In the middle of replacing front wheel bearings, but the rotor won't go all the way on the spindle. I'm wondering if I put the seal in backward. I have the concave side of it facing the bearing. I can't find a diagram of photo of it, and don't remember how it came out (it was on the spindle when the rotor came off after pulling it back and forth with the nut back on).

Thanks,

John Bonds 240D daily driver
Charleston

Latest: I've figured out that the seal HAS to have the concave side facing the bearing, and the problem isn't the seal, but the bearing hanging up as the taper in the spindle flattens out to seat the bearing. I bought two sets of bearings, so I have a spare to try the fit. (The old one won't go on there either.) I'm dressing the spindle with crocus cloth, but it's a very slow process as that is really hard steel. The inner circle of the bearing will go on that collar less than 1/8" and then stop. I got it on once, probably by having it perfectly straight (which will be done better with the rotor guiding it), but it was hard to get off. The next time, it wouldn't go at all and required a small bearing puller to get it off at all.

I'm going to quit for the night. Ideas welcome, of course.\

jb

Had exact same thing happen.
1. make sure spindle is greased
2. Fit old inner bearing race over hub opening.
3. have everything perfectly centered then place 2x4 over race and a light tap with a heavy object should drive it home.

__________________
'83 SD, 2x '85 SD
You are entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts.

Dont' fool around dressing the spindle. Its the right size.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I recently experienced the identical situation on the SD. The bearing and the spindle are just about a line to line fit and, unless they are perfectly square, the bearing will hangup on the spindle.

Two solutions should be utilized:

1) Polish the spindle with some 400 sandpaper. This removes any foreign material on the surface of the spindle and leaves a very smooth surface for the inner race. It only takes about 10 minutes........you're removing about .0001" of material.

2) The bearing probably won't fit when you attempt a test installation prior to installation in the hub. It's very difficult to ensure squareness during this procedure. However, once installed in the hub, you obtain quite a bit of leverage by holding the outside of the rotor and changing the angular position of the bearing relative to the spindle. With a bit of finesse and some axial force toward the spindle, the bearing will usually engage without difficulty.

The installation of the rotor and hub should be done without the outer bearing in place to allow for some rocking motion during the install. When it's seated, then the outer bearing is placed into the hub. It never has a fit issue.

Got it! Thanks, guys. I put it on to the point where it sticks, then inserted the outer bearing, to get lineup, and tapped with a rubber hammer. Went on. Then took the outer bearing out and put the designed amount of grease into the cavity, reinserted the bearing and finished the procedure with a dial indicator (which didn't come with assembly instructions--reminded me of some Christmas evenings.... But the web came through with a nice diagram.

jb
240D daily driver
Charleston