Wheel bearings, tightening direction verification

[catapultkid]

Quick note and verification.

Top of the nuts go towards the back of the car? This should make the driver side left hand threaded.

That is what small indy open wheel cars and the like do for their single wheel nuts, so I'm assuming it would be the same for us.

-Paul

[merk23literturbo]

Or, the blue inserted one is right handed and the yellow inserted one is left handed.

[catapultkid]

Or, the blue inserted one is right handed and the yellow inserted one is left handed.

Which one on what side of the car when sitting in the driver seat?

[Grayson]

The uncommon left-hand-thread yellow nylock nut goes on the front right corner of the vehicle. Check shop manual page 11-16-5 on your Library CD for full details on front spindles & wheel bearings.

[CV12Steve]

They are backwards to what you'd expect based to wheel rotation.
In fact, make sure the dust caps are secure when you're done to void the excitement I had on a wintery mountain freeway.
Or swap sides so they're on the "correct" sides.

[merkurdriver]

All wheel bearing nuts tighten in the direction towards the front of the car (when the nuts are installed on the car).

[DPDISXR4Ti]

All wheel bearing nuts tighten in the direction towards the front of the car (when the nuts are installed on the car).

^^^ Easiest way to remember.

To the OP - you didn't specify front or rear, so that's why you're getting answers which may appear to be contradictory.

[catapultkid]

All wheel bearing nuts tighten in the direction towards the front of the car (when the nuts are installed on the car).

^^^ Easiest way to remember.

To the OP - you didn't specify front or rear, so that's why you're getting answers which may appear to be contradictory.

Sorry your right. I'm speaking in terms of the front only. Thanks Mike/Grayson/Steve for the advice. I'm always thinking... do they tighten when braking or accelerating... top of the nut to the front or top of the nut to the back like on the formula cars.

With what was posted "All wheel bearing nuts tighten in the direction towards the front of the car (when the nuts are installed on the car)" by Mike. I believe mine are on correctly. (top of nut goes toward the front of the car when installed is how I read it) I just need to either get a better torque value on them or replace the bearings, but I've had to tighten them twice now.

-Paul

[merk23literturbo]

I just need to either get a better torque value on them or replace the bearings, but I've had to tighten them twice now.

I would say you have a problem. Did you use a torque wrench that goes high enough? The spec for the nuts is the only spec, there is no better one. If they are coming loose, then either the nuts are no good, they are supposed to be replaced not reused according to what I have heard. You may also have a bad spindle or carrier damage going on? I have never heard of having to re-tighten them ever. I don't want to scare you but I don't want to hear about you getting in a wreck over it. Maybe someone else can chime in with better info?

[michaelb]

Try some lock tight. You could mark the nut and spindle to see if the nut is loosening or if the bearing is crapping out or eating into the spindle or what ever.

Good luck.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Try some lock tight. You could mark the nut and spindle to see if the nut is loosening or if the bearing is crapping out or eating into the spindle or what ever.

It's a Nyloc nut, so it really shouldn't need Loctite if it's properly torqued. I don't have a torque wrench that goes that high, so I use a 18" breaker bar and do the math with my then-current body weight. I've always re-used the nuts and never had one back off, but it's not a bad idea to mark them - I use touch-up paint.

FWIW, a couple of us had a lengthy discussion with Rick Brynes about whether the fronts are correctly "handed" the way they are from the factory. Because of braking action, you end up having force in both directions; on a race car the braking rotational forces would typically exceed the acceleration forces, so one could argue that the hubs should be reversed from factory orientation. In fact, this discussion was triggered by Cliff Walton losing a hub on the race track when the nut unwound itself on one side.

[catapultkid]

So f inially got around to squaring the wheel bearings away. However once torqued to 250ft/lbs per manual, they seem stiff. They do rotate completely without any issue but stiffer than I'd thought they would be? Is this normal, should the hub be stiff when turning inside the spindle? They dont "free wheel" like a trailer hub at all.

[merk23literturbo]

They do rotate completely without any issue but stiffer than I'd thought they would be? Is this normal,

Yes

[catapultkid]

They do rotate completely without any issue but stiffer than I'd thought they would be? Is this normal,

Yes

Thank you