May be just a wider M12 washer(s) under the wheel bolt would be good enough? You know the sort of wider things usually sold for putting bolts through wood - it doesn't have to be super tight as in "my wheel will fall off tight"

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

definitely that would work... im even thinking a block of wood would do it..like a 1x1 stock with a 12mm hole...but the washer is best lol


also for those who have used dial indicator to measure... how much force should I apply to check the axial play? when measuring the play inwards a moderate push moves 0.005mm but if I push my absolute hardest and brace against something I can get it to 0.01mm...I doubt they intend for the absolute hardest movement but I am curious based on folks experiences

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1995 W124 M104 E320 Wagon. 175k Miles and Counting

Taper bearing life is dependent on how much axial clearance it has.

Data shows max life is when the bearing is slightly preloaded, but bearing life drops fast if preload is a bit more than slight. So service in the field requires the preload in bearings set as close to zero as possible.

Mercedes does this by specifying 10 microns clearance, which can be done with a dial and experienced hands. This is about as safe and healthy as a specification can get.

Doing it the old fashioned way.... seating the races, backing off the nut, then finger tight, will typically get you .003" (75 microns) clearance. This is also pretty good for long bearing life and nothing to scoff at.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

The FSM is a bit cryptic at some times and almost assumes that a lot of information is a "known fact" for the person performing repairs.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

That's fair...I doubt they made the FSM with DIYers in mind...speaking of assumed "known information" can anyone comment on how hard to push and pull to check the preload?

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1995 W124 M104 E320 Wagon. 175k Miles and Counting

In technical terms - half a white knuckle (!)


The dial gauge is going to detect the movement you are trying to read easily - you don't have to try and push the vehicle off your carefully placed axle stands...

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

lol - half a white knuckle - sounds about right to be honest.

to make it simple, the idea behind all this that the hub sits square to the spindle snout, as we know the hub has weight and weight wants to meet its girlfreind gravity. The hub is useless if its sitting on the ground.

We have to make sure the hub sits just right on the snout - The push/pull is not violent, just enough to move the gauge with a firm yet human pull - if you become green hulk and warp the hub with your hands - then all bets are off

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

I've never been able to use a dial indicator repeatably on these.
The 2 dozen or so times I've adjusted mine over the last 30 years has been the "tighten it a bit firm, then back off and pull back up a bit", based mostly on experience. The final check is to get the wheel on and grab the tire at top/bottom, and pull/push. I like to feel just a tiny but discernible click from the bearing. Turning the nut about 5-10 degrees to adjust the click to my satisfaction usually gets it right.
Works so far, got about 275k on the original bearings, with the original grease - I just stir it around a bit when I have the hub off doing rotor changes.

So, yes, they WILL apparently last forever.

Along that subject, I've observed that any genuine MB part that moves or is made of rubber will outlast any aftermarket part 10-1. Of course it costs 10x as much, too.

DG

100% agree on the MB vs OE parts...I think some of the OEM suppliers are good for rubber, mainly lemfoerder but corteco seems good, no issues so far atleast. I havent heard great things about the cheaper aftermarkets tho...funny how some items the price difference is negligible, others MB is much much more!

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1995 W124 M104 E320 Wagon. 175k Miles and Counting