Front wheel bearings

criv911 · 04:41 AM

I am having problems with the left front wheel bearings. It doesn't seem to matter how tight I make the retaining nut I have play. I took the hubs off to try to find the problem. The races spin I the hub. Is this supposed to happen? I would think that anything that needs to be pressed in isn't supposed to move. Please help, as the weather is beautiful and my Carrera is just sitting.
UPDATE: The hub was bad, the mechanic suspects they were overheated. So when I put them on the grill to install the races I got them too hot! Just thought I would give a heads up to those who would bake their hubs. BAKERS BEWARE!!!

tonythetarga · 04-25-2009, 04:30 PM

The race is not supposed to move so that must be the problem. Could be the hub is damaged.

criv911 · 04-25-2009, 04:46 PM

Maybe, I pressed these in two years ago. I don't recall them being loose then. How could they both [inner and outer] spin free?

tonythetarga · 04-25-2009, 05:01 PM

can't say why. You do need to have the hubs measured for roundness and damage. If that checks out have a new set pressed in by the shop and then put in the bearings and reinstall everything else yourself. Bearings and races need to be matched so get the full set.

p911dad · p911dad's Garage

criv911, the process is to first clean out the bearings, inner and outer and relube, then reinstall and slide onto the clean spindle(a little fresh grease on it), tighten the nut onto the thrust washer(presses down on the outer bearing) until finger tight. You may wish to slightly over-tighten a small bit to settle the bearing then back it off to finger tight again. At this point tighten the allen screw on the nut, lube up the cover and reinstall. You are looking for play in the wheel assembly and you should rattle the wheel with both hands at 6 oclock and 12 oclock and again at 3 oclock and 9 oclock. If after you correctly adjusted the wheel bearings and the bearings or spindle themselves are not worn, the wheel should be solidly in its orbit around the spindle. If there is still a bit of play, I suggest looking to the other parts of the front suspension. A good suspect is the ball joints(replace in pairs) or the upper suspension bearings.
As I discovered years ago, over tightening the front wheel bearings is a dangerous thing. As I chased a wobbly wheel I overtighened the bearing a bunch and a few years later the spindle actually melted off the car and the wheel was held on by the caliper and the rotor!!! Lots of noise and special effects!! At fairly high speed on a turn to boot! I limped home to my garage and had a bi-ch of a time getting a good spindle. I still have the spindle end on my desk.
If the inner bearings are spinning in the hub, it is possible they were pounded in(bad) instead being pressed in. You may need a new hub. The outers usually just pop out freely.

tonythetarga · 04-25-2009, 06:02 PM

The bearings and races are two different things. The bearings are loose until you tighten the nut on the spindle, the races are not supposed to be loose and need to be pressed in and out.
So just to clarify, please confirm it is the races that are loose in the hub.

rnln · 04-26-2009, 12:00 AM

criv911, not to mean anything but are you sure the race is spening? Darco and I just did the front bearings/races today. We had really hard time to press the races in. There is no way you can even move it. Maybe you meant the bearing is loose?
To tight up the bearing, you need to spin the rotor while tighten/lock the clamb nut.

criv911 · 04-26-2009, 04:43 AM

No, the inner and outer races could be spun wth my thumb. When I installed them I used the frozen races/heated hubs method and still had to tap them in. What could have made them spin in the hub?

tonythetarga · 04-26-2009, 01:43 PM

races are steel and the hubs are aluminum. If the bearings were too tight or not greased well enough, then you could have overheated the hub and spun the race with the bearing. You need to mic the hub and look for damage as well, like spin marks in the aluminum.

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

Do you have pic of your installation? That seems really odd.

Steve@Rennsport · 04-26-2009, 04:49 PM

Spindle wear will prevent the bearings from retaining their adjustment settings, too.

rnln · 04-26-2009, 10:59 PM

so when you installed the race, it's stay tight in the hub. But now, it's spin? Which means, by drivin the car, somehow the race filed the dub and now it is spining inside the hub. umm... probably only a real expert who experienced this particular problem could answer this question.
Good luck.

DanielDudley · 04-27-2009, 01:42 AM

Take it all apart. If the races are spinning as you suggest, there will be obvious signs of a problem. If the spindle looks smooth and the races aren't falling out, make sure that they are seated tight to the hub shoulders. Make sure the inner bearing is seated all the way down the spindle. If they are old bearings, make sure there is no obvious scoring or ridges on the inside of the race surfaces.

Are you missing a large thick washer that goes on the spindle over the outer bearing and under the nut ? Is it possible that the nut is not tight to the inner race because of this ? When you tighten the nut, it should be possible to exert enough force to smash everything together like a vice, not that I am suggesting this. Also check the spindle threads for galling. Make sure that the nut and threads are in perfect shape.

These are relatively big parts. Any or all defects should stand out like a sore thumb after dissasembly and cleaning.

DanielDudley · 04-27-2009, 01:43 AM

Get a new seal WYAIT.