I got an "advisory" on my NCT/MOT today, saying that I had a little excessive play on the front drivers side wheel bearing. and less so on the passenger side. The tester suggested that I "tighten them up a bit" and after searching through archives, it all seems straightforward. But, are there any do's and dont's, things to look out for etc.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

It's just as easy as the various threads suggest. The only two points I would make are to not overtighten, you can always do it again, and to use a new cotter pin and make sure you bend it over enough.

 

Pretty much as I thought. Good to know and thanks!

 

If history is uncertain you might wanna consider a strip down and bearing repack at some point. It's a commonly neglected thing.

One little tip, FWIW....

There's a tin castellated retainer over the adjusting nut. After setting the bearings (I take mine right down to zero but not an iota more) and installing your new cotter pin, use a screwdriver to tap the tangs of the retainer right down against the cotter pin.

Cheers
DD

 

Doug,

I have read this post earlier this morning and a comment made a few weeks ago when I had the wheel alignment checked after doing ball joints and tie rod ends, came screaming into the tired old brain, "your wheel bearings were a bit loose, so we tightened than up".

I was perplexed coz I had just done the wheel bearings your/my way, as I have done for many years, and they were just fine in my opinion.

Forgot about it, the car was sweet, until this AM, read this posting.

Off with the wheel covers (no got mag wheels) and popped the grease cap, and out with the required items. NO WAY those adjuster nuts would undo, it was that bl**dy tight. The tin lockers were mangles beyond belief. The language flowed trust me, not a happy Jag owner.

Stripped it all again, bearings looked fine, but I do not trust then, not at the pressure they have been under, out with the trusty "spare set" and redone MY way.

Time for a beer or 2 or 3, it is nudging 40 again here.

Words will be had tomorrow when that aligner re-opens, maybe a visit with the trusty baseball bat over the shoulder may be more suitable, mmmm.

 

How the hell did they manage that? Not sure if I understand?

Did they tighten the bearings with the tin retainer still on top of the adjusting nut or what?

Cheers
DD

 

I am unsure also, as access to where the car disappears to is a no no.

It does look like they may have wrenched the thing tighter without removing anything, but I find that too hard to accept.

Maybe they did remove the locker plate, and then had eyesight issues lining the slots up, so simply bashed the cotter in, and re-bent the ears after the event.

I may settle slightly by tomorrow??, and just forget the challenge thing and simply "spread the word".

 

At least you didn't have the nice job someone did to me (not on a Jag).
After doing up the nut (with a pair of Stillsons, obviously, only tool to use for a job like this) they didn't have a spare tab washer and had broken the split pin so - a nice gob of weld to glue the nut to the stub axle.
We didn't send them all to Oz, you know!!

 

And now you know the real reason for the trend on the part of manufacturers towards "sealed for life" and "zero maintenance". There is a dwindling and finite number of people with the required skills and willingness to do anything that does not involve poking at a touch screen.

Educators cannot teach what they do not know. So, each new generation of the "new educational system" yields worse results.

 

Yes and many of the guys that can do fixes live in the 'Third World' - not only can they make their own Kalashnikovs without a 3D printer but try sending them a second hand tractor with any electronics more complex than the turn indicator and they'll tell you where to put it - they can fix everything else and we can't anymore.
Fortunately apprenticeships seem to be reviving in the UK.
We've had graduate engineers in the past who you ask to make a shaft an easy fit in something and they'll spend half a day coding up a CNC machine to do the job.
Learning to hand-file a bit of steel square and true in the vice teaches so many things.

 

True enough. Often manufacturers realize that some things cannot be reliably repaired "in the field". There are just too many variables.

Modern transmissions....the trick-wazoo, double-throw-down 6-7-8 speed ultra high tech automatics, for example.... often fall into this category. Warranty records prove that the the skill and training levels are just not high enough to give reliable end results.

Years ago, for example, GM abandoned about 90% of the hands-on technician training classes and replaced them with various forms of "electronic classrooms"....starting with video tapes in the 90s and eventually ending up with PC-based interactive training.

Scores of training centers were shut down and, whaddya know, more and more components and assemblies were changed to "Replace only. Do not repair" status.

I could (but, mercifully, won't) spend hours on the subject of technician training. It's a huge challenge nowadays. For some time I was involved with manufacturer and industry groups, local colleges, was on advisory boards, etc. trying to address the issue.





True enough again.

However, the case at hand....a mangled bearing nut retainer.....is the result of blatant negligence, pure and simple, IMHO.

Cheers
DD

 

Well the OP just needed confirmation of the procedure, so it must be Grant's case that you are talking about. In that case, in addition to the mangled retainer, there is the matter of the bearing adjustment itself being too tight. That's not negligence or laziness, that's a lack of skill and knowledge. Anyone who did not have the spec, but had experience with front wheel bearing adjustment would default to "on the edge of snug" as being suitable in most cases. And they would know that it requires spinning the hub to settle the adjustment for a recheck. As you know, it's all in the "finger memory" which can only be developed with experience.

At least X300/X305 owners are lucky enough to have adjustable bearings and lots of grease nipples ... not so for X308 owners. You can know that the joint is running dry, and there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it short of disassembly

 

Right !





Heh heh, I hate to sound disagreeable on something we agree upon, at least fundmentally :-).

IMHO, "skill and knowledge" comes after gross stupidity has been eliminated.

Or, to put it in different words, first comes a foundation of ordinary common sense. Common sense is then refined with skill, knowledge, and experience.

I think what happened to Grant's wheel bearings doesn't rise to the level of [lack of] skill and knowledge. Rather, it was an utter lack of common sense.

Anyhow, I'm not trying to be argumentative and, if accused of needlessly bogging down a discussion with semantics and parsing, it won't be the first time. Just ask any member of my family. It's a curse :-)

Cheers
DD