Winner's Circle hub-nut torque setting

[Michael Oritt]

I have Winner's Circle double-bearing hubs on the rear of my Elva Courier (it has the same rear axle to the Spridget only wider) and wonder if anyone knows the recommended torque setting for the hub nut--that's the big nut that goes onto the threaded end of the axle housing.

 

[Luke_Healey]

Someone jump all over me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's 140 ft/lb.

 

[Bugeye58]

Michael, I run the W/C hubs on the Sprite at 140~150 ft lbs.
Haven't had one fall off yet!
Jeff

 

[Hap Waldrop]

140 ft lbs here as well with cleaned threads and red locktite, and no tab washer.

 

[Bugeye58]

Definitely <u>NO</u> tab washer! Loctite Kleen&Prime on both the axle and the nut prior to using the Loctite, although I use the Blue.
Jeff

 

[Michael Oritt]

Jeff and Hap--

When you say "definitely no tab washer" do you mean to use the washer and not bend over a tab OR do you mean no washer at all and if the latter can you explain why not?

 

[Hap Waldrop]

The tab washer is only held in place with a small hole in the rear housing, if it should slip under the heavy rigors of racing, it acts like a hand and can simply turn the nut off the threads of the rear end housing, so no tab washer at all. The nut can sat right up agint the hub bearing.

 

[Bugeye58]

In addition to what Hap mentions, they are soft, can give erroneous torque readings, and may crush under load, causing the above mentioned scenario to happen.
Jeff

 

[Luke_Healey]

My question is that when I changed out my rear wheel bearings, they appeared to start 'binding up' on anything past about 100 ft/lb. ie: you could feel the balls binding up on the inner race.

What's up with that? I instaled the Victoria British bearings and they were seemingly pressed in squarely.

I've just been driving the car as is to see if they seat in right, but I've got metal shavings in the surrounding grease back there. I figure I'll just eat them up and find a better solution when that time comes (perhaps very soon!)

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Gack... Metal shavings=Bad.
Take it apart and get it cleaned out before you chew up the diff.

 

[Bugeye58]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif
Obviously, something isn't correct. Driving the car only invites further, potentially catastrophic, damage. You could lose a wheel, destroy the axle housing, or snap an axle, to name just a few things.
Jeff

 

[Luke_Healey]

Any ideas what the issue might be? I bought new seals and bearings and whatnot. They are QH from VB I believe.

I can take them apart and replace the original bearings that were in there, but that sort of defeats the orgiginal intentions /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

The metal shavings are embedded in the grease they give you to slather the bearing in, so I'm not sure anything would have migrated back to the differential yet.

 

[Bugeye58]

Well, the bearing could be misaligned, or the hub could be worn to the point where the bearing is spinning inside.
Jeff

 

[Luke_Healey]

We used a drift to slowly knock them in and seat them. The hub holds the bearing in there very tight. I figured seating them squarely and tightening the nut would ensure they were set in there right. Also, since I'd not read anything about people having troubles with doing this, I thought it was weird that both sides on my car seem to be messed up in the same manner.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Did you have the bearing #s?

 

[Bugeye58]

By using the drift, rather than properly pressing them in squarely around the outer race, you could have distorted the bearing. It wouldn't take much to cause the thing to start eating itself.
Jeff

 

[Michael Oritt]

"The tab washer is only held in place with a small hole in the rear housing, if it should slip under the heavy rigors of racing, it acts like a hand and can simply turn the nut off the threads of the rear end housing, so no tab washer at all. The nut can sat right up agint the hub bearing."

Hap


"In addition to what Hap mentions, they are soft, can give erroneous torque readings, and may crush under load, causing the above mentioned scenario to happen."

Jeff
---------------------------------
Hap and Jeff--

Thanks for the input. Being a bit short on time I resumed working on the car this morning after posting without waiting for your replies. I pulled off both nuts (L & R) and saw that the tabs that engage the holes had in fact been filed off so I reinstalled the nuts WITH the washers using red locktite and 140 ft/lbs. Both nuts felt solid and could no doubt have taken more.

Now that I have read your posts I regret my impatience and having reused the washers. I considered not using them but it looked like they would serve to better distribute the load against the bearing and perhaps provide some safety were the bearing to sieze. Since they were already torqued against several times perhaps they have already crushed?

 

[Bugeye58]

Michael, check the Racing frum.
Jeff