First torque the nut 200 ft lb, then back it off, then final torque to 50 ft lbs.

Originally Posted by bender

First torque the nut 200 ft lb, then back it off, then final torque to 50 ft lbs.

Thanks for the help.

That info is correct for the inner adjusting nut. You must torque the jam nut 300ft lb.

Here is a factory manual how to do it............There should be no bearing preload, 0 preload is ideal.
http://www2.dana.com/pdf/WESM-0060.pdf

Bender is correct its 50 final if wheels are off if you leave rims and tires on the final tourque is 75ftlb.

I did 50 ftlb before and my steer axle bearings barely lasted one year. When I started to adjust them like the manual above says they now over two years old and still good. My hub oil does not get that black like it used to be before.

Is there something different about this Volvo axle compared to pretty much every other manufacturer out there? Never seen were your final step in any wheel bearing adjustment is to torque it to 50 ftlbs and leave it there. Any guide or manual I have read shows the last step with some kind of back off depending on nut/thread type, then actually MEASURING your end play! Please show me some where that says a 50 foot pound preload, or 0.000" end play is acceptable. 0.001" is perfect. Once you are at 0.000" how do you know if it is preloaded or not? You can't. You'll just burn up your bearings. This is where it gets dangerous for DIY'ers, bearings too tight could result in bearing failure and loss of a wheel!

Although the two step torque method is not precise it was adopted many years ago by the fleets who had previously been loosing wheel assemblies in high numbers due to inexperienced installers using varied methods. People/families were getting killed by these runaway wheel assemblies. When they come off on the highway they can go anywhere totalling cars in their path and killing innocent people. This torque method greatly reduced the occurrence of wheel loss reducing accidents/damage/injuries and deaths. They found that any oil changer can successfully install a wheel assembly when this procedure is followed, so they adopted it as a standard in the industry.