Front wheel bearing - how tight?

Just working through the SIIa's MOT fails;

Got the front hub off to replace the wheel bearings, followed Busterbus's guide and have fitted the new bearings.

Quick question before I complete the job. How tight should the hub be to spin? I'n tightening up the first big nut and obviously if it's too tight the hub does not turn. I've undone it a quarter turn but the hub still doesn't really move freely - takes a bit more.

Should the new bearings spin freely or do they need a bit of running in?

One other thing, I've got a nut > lock washer < nut to go back on, but also another washer that looks like a spacer. Does this go on after the second nut - I can't bloody remember when I took it off! :doh:

that spacer is the thrust washer and goes on first to bear up to the bearing - then a nut - then the lock washer - then the last nut

do the first nut up slowly while turning the hub - when you can't turn the hub back the nut off untill it turns freely - if you've still got a wobble the shell probably needs doing as well

Cheers Sean. No perceptible wobbles or anything, just feels a little tight when the nut is loosened off - can turn it easily by hand but it's not like it wants to keep spinning. Of course could be coz I didn't put that washer on first..I'll go give that a bash.

Thanks.

Sean said:

when you can't turn the hub back the nut off untill it turns freely

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IMHO just tight enough to remove any end float (or wobble).

andyb66 said:

IMHO just tight enough to remove any end float (or wobble).

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why the ?

unless you nip the first nut down you won't know that the bearing is sat fully home

each to their own eh

might be worth backing off the brake shoes a notch while checking.. might be rubbing a little causing the drag

Sean said:

why the ?

unless you nip the first nut down you won't know that the bearing is sat fully home

each to their own eh

Click to expand...

It just sounded to me that you were recommending tightening the bearing up until the hub would not turn then backing off until the hub starts to turn.

IMHO this is waaaay to much preload and will shorten the life of the bearing.

The i/d of the bearing is not that tight on the stub shaft and so you should be able to press it home onto the bearing race with you thumbs. Then add thrust washer and nut.

As you say, each to their own

Torque wrench :doh:

Well it worked - just tightened it up then backed off till the hub was spinning freely. Will adjust if necessary after a road-test. The first nut ended up only really a smidgeon past finger-tight.

andyb66 said:

It just sounded to me that you were recommending tightening the bearing up until the hub would not turn then backing off until the hub starts to turn.

IMHO this is waaaay to much preload and will shorten the life of the bearing.

The i/d of the bearing is not that tight on the stub shaft and so you should be able to press it home onto the bearing race with you thumbs. Then add thrust washer and nut.

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that's exactly what i was saying - that's how i have been doing them for years

regarding the bearing fit on the stub shaft - that's allways a very tight fit as even the slightest of play there will have to be taken up within the race and will distroy the bearing assembly very quickly - the fronts i did yesterday the fit was so close that i needed all trace of grease and grime to be removed from the shaft before the bearing could be fitted

Sean said:

that's exactly what i was saying - that's how i have been doing them for years

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I didn't seem like thats what you were saying

It sounded like you were using the nut to push the bearing along the stub shaft and against the race.

TBH I have only ever used my thumbs to put the bearing in place and have not found them to be that tight.

I think we can safely say that both our ways work and have done for all the years we have been doing it that way. I'm sure if we watched it other do a bearing we'd wonder what all the fuss was about