Rear hub play

[keith1948]

Hello

Suggestions required...

I have rebuilt a few rear hubs now but I have a problem on the offside rear. If I jack up the car and then hold the wheel at top and bottom I get slightly more in and out play than if I check the same holding the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock positions. It can't be the adjustment of the hub bearings because that would give the same play all round. The bearings are adjusted to about 0.002 - 0.003 inch and doesn't seem to make any difference if I fit the hub carrier to the trailing arm 90 degrees different. I can't see or feel any play between the hub carrier and the back plate/trailing arm or where the trailing arm fixes to the chassis. I suspect maybe it is between the hub carrier and the trailing arm. I fitted the uprated studs a while ago (vast improvement) and take care to use a small torque wrench to not over tighten the nuts holding the hub carrier. From memory this is about 12 ft lb - hardly anything. Is there a simple way of checking the backplate or trailing arms faces or is there another possible cause? Problem is that it might only be a couple of thou movement that is the cause.

Keith

[RogerH]

Hi Keith,

 could it be that the TA and it's bushes are stiffer in the vertical plane  and any slack can be detected.

In the horizontal plane (3 & 9-o-clock position) there may be subtle 'unstiffness' that masks the  small play in the bearings.

 

Roger

[John L]

With the 6.00 and 12.00 movement you are using the weight of the wheel to help the amount of play, compared to the 3.00 and 9.00 value where you are not using the weight of the wheel, I think you need to press harder for the side to side movement, the play has to be the same in each plane.

John