Stemco wheel seals

[Rawze]

Follow the book, but it is my general understanding that...

* "sleeved" hub bearings take around 200-300 ft lbs final torque, depending on brand.

* "Sleeveless" bearings take about 50-75 ft/lbs final torque, but need a "crush" fit for the outer races first of about 250 ft/lbs to seat them in the hub properly. I.E> -- Tighten to 300 ft-lbs, then back off, the re-torque to 50-75.

Either way, you should feel only a slight resistance when the final torque is set. If it is difficult to turn the hub with one or 2 fingers then something is too tight, and if it is really easy to turn, or there is back-lash with a dial indicator, then something is too loose.


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As far as hub play on a dial indicator goes, anything less than 0.004" is acceptable, but I have found that anything MORE than 0.002", and you see edge wear after a 100k miles or more. - i have also found that the hub bearing races will have their longest lifespan of you set ZERO backlash, but instead, a very slight 0.001" pre-load on them if the hubs are aluminum. This is typical of all types of thrust bearings in general inside aluminum housings as well. - On a set of truck hubs, this is set by adjusting the nut to 0.003" backlash, then 0.002" backlash, then 0.001" backlash, watching to see how much you had to turn the nut each time, then turning the nut to get 0.002" further in from your 0.001" setting.