Thursday, January 19, 2023 Detailed Auto Topics

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  Our Photos   How to Adjust Wheel Bearings
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  Our Podcast & Radio Show   They design most vehicles today, with sealed wheel bearings. These sealed bearing do not require
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service. Millions of trucks, trailers and cars also have wheel bearings that periodically require
service. Serviceable wheel bearings are inexpensive and give long life. Improper service will also
  Register and Log In *   quickly destroy a serviceable bearing.
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What service do bearing require?
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All serviceable wheel bearings require maintenance. At specified intervals, we remove the bearings,
  Automotive Glossary   clean and replace the lubricant. We also replace the seals that protect the bearings.
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Technicians often use the term, packing the bearings to describe this service. When we pack the
  AGCO Reminders   bearings, we also need to properly adjust them. Adjusting serviceable wheel bearings is something
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that normally does not get much thought. Even many experienced technicians do not adjust wheel
bearings properly. When improperly adjusted, premature failure is the normal result. Severe damage
  Site Map   can occur, to the bearing, hub and spindle.

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Auto Topics, delivered to your This cross section shows a typical roller type wheel bearing. The red area, between the rollers and
computer, as soon as they are the races are the space where lubricant has to be. 
written, please subscribe to our RSS
feed. Why bearings need end play

When bearings rotate, under a load, they generate heat and the rollers expand slightly. This
expansion takes up room, where the lubricant must fit. If end play does not provide space, the
 lubricant will be forced out. When this happens the rollers contact the races and damage quickly
occurs.

They improperly adjusted the bearing in the photo above. In only 5,000 miles a lack of lubrication
has destroyed the bearing. Expansion forced the lubricant out of the spaces where it needed to
be.The bearing has been destroyed. The metal flakes show damage to the rollers, resulting because
the bearing was adjusted too tight.

Serviceable wheel bearing are use used in pairs. The inner bearing is normally larger and carries
much of the load. The outer bearing balances the load and also adds support. When the bearings
are assembled and adjusted, end play must be allowed. This end play, normally .004 to .006 inch,
allows for lubrication and thermal expansion. This photo shows a typical arrangement.

Inner and outer wheel bearings

They always design serviceable wheel bearing for use in pairs. The inner bearing is normally larger
and carries most of the loads. The outer bearing balances the load and adds support. We must
allow end play when we assemble and adjust the bearings. This end play, normally .004 to .006-
inch, allows for lubrication and thermal expansion.

Properly adjusting a wheel bearing

 　
We perform proper bearing adjustment with a dial indicator. The old method of tightening the nut
and backing off a bit, is simply not accurate. Results like the ruined bearing pictured above often
results. At AGCO we have found wheel bearing end play can be accurately set with a dial indicator.

The indicator base is attached to the brake rotor and the dial indicator tip rest on the end of the
spindle. Pulling in and out on the rotor will show the bearing end play. The adjustment is made by
tightening the spindle nut and normally held in place by a cotter pin.
Many spindles are double-drilled a slight degree off. This provides for fine tuning. If the cotter pin
does not fit one hole, when adjustment is proper, the other hole may fit.  Packing bearings with
synthetic wheel-bearing grease, installing new seals and properly adjusting them will provide
almost unlimited life.  AGCO, it's the place to go!

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