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TR2/3/3A Front wheel bearing--inner tr3

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charleyf

charleyf

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I am installing a new set of bearings in a rebuilt front end. I noticed that the inner bearing is not what I would call snug on the stub axle. As this bearing is usually "locked" in place inside the hub behind the seal one does not usually see how loose or tight the bearing is on the stub axle. I tested some old stub axles sitting on the shelf and found all of them to be about the same as the one currently on the car. So the question is has anybody else noticed what I am talking about? I also never remember having to force the hub off of the stub axle in dismantling a front unit. If the inner bearing was really tight on the stub axle it would require a bunch of force to get the hub off the stub axle. Right??? So is the unit intended to have the bearing NOT SNUG TIGHT on the stub axle??
Charley
 
Yup, not really a tight fit, should slide into place easily. All of my RWD cars have been like that, so I think it's normal.

However, it shouldn't be loose either. If you can feel play between the inner race & spindle, there may be a problem. I had a bad spindle once that was oval where the outer bearing rode on it, allowing the inner race to move up and down on the spindle.
 
The way I see it as the tapered races and the shaft and the bearings all come together as one there needs to be a little wiggle room for the parts to line up as a whole, so they do not bind.
 
The design is made for the small races to "walk" slowly around the axle as the car rolls. This is why the stub axles always wear on the bottom. Be sure to check for a wear groove on the underside of the axle, which can make the new bearing excessively loose.
 
Thanks for the input. I was concerned that there was a wear point that I was missing. I will look closer at the underside of the stub axle, but it appeared to be okay at a casual look.
Charley
 
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