Help with Wheel Bearings setting

.003 is good. .001 to .005 is acceptable. I however applauded you for learning the correct way of doing it. Your tires and wallet will thank you.

 

It's hard to keep all the different hub systems sorted in my mind but.....I am thinking if you have the sleeve between the bearings and a single nut then it torques to 250 ft. lbs. since the sleeve will give you proper pre-load as long as it's not worn.

 

Still check with dial indicator.

 

Glad that it went well for you, I'm surprised that there was only one nut. All the ones ihave ever see on heavy trucks and trailers had two nuts with a locking ring between them, one style has tabs that bend over the flats on the nuts once you have it set where you want it, the other has a series of holes that line up with the dowel on the inner nut. It's made so the holes are off set to the flat or key way on the spindle , this allows you to flip it over in order to line it up without having to move the inner nut very much in either direction as not to change your pre load much. Of course, I'm not a engineer , but that's the way I've always done them, and they are still running well. If in doubt , go by a heavy truck repair shop, and talk to one of their machanices and he may have one he doing at the time so you can watch how he does it . A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

I always grease pack the bearings on the drives before installation. It can take quite awhile for oil to get from the pumpkin to lube the bearings. The extra grease in there will eventually get washed away by the oil but won't hurt a thing.

 

You are a idiot if you pack a oil bearing with grease. Prelube hub or jack it up side to side and top off. Grease holds heat in bearing and takes longer for the oil to penetrate it. Then you have just diluted your gear lub that should last 300k or more. Good luck

 

If you're using syn in the diff, then use syn grease doesn't hurt a thing. You should fill up the cavity though. I have 1.6 on my trailer. Got rid of the oil a long time ago.

 

Usually I just pour a little fresh gear oil on the bearings and install them. Make sure diff is full, jack it up on one side then the other. Check and top off the diff and good to go. I don't advise packing oil bath bearings in grease and I don't believe it is recommended either.

 

I am sorry. I should not have said idiot. My apologies. But that is mis informed person. Things have change and times have change. Grease and lube oil dont mix i dont care who says it or does it. There are properties in the grease you dont want in the oil. If it has worked for you good. But you will never know what it does to viscosity. Thicker bad milage. Thinner accelerated wear. Call timken, or stemco ask them. This can lead to wheel off situation on roads my family and friends travel down. Like not using dial indicator. If you dont you have no idea where its at. Set them however you want. Just check it at the end. .001 to .005 is acceptable. I shoot for .00075. To .001. I belive in preload actually. And when i see a fool proof way of measuring it ill use it. Dr Preload tool I need to research.

 

You apparently have never experimented with your dial indicator nor have tried my method. Old school says it's going to end up right where they keep telling you I've never had one come back 30 Years Day in day out with my own business. Actually it's not my method an old-timer taught me that. And it does work so until you've tried it don't knock it.