Frographer Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hello all, I am about to embark on some general maintenance of the car. I have the Haynes book and "Brown Bible" ready to go. One of the things I need to look at is the driver's side front wheel bearing. The mechanic who passed the car during the MOT said that it needed tightening - there is a squeeking sound coming from that end of the car. This maybe a stupid question (bear in mind I am a complete novice) but is tightening a wheel bearing a fairly simply job? Or should I leave it to someone who knows what to do? Cheers, Nick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi Nick, it is worth a look just to get an idea of what is going on. Jack the car up. Hold the tyre at the 12 & 6 o clock position and feel how much movement there is in the bearing. Rotate the wheel, does it feel smooth - yes good, no is bad. Remove the wheel. Make sure you have more than one jack holding the car up, or put the removed wheel under the chassis if it will fit. Remove the bearing dust cover. Tapping with a hammer/mole grips/ big self tapping screw in the little to pull it out. Wipe off the grease. Remove the split pin. Using a spanner, turn the nut and try and get the split pin hole to line up with the next slot. - did it move to the next slot without becoming overly tight. Tight is not good. There is meant to be some play in the wheel bearing. You should be able to just feel a slight movement. Don't forget to replace the split pin upon re-assembly. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hello all, I am about to embark on some general maintenance of the car. I have the Haynes book and "Brown Bible" ready to go. One of the things I need to look at is the driver's side front wheel bearing. The mechanic who passed the car during the MOT said that it needed tightening - there is a squeeking sound coming from that end of the car. This maybe a stupid question (bear in mind I am a complete novice) but is tightening a wheel bearing a fairly simply job? Or should I leave it to someone who knows what to do? Cheers, Nick Nick, Nipping up a bearing is simple. But if that 'squeak' comes from one of the two bearings in the hub it might not be a cure. And you might then have to think about greasing ( with wheel bearing high melting point grease) or replacing the bearings which is more complicated as it involves unbolting the brake caliper etc. To nip up bearing, loosen wheel nuts, jack up the wheel placing jack on the chassis under the suspension turret, remove wheel. Ease out the cap in the centreof the hub. Remove split pin from castellated nut by straightening its tails and then pulling on the loop- make sure you have a spare. Apply the book-recommend torque to the nut , it will be in foot pounds. One bag of sugar at one foot radius is about 2 ft lbs, at 6 inch radius about 1ftlb. So you dont need much. Repalce split pin, turning the nut slightly tighter if the hole and castellation clash. Replace wheel etc, and double check wheel nuts are tight. One of the symptoms of a f/w bearing needing nipping or replacing is a lot of play in the brake pedal suddenly appearing after a reverse turning manoevre. The play on the bearing allows the hub and brake disc to tilt and 'knock back' the brake pads into the calipers, so that when you next press the brakes the pedal goes down further, just the once. Many of us older ones taught ourselves from the manual- be sensible and you'll be quite safe, just ask if in doubt. Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianhoward Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Nick Also worth doing is 'washing' the bearing in petro to clean off the old grease - rotate the bearing to feel for 'smoothness'. If okay, repackage the bearing with new grease. I am sure there may well be someone local that can possibly show what's required to help with the confidence... It's certainly an easy job and not one to put you off - we were all novices once who hadn't done any car mechanics! Good luck! Cheers Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ntc Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) If you have noise and you are not confident to get it right leave it to somebody that can,both inner and outer need to checked Edited May 25, 2013 by ntc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yycdave Posted May 25, 2013 Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 Here's a great reference for doing your wheel bearings. It's quite comprehensive and should address pretty well all you need to know. http://www.scribd.com/doc/260591/Wheel-Bearings-Final Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Frographer Posted May 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) Hello all, Thanks once again for all the good, speedy advice. I didn't venture into the wheel bearings today but will do tomorrow. I feel a bit more confident about looking behind the scenes; although I will be straight to an expert if I get too far away from the shallow end. Cheers, Nick Edited May 25, 2013 by Frographer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.