Wheel bearing maintenance

[illapah]

All the talk about repacking wheel bearings remind me of one of the more critical portions of the task. How to reinstall the unit properly. Over or under tighten is more of a problem than some realize.

Instructions:
1
Raise and support the vehicle with the jack stand. Remove the wheel. Remove the brake caliper and hang it up, so that there is no pressure on the brake hose. Remove the bearing cover with the short screwdriver and hammer.

2
Remove the cotter pin with the wire cutters. Remove the large spindle nut with the large pliers or wrench. Rock the rotor and remove the front wheel bearing and washer.

3
Install the large spindle nut a couple of threads and with a small amount of down pressure yank the rotor off of the spindle. The large spindle nut will grab and hold the rear inner wheel bearing and seal as the rotor is withdrawn. Pack both the inner and outer wheel bearings with high temp wheel bearing grease. Install the rear bearing in the rotor and tap the seal in with the hammer.

4
Remove the large spindle nut and install the rotor on the spindle. Install the front wheel bearing and then the lock washer and the spindle nut. Tighten the spindle nut with the large pliers until the nut just becomes tight. Rotate the rotor one turn and loosen the spindle nut 90 degrees and then tighten it again where it is too tight to remove by hand and tighten another 30 degrees. The object is to adjust the wheel bearings where there is no side movement or rocking of the rotor. You do not want to tighten them so tight that they are pressed into the race so hard as they can not expand as they get hot.

5
Install the castellated lock washer and the cotter pin. Install the bearing cover and the brake caliper and wheel.

[Tom S.]

I haven't taken our new unit apart yet, but a lot of that did not apply to our 2006.

For a PDF on the entire process, click the link below.

http://www.floeintl.com/assets/pdf/e..._greasecap.pdf

[illapah]

I know, but I always had a lot of confusion on how to tighter the nut and insert the cotter key that holds it all together.
I could have edited it for Monty but was too lazy, figured most could read thru it and glean the important and relevant parts.

[illapah]

I just took a look at the site you posted and it is what I meant to say. VBG!!

[PackerFan]

Thanks for posting the short cut link to the PDF file. Good info, now I guess I get my hands all greasey!