Front wheel bearing adjustment

[npca-eccook]

  Subject : Front wheel bearing adjustment       Factory shop manuals for 1963 & 1978  60 series patrol state " tighten nut  until brake drum binds when turned. Then loosen nut 1/8 turn. This should ...     Hub turning torque must be within  13 - 39  in-lbs. "       The point at which bearings bind is subject to many opinions.       Backing nut off by 1/8 turn decreases preload  by 0.0048 inch.        A better approach is found in 60 series Toyota Land Cruiser (TLC)  shop manual.       Lockwashers are interchangeable.       Just letting vehicle down from jackstands scrunches bottom roller elements   and tends to loosen rollers at 12 O'clock.       Bearing preloads for  swivel housing , ring , pinion , and front wheel bearing   sets are nearly identical.              ---- For 60 series TLC-----        1)  While rotating front wheel bearing hub , torque bearing adjustment nut            nut to 43 ft-lbs. This seats bearings and is close to binding bearings.         2)  Loosen nut until it can be turned by hand.         3)  WHILE  rotating hub tork nut to 3 - 5  ft-lbs. This shoul yield  2.475 -             20.075  ft-lbs  hub turning  tork  ( for Toyota).         For patrol , preload is a tad low.         Moderate pinky finger force at end of 12 inch rachet wrench yields about   8 ft-lbs.  Yer  very close.          4)  Apply lockwasher and jam nut.                                  goodlucked                        

[moore_rb]

This is great info- but there are a couple corrections:

This shoul yield 2.475 - 20.075 ft-lbs hub turning tork ( for Toyota).

The specs above should be stated in inch-pounds, not foot pounds. Final hub turning torque should be 20 in-lbs (light) , not 20 ft-lbs (heavy)


My preferred method for adjusting front wheel bearings is very similar to the TLC process above- I tighten the adjusting nut down to the point that the hub is diffcult to turn, then while tight, I give it one full revolution (to squeeze any air out of the grease between the bearings- you might even hear the air bubbles pop as you turn it), then GENTLY back it off until it is free, (maybe 1/4 turn), and then re-tighten it to about 20 inch pounds (or 8 ft/lbs, or basically "super finger tight"). place your tabbed lock washer over the adjusting nut, and then crank the locking nut down on it, and then check the turning torque- if everything goes right, you'll be right in that 20 in-lbs turning torque sweet spot.

The 60 Patrol manual's method of cranking it down, and then backing off 1/8 turn, might work well for brand new bearings and races, but it could result in too little pre-load (and too much excess play) when used on older bearings that have some miles racked up on them...


Also on the subject- the adjusting nuts and lock nuts on my Patrols are all identical, and are 2-1/16 inch (52 mm)- this makes them interchangeable with TLC spindle nuts, and older Jeep CJ spindle nuts.

Here is a link to the correct sized spindle socket I just ordered:

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Fabrication- ... AI16711.01