Brake drum seals, are there better ones than the standard seals.

[Hoopy Frood]

Tapered roller bearings in a wheel bearing application are to be set with a slight amount of freeplay cold. Proper freeplay is commonly set with a specified tightening, loosening procedure. Though I do have some shop manuals that also state a specified freeplay measurement for those that want to use a dial indicator to set it. With either method the end result is zero end play at operating temp.

This type of bearing is also used in differentials. In this application they need to have a measured amount of preload. This is because the ring gear is at a 90 degree angle to the pinion gear. And under load those two gears will stretch the differential case, which results is the bearings clearance ending up at zero.

We used lots of tapered roller bearings where I used to work before I stopped working. Many of those required a lot of preload, we has some that had enough preload that the pinion had 50 ft.lbs. of moving torque to turn it when the preload was set correctly. Wheel bearings, not so much.

[Roll With The Changes]

After checking a Dexter manual, I stand corrected.

Personal experience is a hard thing to overcome. Maybe my issue is with backing the nut off from finger tight to the castellation.

When I learned how to service wheel bearings more years ago than I want to admit, I was taught by a grumpy old mechanic and that was also what the Chiltons manual said for the truck I was working on.

My procedure is the same for seating, backing off and re snugging the nut. I have just always tightened to the next castellation instead of loosening. It still rubs me the wrong way to loosen it.

Apparently, we're never too old to learn something new, but it's also hard to ignore the fact that I've never had a bearing fail.

In my current case, I think there was too much play which caused the seal to pull away from the spindle intermittently. (I couldn't find any damage or excessive wear on the seal or the spindle at the seal.)

Maybe there is some room for interpretation in manuals and procedures.

[huntindog]

After checking a Dexter manual, I stand corrected.

Personal experience is a hard thing to overcome. Maybe my issue is with backing the nut off from finger tight to the castellation.

When I learned how to service wheel bearings more years ago than I want to admit, I was taught by a grumpy old mechanic and that was also what the Chiltons manual said for the truck I was working on.

My procedure is the same for seating, backing off and re snugging the nut. I have just always tightened to the next castellation instead of loosening. It still rubs me the wrong way to loosen it.

Apparently, we're never too old to learn something new, but it's also hard to ignore the fact that I've never had a bearing fail.

In my current case, I think there was too much play which caused the seal to pull away from the spindle intermittently. (I couldn't find any damage or excessive wear on the seal or the spindle at the seal.)

Maybe there is some room for interpretation in manuals and procedures.

Sometimes I have encountered wheel bearings that I could not adjust to spec. When I replaced that bearing/race proper adjustment was possible. I think that those bearing/race sets had worn enough (even though they appeared fine) to make proper adjustment impossible.

[huntindog]

We used lots of tapered roller bearings where I used to work before I stopped working. Many of those required a lot of preload, we has some that had enough preload that the pinion had 50 ft.lbs. of moving torque to turn it when the preload was set correctly. Wheel bearings, not so much.

Wow. that is a lot of preload. The automotive differentials I have done were measured in inch LBS.

What were you working on?

[Hoopy Frood]

They were 40 ton rotary punch presses that had two 14" 90° bevel gears transferring power from the motor drive shaft on top to the intermitter gear box under the press. The intermitter box turned constant rotary motion into intermittent rotary motion through cams and cam followers. It was a large can factory.

[Hoopy Frood]

After checking a Dexter manual, I stand corrected.

Personal experience is a hard thing to overcome. Maybe my issue is with backing the nut off from finger tight to the castellation.

When I learned how to service wheel bearings more years ago than I want to admit, I was taught by a grumpy old mechanic and that was also what the Chiltons manual said for the truck I was working on.

My procedure is the same for seating, backing off and re snugging the nut. I have just always tightened to the next castellation instead of loosening. It still rubs me the wrong way to loosen it.

Apparently, we're never too old to learn something new, but it's also hard to ignore the fact that I've never had a bearing fail.

In my current case, I think there was too much play which caused the seal to pull away from the spindle intermittently. (I couldn't find any damage or excessive wear on the seal or the spindle at the seal.)

Maybe there is some room for interpretation in manuals and procedures.

Personally I think it is the misapplication of the term "preload" instead of "clearance". But then I tend to be a bit of a pedant.