roughrider
Member
Working on my 31 coupe and noticed the outer front wheel bearing race is rotating in the hub. I assume that is not good, how do I fix it? Any special tools needed?
Thanks
Thanks
Front wheel bearing race is loose...
- Thread starter roughrider
- Start date
Patrick L.
Well-known member
What Mitch said is an old Ford fix.
Place 2 punch marks one above the other about 1/4 way up and down the depth of the race/cup. There should be 6 to 8 of these around the hub. Tap the cup in, should be centered and snug.
Place 2 punch marks one above the other about 1/4 way up and down the depth of the race/cup. There should be 6 to 8 of these around the hub. Tap the cup in, should be centered and snug.
Pete
BANNED
That's the safe way.
By Mickey Mousing on that fix, you are playing with your life and the rest of the people on the road.
Patrick L.
Well-known member
I thought it was a mickey mouse fix also when I was first told to do it by the Ford rep. But, over the years many have been done. I haven't heard of a problem and when it comes down to it, whats going to happen.
However, if an extra hub was lying around, I'd probably use it.
However, if an extra hub was lying around, I'd probably use it.
Y-Blockhead
Well-known member
It's not like the wheel is going to come off... the spindle nut will still be thight. If it doesn't work the racing will start spinning again. I would hope the owner would notice the wheel wobbling...
Archie Cheda
Member
The extremes seem go be well-defined, so I'll just go up the middle . . .
Locktite Stud & Bearing Mount is designed for this purpose and is well-documented to do the job. (Look at the Locktite tables on how much gap each type can handle.) I would put it all together with the nut tightened up firm with the tire off the ground. Then adjust the bearing for proper clearance once the Locktite had time to firm up. This process might allow the cup to take its proper position relative to the bearing running on it.
A new hub is a certain fix, but more costly in $$$ and labor. On my own car that I loved, I would do this because the new hub should locate the bearing cup exactly on axis and one that is fixed by Stud & Bearing Mount might have some runout.
Any material moved around on the machined bore will temporarily tighten things up, but the many cycles of rolling down the road will iron it back where it came from and eventually the bearing cup will be free to turn. Once it can turn, it will wear and start to machine its way through the shoulder it rides on in the hub. I once found a bearing half way through the process on my own vehicle (with few symptoms) and watched a fellow Ford dealership mechanic put a car on the lift, grab the tire to check for play, and literally pull the entire tire, wheel, and hub off of the car, wheel cover still in place. In other cases, this happens in a much less benign manner. (By the way, the owner had noticed no problem -- the car was in the shop for an annual maintenance & checkup.)
Archie
P.S.: If you want to be fussy, only the outer bearing race holds the hub/wheel assembly on the car, so it is the larger problem. If the inner wears, all it leads to is things rubbing against each other.
Locktite Stud & Bearing Mount is designed for this purpose and is well-documented to do the job. (Look at the Locktite tables on how much gap each type can handle.) I would put it all together with the nut tightened up firm with the tire off the ground. Then adjust the bearing for proper clearance once the Locktite had time to firm up. This process might allow the cup to take its proper position relative to the bearing running on it.
A new hub is a certain fix, but more costly in $$$ and labor. On my own car that I loved, I would do this because the new hub should locate the bearing cup exactly on axis and one that is fixed by Stud & Bearing Mount might have some runout.
Any material moved around on the machined bore will temporarily tighten things up, but the many cycles of rolling down the road will iron it back where it came from and eventually the bearing cup will be free to turn. Once it can turn, it will wear and start to machine its way through the shoulder it rides on in the hub. I once found a bearing half way through the process on my own vehicle (with few symptoms) and watched a fellow Ford dealership mechanic put a car on the lift, grab the tire to check for play, and literally pull the entire tire, wheel, and hub off of the car, wheel cover still in place. In other cases, this happens in a much less benign manner. (By the way, the owner had noticed no problem -- the car was in the shop for an annual maintenance & checkup.)
Archie
P.S.: If you want to be fussy, only the outer bearing race holds the hub/wheel assembly on the car, so it is the larger problem. If the inner wears, all it leads to is things rubbing against each other.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I'd do the same as Mitch mentioned, and have done it several times over the years. I use a sharp center punch and make about 40 to 50 punch marks and drive the cup in with some bearing locktite on the outside edge of the cup.
dumb person
Well-known member
i have found mine have that that centerpunch thing. They did work loose again. In ancient times they may have welded the inside and machined it out again but most would not go to that trouble these days.
Point being, centerpunch will get you by until you get better repair/new hub but don't expect it to last long.
Point being, centerpunch will get you by until you get better repair/new hub but don't expect it to last long.
Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
Just remember that Mickey Mouseing someyhin in Australia means it a good thing.
Patrick L.
Well-known member
Well, actually that is a good fix, so I guess the term is a good one.
I've not seen a problem with that fix, and, it was common for a number of years for Ford to send out a large number of vehicles with loose front hub cups. And this was long before the Lock-tite stuff.
I like Mickey, so its nice to hear that that term means something good.
