Rear wheel bearing preload

[Festivame]

Is this the correct procedure to adjust the rear wheel bearings on my 92? It came from an online manual that covers 91 Festivas and Capris.

ADJUSTMENTS & INSPECTION
WHEEL BEARING
1.Raise and support vehicle. Ensure parking brake is fully released. Remove wheel and dust cap. Rotate brake drum and ensure there is no brake drag. Using a small cape chisel, raise the staked portion of the lock nut. Remove and discard lock nut.2.Install new lock nut. To seat bearings, use a torque wrench and tighten lock nut to 18-21 ft. lbs. (25-29 N.m) while rotating brake drum.After tightening, loosen lock nut until it can be turned by hand. Measure seal drag using an INCH lb. torque wrench on a lug nut at 12o'clock position. Measure and record amount of force required to rotate brake drum.3.To determine preload, add amount of seal drag to specified preload of 1.3-4.3 INCH lbs. (.15-.49 N.m). As an example, if seal dragmeasures 2.2 INCH Lbs. (.25 N.m), this amount must be added to required preload.4.Tighten wheel bearing lock nut a small amount. Using an INCH lb. torque wrench on a lug nut at 12 o'clock position, measure amountof pull required to rotate brake drum. Tighten attaching nut until specified amount of preload is measured with torque wrench. Stakelock nut with a blunt chisel. Install grease cap and wheel.

Thanks for the help.

Festivame

[georgeb]

There's a better way: Tighten until wheel won't spin. Loosen until washer can just be slid back and forth by twisting large screwdriver in gap between washer and hub bore. Should require some force. This is the VW/Porsche method. I'm assuming there is a washer.

[WmWatt]

Looks good.
I've done it by feel and with torque wrench by Haynes manual.
Drive the car after without braking much and feel the hub. It should be cool.
Push and pull on the wheel with the parking brake off. There should be no play.
Here are some photos and Haynes instructions

http://www.photobucket.com/Festiva-backwheel

PS You don't need to unstake the axle nut. Just set the parking brake and loosen the nut.
The staked part will straighten out as you turn.
Also the passenger side is reverse thread. To loosen the nut turn clockwise. You'll see the
two axle nuts are different colours so you can tell which one goes on which side.

[zoom zoom]

There's a better way: Tighten until wheel won't spin. Loosen until washer can just be slid back and forth by twisting large screwdriver in gap between washer and hub bore. Should require some force. This is the VW/Porsche method. I'm assuming there is a washer.

This is the way I usually do it, but I'd do it the "right" way if you have fresh bearings so they get crushed right and wear in right.

[Festivame]

There's a better way: Tighten until wheel won't spin. Loosen until washer can just be slid back and forth by twisting large screwdriver in gap between washer and hub bore. Should require some force. This is the VW/Porsche method. I'm assuming there is a washer.

I saw this when I searched the site but wasn't sure about it. Think I will try it the way I posted or the Haynes way and then do this to see how easy the washer turns before I stake the nuts.

Looks good.
I've done it by feel and with torque wrench by Haynes manual.
Drive the car after without braking much and feel the hub. It should be cool.
Push and pull on the wheel with the parking brake off. There should be no play.
Here are some photos and Haynes instructions

http://www.photobucket.com/Festiva-backwheel

PS You don't need to unstake the axle nut. Just set the parking brake and loosen the nut.
The staked part will straighten out as you turn.
Also the passenger side is reverse thread. To loosen the nut turn clockwise. You'll see the
two axle nuts are different colours so you can tell which one goes on which side.

I have all new bearings and seals. As far as the nuts one of them had the metal broken out were it had been staked so I bought 2 new ones. $15 sounded better than having the wheels fall off.

Thanks for the help

Festivame

[georgeb]

The washer should slide, not turn. There should be some resistance. Do it the book way first then check the washer movement. Report your findings.

[BigElCat]

I'm not arguing, but don't understand about sliding the washer (?).

On new bearings, I just snug the nut a little at a time, spin the hub, do it again...until the hub is difficult to turn or even impossible to turn. Don't put alot of force on the wrench, though. Back it off just far enough to where it spins free. Pull and wiggle on the drum to make sure there is zero play.

You'll want to lift the tire after a couple of hundred miles, and pull on it top and bottom, front and back. Make sure it spins easy without any play.

I drilled 5/32" holes through my stake nuts and spindle after I set the preload. Now I just tighten the nut to align with the hole. No play yet. It's been maybe 5000 miles since I set the bearings this way.

[Festivame]

Ok I used the method that the Haynes manual described. I seamed to have some slight brake shoe drag no matter what I did so it seamed that would be better than the way I first posted. Don't see how I could accurately measure the seal drag if the shoes were dragging even the least bit. Plus I do not have a inch pound torque wrench that is that accurate.

I then tried the moving the washer thing and it seamed to be about what was described, moved with a little effort but not real tight.

In the past I always have done tapered wheel bearings on my other verticals by hand and never checked the torque or anything. Never had much trouble other than once or twice were I had them a little too loose. After reading here though that the rear wheel bearings are not the best set up on these Festivas I was trying to get it right the first time.

I would have loved to find castle nuts with the same thread and drilled a hole in the spindle but I suppose finding one for the left handed thread might not be to easy.

Thanks again for your help everyone.

Festivame

[Movin]

After you do this a few times, you just "Git er dunnn!"

[georgeb]

Sliding the washer is the same as sliding a feeler gauge. It gives a precise measurement. Once it is at the right spot, moving the adjustment nut a tiny amount in either direction will either lock up the washer or allow it to slide too easily. Trying to "shake" the wheel to adjust it will not give nearly as accurate an adjustment. It also bypasses friction from brake shoes and the seal that must be accounted for when doing the complicated book method.

[BigElCat]

The nut in my photo is just a standard replacement. After I set the preload that what seemed right, I just center punched the new nut in the middle of the spindle 'keyway' and drill through the nut a spindle at the same time.

Regarding the sliding washer trick...you guys are talking about the washer with the tang that fits in the 'keyway' slot? You can move it with the preload set? It did not seem like it had any play in its fitment. I guess I wasn't looking for it though.

[georgeb]

I've never done this method on a Festiva so I'm assuming that the washer is sloppy enough on the stem to slide a little. It will only slide so far one way then must be slid a different way. If you cannot budge the washer in any direction after the method you currently use then the preload in too tight!

[WmWatt]

Yeah, it would not work with a keyed washer? The washer would need to rotate freely around the shaft. We get a lot of keyed washers on bicycles. I suspect they key the washer so it cannot rotate and contribute to lossenen the nut.

[milehighbear]

Today, I took both back wheels off and removed the hubs and re-greased the wheels. When I first jacked it up i grabbed hold of sides of wheels checked for any wobble and found just a slight loosness on each wheel. Both wheels had new bearings put on about year and half ago. I took drums off and checked brakes. Re-packed the bearings and put back on. I tightened nut down till wheel would not turn then backed nut off about 1/8 turn, turned wheel and then another 1/8 and wheel was turning freely. Put wheels back on, tried for wobbles and both were tight. I did break a cotter pin and couldn't find one so I just got a nail same size, cut it down, put it in and bent it. Works great just like the good ole days. I'll let you know if I have any problems. I probably didn't do it exactly like book says but they are both turning freely and not wobbles.

[georgeb]

Today, I took both back wheels off and removed the hubs and re-greased the wheels. When I first jacked it up i grabbed hold of sides of wheels checked for any wobble and found just a slight loosness on each wheel. Both wheels had new bearings put on about year and half ago. I took drums off and checked brakes. Re-packed the bearings and put back on. I tightened nut down till wheel would not turn then backed nut off about 1/8 turn, turned wheel and then another 1/8 and wheel was turning freely. Put wheels back on, tried for wobbles and both were tight. I did break a cotter pin and couldn't find one so I just got a nail same size, cut it down, put it in and bent it. Works great just like the good ole days. I'll let you know if I have any problems. I probably didn't do it exactly like book says but they are both turning freely and not wobbles.

You won't know until the bearings fail! Should have at least checked washer movement. It doesn't get any easier or precise.