to ten rotations of the tire with the brake backed off two or three clicks. I have done my roadster with as many as twenty five rotations and have yet to lose a bearing. (re tighten the brake when done.)
 
Thank you all for your replies . When the nut is snugged up the bearing is preloaded and when the nut is backed off no preload . I did check on a car I did the brakes on years ago and did the tight and back off to the next split pin notch and it landed up as I had set it before . Still with the slightest rock on the rim . I did wonder if there should be some preload but I see now I was doing it right so now I can sleep easy !!!

John in Suffolk County England .
 
Ditto...go to snug and then back off one notch.

Later (post 1960's) bearings are an entirely different matter, but for our Model As you don't want to preload...will lead to broken races
 
When the bearing warms (heats?) up under use, does the clearance get smaller? Larger? Stays the same?
Back in the '60s I took my contemporary car in for front end alignment, After getting the car back home I checked the front wheel bearings and they were too tight, no free play. So naturally I re-adjusted them.
This happened at least 2 times that I remember, different cars.
I like the multi-faceted(?) stamped retainers that was used w/a thin nut for front wheel bearing adjustments. allowed for a finer adjustment. Anyone else remember these?
 

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Thank you Oldgears I had read the Ursus post but now I have got it , The sharp Stanley blade tip would engage the washer but a screwdriver would slip on the surface grease . Learnt something new after 40 years in the hobby . I will use that tip (blade tip that is as well !!! ) Out of curiosity I checked with my long established local garage, they never preloaded Timken roller races but used the multi point washer pictured by Katy . Gives a much finer adjustment than the split pin and castle nut Whether heat could alter tolerance I doubt it I think every thing warms up the same so no changes .

John in cold sunny morning Suffolk County England .
 
I always do a check after doing bearings. Go for a drive and stop without using the brakes. Then check if the bearings are heating up by feeling the hub.
 
katy said:
When the bearing warms (heats?) up under use, does the clearance get smaller? Larger? Stays the same?
Back in the '60s I took my contemporary car in for front end alignment, After getting the car back home I checked the front wheel bearings and they were too tight, no free play. So naturally I re-adjusted them.
This happened at least 2 times that I remember, different cars.
I like the multi-faceted(?) stamped retainers that was used w/a thin nut for front wheel bearing adjustments. allowed for a finer adjustment. Anyone else remember these?
Click to expand...




Remember them ? Never forgot 'em. Still use them.
 
I always follow the instructions given by Ford in the instruction manual that came with each Model A from the factory.
 

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Cotter pin security has always been the norm for front wheel bearings but it can be a coarse adjustment for Timken type tapered roller bearings. These bearings were designed for a preload. I've set some rear axles and helicopter transmissions up with some pretty heavy preloads on NEW bearings. These are bathed in gear lube and designed to run with a preload to keep them from any looseness over their working life. When setting up USED bearings, a person has to reduce the preload but they still need some.

A front hub spindle bearing used sodium based grease back in the day but that was replaced with lithium types. The bearings don't need as much preload as the rear axle type bearings since they can be easily adjusted for wear. When I refer to a preload on a wheel bearing I refer to a bearing assembly where all noticeable shake has been eliminated. This can be difficult to get on a spindle with only one cotter pin hole. The width of the castellations on the nut dictate the adjustment. If the wheel bearing still has noticeable shake after the nut is backed off one castellation from tight then the only fine adjustment can be done with shim washers under the nut or possibly as I mention next.

I'm not sure if it will work on the model A spindles but C&G has a part number 374504/36 that is a combination of the 3/4"-16 plain nut with the castellated cap as was previously mentioned. It is the same thread size as the A-1193 castellated nut but I've never tried to use this set up on a model A before. They are listed for 1932 thru 1948 passenger cars and light commercial pickups that use the same nut thread. I think Ford changed over to the 351129-S castellated nut in 1936.
 
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This can easily turn into an oil thread.

Not that it means much but I've been setting this type bearing for 60 yrs. Applications are different such as differential vs front wheel bearings.
I've seen these type front bearings fail from being too tight, can't remember one from being too loose. I think its best to err on the loose side. JMO
 
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