manual lockout bearing preload

D

dennhop

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Nov 10, 2008
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Ok, I need help. I can't get a hold of EMS to ask them, so I'm coming here, to see if any of you have experience with manual locking hubs on a D60. Ever since I had to pull my hub apart to replace the bearings, I've had a howling sound at 40mph and faster, with an occasional knocking sound.

I've pulled the hub off, replaced both the inner and outer bearings and races, replaced the spindle bearing and seals tonight, and yet it's still howling. The only two things I can think of right now is that either my stubshaft is bad, which I have a hard time believing right now, or my bearing preload is all jacked up. Problem is, I've seen so many different opinions on how to set the bearing preload on a D60 axle, that I'm lost.

What I was thinking of doing when I get my new bearings and races in, was setting the bearing preload by tightening the inner nut to 50 ft lbs, backing off 1 full turn, and retorquing to 10ft lbs. Then putting the spacer washer on, and putting the outer nut on. Does that sound about right, or am I way off? I know my bearings aren't too tight right now, because I can spin the wheel easily, with it up off the ground, and I don't hear any noises. Also, the hub's not hot when I get done driving it, so I'm thinking the howling noise is the fact that my preload is too loose, and the bearing(s) are just knocking around inside the hub. I really need to get this figured out sooner rather than later, so any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
 
I have never set them up on a specific preload. I have always set them up by feel. You want some resistance.If you jack the truck up with the wheel on it still and spin it how many times does it make a revolution? I should Spin about 2-4 revolutions. Do you have any movement in and out?
 
EMS instructions say torque to 50 ft-lbs. while turning the hub. Back off a quarter turn, then tighten to 15-20 ft-lbs. End float should be between 0 to 0.004". Outer nut is torqued to 160-205 ft-lbs.

My wheels might free spin a half to 3/4 rotation like this. I would expect several revolutions to be too loose.
 
Tate said:
EMS instructions say torque to 50 ft-lbs. while turning the hub. Back off a quarter turn, then tighten to 15-20 ft-lbs. End float should be between 0 to 0.004". Outer nut is torqued to 160-205 ft-lbs.

My wheels might free spin a half to 3/4 rotation like this. I would expect several revolutions to be too loose.
Click to expand...

That's how I'd do it. Basic wheel bearing torque procedure.
 
I torque to 50 ft. lbs than back off a 1/4 turn than tighten to 15ft lbs and the outer I torque to 200

Basically the same as Tate said though.
 
if its too tight it's going to make noise. i tighten mine until its hard to move the tire around and loosen it a little at time and spin it until it's spins nice with some resistance. a little loose it way better then being to tight
 
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