Play in my hubs after front wheel bearing job
 

So I did my first front wheel bearing job (ever) on my '87 IFS. when rocking the tire with hands at the 12 and 6 o'clock I have the same play. I changed my ball joints at this time so its not that.

when setting the adjustable 54mm nut I believed I ended up with 18 foot-pounds on the inner and 38 foot-pounds on the outer. I dont have a scale to test them. But they seem between 6 and 12 or close ish. I had to adjust them twice the first time It was very tight.

Could I need to adjust them again? Could this mean that my hubs are bad?

with most front wheel bearings, you shouldn't have zero play.

did the old bearings look damaged, after you got 'em apart?

see if this helps: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...rectly-128424/

Yes. rust, sand, hardly any grease. one bearing was completely broken.

I forget to mention i did the 43lb rotate 5 times left 5 times right loosen so on so on so on.


hummm a little play.. im probably over thinking it. its a lot better than it was before and each side has the same amount of play and feel like they are rotating with the same resistance.

When you install the outer bearing race into the hubs, they might not have seated all the way. So as you adjust the bearing preload they may have felt like there was no play. Then as the wheel was loaded slightly the outer race seated 100% and now you have some play. Regardless, there should be zero play in the front wheel bearings. Readjusting them isn't difficult, just a bit messy. Better off going back in and giving the inner 54mm nut a bit more preload and getting it just past the point of zero play.


osv is right, some vehicles you don't want to have any bearing preload, but on these, a very slight amount of bearing preload is correct.

I am in the middle of doing this for the first time as well, and I watched the vid in the tutorial....in that video there is a spacer between the outer bearing and the inner 54mm nut. Mine did not have this spacer when I took it apart. Is that common/ok, or should I go to the dealership and try to get that "washer"? Also, I have seen conflicting info on how to set the preload, and what the final torque spec for the 54mm nuts are. I would prefer get this right on the first try so any tips would be greatly appreciated.