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Expert
Posts: 1488
  
Location: New Castle PA | Anyone have handy a torque spec for the nut tightening the front wheel bearing on a '57 DeSoto? All I have in front of me is Glenn's Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Tune-up And Repair Guide, which says 90 IN-POUNDS. That converts to 7.5 ft-pounds, which doesn't sound right to me...
Thanks.
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13050
 
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Hi Edward - see page 22 in the chapter below....
http://jholst.net/57-service-manual/front-suspension.pdf |
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Expert
Posts: 1488
Location: New Castle PA | Thanks, Wizard, so I guess 90 in-pounds IS the right answer. |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13050
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Yes, but mind that the preload after backing of the lock nut should be .000 to .003 (freeplay)
Edited by wizard 2015-05-02 8:42 AM
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Location: Under the X in Texas | Wrenching on everything from heavy duty trucks to rubber tired construction equipment to Model T Fords with lots of collector cars in between, I have NEVER used a torque wrench on a front wheel bearing. I tighten the nut while spinning the wheel (running in the presumed new grease just packed) until it is JUST tight and then back off the the first notch in the castellated nut where I can get a cotter pin through the spindle. On occasional cars that allowed too much play (probably in excess of .003) and I purchased "micro adjusters" which are a slightly thinner spindle nut with a stamped castellated tin cap to set over the nut which give many more positions for the cotter pin. Parts houses generally still have or can get the micro adjusters. They give a precision adjustment. Highly recommend micro adjusters; they come in a set depending on thread count and shaft size.
The idea of torquing the spindle nut leads to the numerous times I have found spindle nuts that should have been no more than 90 inch pounds torqued to around 90 FOOT POUNDS and had fried the bearing, ruined the spindle and become expensive repairs. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7401
Location: northern germany | do NOT use a torque wrench to adjust wheel bearings! its just a tiny difference between too loose and too tight. just one position, a 1/16" or less turn of the adjustment nut. you can't figure that out with a torque wrench.
the correct adjustment is reached when the free play JUST disappears. i also slightly heat the bearings (hub) to operating temperature. probably overkill but my front wheel bearings are still OE (over 330 000 miles) and are still like new.
Edited by 1960fury 2015-05-02 6:21 PM
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Expert
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Location: Alaska | The reason for spinning the wheel while tightening the bearing nut is to position the tapered bearings properly to prevent a false reading. On large trucks and even large aircraft we would tighten the bearing nuts to about 100 lb-ft while spinning the tire and then back off to make sure the bearings were seated properly. |
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Expert
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Location: Arizona | I've always done the spin the wheel thing while tightening till there is no more freeplay and they are really snug, which very possibly would be that 7.5 ft-lbs. After that point it always gets just about impossible to tighten them anymore unless you were to really crank on it, which I don't do. Then I back them off to the first position I can slip the cotter pin in. I've never had a wheel bearing go bad. |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13050
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | 58coupe - 2015-05-02 3:50 PM
The reason for spinning the wheel while tightening the bearing nut is to position the tapered bearings properly to prevent a false reading. On large trucks and even large aircraft we would tighten the bearing nuts to about 100 lb-ft while spinning the tire and then back off to make sure the bearings were seated properly.
Correct and important. |
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Expert
Posts: 1906
Location: Ontario, Canada | wizard - 2015-05-02 5:07 PM
58coupe - 2015-05-02 3:50 PM
The reason for spinning the wheel while tightening the bearing nut is to position the tapered bearings properly to prevent a false reading. On large trucks and even large aircraft we would tighten the bearing nuts to about 100 lb-ft while spinning the tire and then back off to make sure the bearings were seated properly.
Correct and important.
I agree, but when new races have been installed with new bearings, which I always did, this is the procedure that our trailer axle manufacturing plant used. To the best of my knowledge, all axle manufacturers did the same thing and this was routine for 2000 lb. to 10,000 lb. axles whether grease or oil bath.
Tighten nut while turning the hub/drum to about 50ft. Lbs. just approximate, pull about 50 lbs on a socket ratchet with a 12" handle. At this point hold the drum to prevent any further rotation at all and evenly back off the nut until loose. Still holding the drum, remove the wrench and finger tighten the nut to the closest tightest cotter pin hole. When you back off the nut you will feel/hear that excessive preload release. Finger tight at that point is where you need to be. Zero bearing warranty claims in 25+ years!!!
I remember asking a Timken Rep why 50 ft. lbs and was told that in the off chance that the races were not completely seated, 50 lbs would seat them. Obviously that torque won't harm case hardened races or bearing rollers!!
Greg |
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Veteran
Posts: 168
Location: SD | LD3 Greg - 2015-05-02 9:39 PM
Tighten nut while turning the hub/drum to about 50ft. Lbs. just approximate, pull about 50 lbs on a socket ratchet with a 12" handle. At this point hold the drum to prevent any further rotation at all and evenly back off the nut until loose. Still holding the drum, remove the wrench and finger tighten the nut to the closest tightest cotter pin hole. When you back off the nut you will feel/hear that excessive preload release. Finger tight at that point is where you need to be.
This is how I do it, and it's always worked well. |
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front wheel bearing torque spec
