Rear wheel bearings.

[holywood3645]

My rear wheels have play that seems to be because of the wheel bearings.they were new when struts were rebuild. However, i notice the washer inside on the hub is missing.
While the nut was tight, I'm thinking the washer would press the hub home and not having it in place will cause the play!
Thoughts !
Does anyone have the size/thickness of the washer. Or is it too late and bearings need replaced.
James

[JonB]

Well first off I'd say the rear axle bearings are not tapered like the fronts are, so tightening the nut won't make any difference to them. The hub - shaft interface is tapered, but if this isn't proper tight you'd be having much more serious problems. Jack it up and see if you can pinpoint the play to a more exact location.

[holywood3645]

The outer wheel bearing appears to be worn. The hub can move back forward up down about 1/8" .
Can the outer bearing be replaced without strut removal.
Thanks

[Elan45]

Yes the bearings can be replaced w/o removal of the whole strut. At least I could do the job at a younger age..Its a tough dirty job.

Roger

[StressCraxx]

The important thing is to check the press fit on the hub shaft and the fit of the bearings outer races in the upright. They need to be pressed in, not loose. Replace bearings with the rubber lip seals, the suffix is important. Should be an SKF 62062RS. Most distributor stock is C3 (loose internal clearance).

You may be able to save the upright fit with Loctite Stud and Bearing Mount 271.

[JonB]

Yes the bearings can be replaced w/o removal of the whole strut. At least I could do the job at a younger age..Its a tough dirty job.

Roger

Quite right. I did this on a Plus 2 a few years ago. Full details on my thread: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=40997

The moral of that particular tale of woe is... Buy the right tool to remove the hub.

[MACCA.GLM]

Hi Jon b

By the amount of play you've got sounds like a more serious problem like worn bearing housing or worn output shaft journal.

You need to Remove the hub and check what's happening.A bearing with that much play would have made an awful racket when driving as its about to collapse.

The bearings are of a different size the inner is much wider to take the axial stresses the drive side puts on the car
I did this job about 4 months ago and is easier with the strut out.When you do this job its also worth checking the concentricity of the out board shaft as the disc is attached to this.Any run out on the ears will cause the disc to distort and give you vibration when braking.

Hope this helps

G

[reb53]

Both my rear hubs have done this over the years.
In each case it was because the output shaft had spun within the outer bearing.
Metal spraying put it right.
I suspect that if the bearing itself had worn to that degree it would have sounded like a concrete mixer......

Ralph.

[alan.barker]

+1 for Metal Spraying.
Did that on a +2 Elan
Alan

[MACCA.GLM]

Yes A common fault if the bearing housing shaft diameters are out of tolerance. Yes metal spraying or welding when rotated on a lathe is a really good way of reclaiming parts back to standard with small outlay.The cost of new outboard shafts and alloy hubs are out of hand now.

If anyone requires this work there is a great company who can reclaim almost anything in Leicester
Ive used them for almost 40 years as an engineer needing this sort of works

RGT Rapid Engineering
pullman road
Wigston
Leicester
01162570097
Norman is the owner

Regards

G

[reb53]

As a P.S. to this,

I'd not long had an MOT when I found the last one.
The MOT guys simply jack the car up before testing for play, which they never find because, assuming you still have them, Rotoflexes pre-load the bearings to such a degree they seem fine.
Even when they're not.
So it's worth checking them yourself from time to time, ( by jacking the strut/wheel up to normal ride height before checking).

The bloke who metal sprayed the most recent one had also done the first, 35 years previously.
Except this time he charged $220, instead of $55......

Ralph.

[coperlio]

The washer acts as a spacer and helps ensure the hub is properly seated against the bearing. Without it, the nut might be tight, but the hub could still have some play because it's not fully secured. This play can put excess stress on the bearing, leading to premature wear and tear.