Stemco wheel seals

[ZeroNthedark]

Hey Hammer, I just did a complete brake system R&R on my drive axles and didn't have any issues until it came time to do the hubs. Because of time constraints, I reused the old bearings because they didn't look too bad. I've never done them before, so I looked up the manual(Eaton LMS) plus Timken for good measure, and they both called for 300ft/lb on the first nut, without using the metal sleeve. When I asked for 2nd opinion, I get everything from needing to back it off and re-torquing to a lower value to one guy who just uses a 3/4" air gun and had no idea there was an actual torque value on bearings.

What am I missing? How bad did I screw up? When I took everything apart they were barely finger tight, so I'm kind of worried.

[ZeroNthedark]

Dammit, stupid phone!!

[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.

[74bassman]

I got home today, and found my left steer wheel is leaking. I'm going to go ahead and do both sides. i'm also going to replace the bearings, and brakes shoes. The truck has 1.1M miles on it, and the only the shoes were replace about 8 years ago when I bought the truck. Will this Pro torque nut work for me? Can 80w-90 gear oil be used? I'm thinking of using one weight of gear oil for the 3 gear boxes, and engine. Is the Scotseal better than the other brands? Is anyone using NTN bearings? I know of Timkin bearings, but not NTN. Any info would be appreicated.

Rawze, I rewatch your videos for the drives, but do you have one for the steers?

[74bassman]

What brands of oil are recommended

[Rawze]

(10-16-2020 )74bassman Wrote:  What brands of oil are recommended

I use same oil on front hubs, tranny, and rear ends.

I use A synthetic 80/90. Usually Shell or Mobil.

[74bassman]

Thank you

[74bassman]

Would the shell product be ok in the engine, and does it have to be synthetic?

[bwake]

For those that are talking about the spacer inside the hub, there is a specification for the overall length that must be measured to verify that when installed, it will keep the bearings at the proper end play setting. If it's the correct length, it will set the end play at a predetermined amount that would be tough to get exact by hand. A wheel bearing will actually last longer if there is a small amount of pre-load on it but there is no possible way for a person to test pre-load in a verifiable manner. Setting the end play to .001 to .005 gives us a way to verify the job was done in a measurable way but not to sacrifice bearing life. That's the reason for the hub spacer, it's more of a set it and forget it assuming that it's the proper length. Hopefully the pic will attach properly which shows bearing life based on end play vs pre-load.