Hello all, it's been a while since I've posted on here.
Since last time, I have gotten married, had a child, finished school relatively debt-free, and started my career. My car has moved from being a project, to simply being stored, and back to being a daily driver on nice days now. Since this is now the case, I have been fighting a few issues that may have culminated into the problem that I'm seeing now...
A bit of history,
Recently I have seemingly been stuck working on my rear drivetrain components, where I first replaced the driveshaft carrier bearing. Not too long after that, the left rear caliper slides hung up enough to stick, so I replaced the boots and re-lubed, while at the same time I ordered new rear caliper assemblies. Despite my efforts to temporarily c/m the problem, the lower slide froze and jammed again, creating enough heat to the point that my rotor developed heat spots.
Anyway, more to the point,
I went to replace the caliper and all was well until I put the wheel back on. I noticed that the wheel bearing had a good bit of play in it. Coincidentally, I checked the other side, and it felt very similar. So I ordered bearings (Timken) and seals immediately. Fast forward to when everything arrives, and tear-down goes smooth, save for the learning curve in removing the outer race from the hub.
Upon examining the hub, I noticed that the portion of the OD that presses into the inner most side of the bearing appeared to have some very minor wear on it, and the rest looked a bit chatter-y. I was quick to notice this because I had an MR2 with a hub/bearing failure that wore the hub OD well beyond use. Anyway, I thought that because there was no major marring, and more then half the race mating surface looked fine, that it would be alright (and honestly think that it still should be). Despite this, once I got everything pressed back together, there was still noticeable bearing play between the inner and outer races, with or without the press mimicking the clamping force of the axle stub.
With seemingly no other options, I disassembled and tried installing the other new bearing. Only for it to have the same play. At this point I was livid and confused, but ordered another bearing and two more seals. I also arranged to pick-up a rear subframe assembly with lower mileage (mainly for hubs and axles, already bought the LSD), to try to find spare hubs to inspect/use. So since all of that has been torn down, I at least have a spare hub for the side with the bad caliper, which is pretty eaten-up. Since then too, I have tried pressing the replacement hub into one of the first two bearings, only for it to have the same play.
Summary:
Predicament:
So after that, I don't want to proceed with possibly ruining (if haven't already) $70 bearings and $10 seals every time it doesn't work, thus I'm turning to the community.. Has anybody had similar experiences or troubles? Or maybe there is just something that I'm missing..?
After working back mentally through everything, I most suspect my method of installation, then the hub quality, and lastly the quality of new bearing.
My next planned course of action is taking the newest bearing into a shop with the bare spindle and have them press it in and see if it's still loose.
Thoughts?
Since last time, I have gotten married, had a child, finished school relatively debt-free, and started my career. My car has moved from being a project, to simply being stored, and back to being a daily driver on nice days now. Since this is now the case, I have been fighting a few issues that may have culminated into the problem that I'm seeing now...
A bit of history,
Recently I have seemingly been stuck working on my rear drivetrain components, where I first replaced the driveshaft carrier bearing. Not too long after that, the left rear caliper slides hung up enough to stick, so I replaced the boots and re-lubed, while at the same time I ordered new rear caliper assemblies. Despite my efforts to temporarily c/m the problem, the lower slide froze and jammed again, creating enough heat to the point that my rotor developed heat spots.
Anyway, more to the point,
I went to replace the caliper and all was well until I put the wheel back on. I noticed that the wheel bearing had a good bit of play in it. Coincidentally, I checked the other side, and it felt very similar. So I ordered bearings (Timken) and seals immediately. Fast forward to when everything arrives, and tear-down goes smooth, save for the learning curve in removing the outer race from the hub.
Upon examining the hub, I noticed that the portion of the OD that presses into the inner most side of the bearing appeared to have some very minor wear on it, and the rest looked a bit chatter-y. I was quick to notice this because I had an MR2 with a hub/bearing failure that wore the hub OD well beyond use. Anyway, I thought that because there was no major marring, and more then half the race mating surface looked fine, that it would be alright (and honestly think that it still should be). Despite this, once I got everything pressed back together, there was still noticeable bearing play between the inner and outer races, with or without the press mimicking the clamping force of the axle stub.
With seemingly no other options, I disassembled and tried installing the other new bearing. Only for it to have the same play. At this point I was livid and confused, but ordered another bearing and two more seals. I also arranged to pick-up a rear subframe assembly with lower mileage (mainly for hubs and axles, already bought the LSD), to try to find spare hubs to inspect/use. So since all of that has been torn down, I at least have a spare hub for the side with the bad caliper, which is pretty eaten-up. Since then too, I have tried pressing the replacement hub into one of the first two bearings, only for it to have the same play.
Summary:
- Both rear bearings had noticeable play
- Installed new bearing on Rear-Right spindle and there was still play
- Pressed different new bearing in same spindle, still play
- Tried a different hub pressed into same bearing and spindle, still play
Predicament:
So after that, I don't want to proceed with possibly ruining (if haven't already) $70 bearings and $10 seals every time it doesn't work, thus I'm turning to the community.. Has anybody had similar experiences or troubles? Or maybe there is just something that I'm missing..?
After working back mentally through everything, I most suspect my method of installation, then the hub quality, and lastly the quality of new bearing.
My next planned course of action is taking the newest bearing into a shop with the bare spindle and have them press it in and see if it's still loose.
Thoughts?
