Gary Ganoung wrote:
> After demolishing the grease caps in the removal process via a BFH, I
> need some advice on repacking the bearings. Can someone offer some
> advice on the general process and things to look our for?
> Do I need to replace the cotter pins?
Gary,
You will need to pry out the dust seal from the back of the hub to get the inner
bearing out. Replace with new seal on re-installation. Remove the bearings
from the
hub and clean out all grease from the hub. Inspect the bearing races in the
hub -
they should be shiny and very smooth. If scored, pitted, or plain just don't
look
like beautiful machined steel, replace the bearings and races. Clean all
grease from
the bearings using solvent/strong degreaser of your choice. Dip the bearing in
clean
oil, place it against the appropriate race in the hub and rotate it slowly with
your
finger. It should spin smoothly without any roughness. If it feels rough,
replace
the bearings. If it passes the finger test, clean off the oil and pack it with
"disc
brake wheel bearing grease". This is a high temp grease suitable for front
hubs. You
can use commercially available bearing packers that look like a pair of cones
nested
together, but I recommend just packing them well by hand - it wastes less
grease that
way. Force grease around every roller one at a time, then add a good glob all
over
for good measure. Replace the inner bearing in the hub, install the new seal,
and
replace hub on the spindle along with the outer bearing, washer, nut and <NEW>
cotter
pin. Tighten the wheel bearing nut until there is no free play when grabbing
the
brake rotor at top and bottom and rocking in and out. Check for drag by
spinning the
hub. If tight or dragging, loosen the nut to the next slot in the castle nut
that
will allow the cotter to go through. Check again for play top and bottom.
Bearings
are right when no play and no drag exists - due to the cotter pin, you may have
to
make a slight trade-off to get the pin through. Err on the side of top/bottom
play -
never err binding on the hub. Drive car for test ride and make one final check
for
play/binding after a short run (you can check by jacking up the front and
rocking the
tire - you don't have to remove the wheel or anything after the test drive).
Good luck!
Regards,
Brian Schlorff '61 TR-4 '64 TR-4 '72 TR-6 '79 Spit
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Power British Check out Power British
371 E. Main St. on the 'net!
Norristown, PA 19401
(610) 270-0505 http://www.powerbritish.com/~britcars
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|