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TR6 tr6 front wheel bearings

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tr6lover

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has anyone had a problem keeping them? mine keep loosening and wearing or burning up in a matter of a couple thousand miles. im thinking of going to the uncle jacks stub axle set up, i believe its from the flexing of the axles that they keep loosening. i know i have been installing correctly but they keep loosening significantly. any similar experiences? by the way i have panasports, modern rubber and goodparts suspension. this is my everyday driver and im not racing it.
Randy
 
If you have replaced them often, I'm sure you've gotten the hang of installing them and getting them adjusted correctly, so maybe there is a wear problem on the shaft itself? Just a guess.
 
Flexing of the stub axles won't cause the bearings to be too loose; but having a new felt seal in place while setting the clearance certainly can. The problem is that there is no reliable way to tell whether the inner bearing pulled up tight, or only the seal pulled up tight. Best (most reliable) way to do it is to set the clearance first, before installing the seal; then make a mark on the nut & axle end so you can put it back that way with the seal in place.

As poolboy says, I'd also be looking for distortion in your stub axles. I chased a loose bearing for a long time before realizing the inner race didn't fit snugly on the axle. Apparently the axle had been pounded oval so it was snug fore-and-aft but not up and down. Almost .005" difference between vertical diameter and horizontal ... an original axle from another car solved the problem.

I'd also be sure you are getting quality bearings; there's a lot of junk on the market these days. TRF has genuine Timken bearings on sale, but they still aren't cheap.

Also check that you are using grease that will take the heat from the brakes without running out of the bearings.
 
I agree with Randall, I think it is the new felt seals that cause the problems. I've been adjusting my front wheel bearings and can't quite get a good fit. I've heard trimming the felt seal to make it thinner works.
 
I got Timken bearings from a local bearing supply store for less than any of the major suppliers charge. And they had them in stock.
 
You should be able to upgrade the felt seals with modern Chicago Rawhide equivalents. My book with the part number is not here, so can't give the number to you. But take the old seal to the bearing supply house and they can match it for you.

Or it might be listed in the Chicago Rawhide catalog.
 
thanks ron, if you do get a chance to look them up please pass on the part number, my car is going to be down for a few days at least now, luckily i have a motorcycle also and the weather will be good!
Randy
 
Can't remember if I'd mentioned this before so I'll apologize now for repeating myself. All bearings are not created equal. Generally speaking always try to stay with original equipment specs, ie Timken. Without going into the garage to look through some junk, some later manufacturers (FAG and SKF, I think) eliminated a roller bearing on both inner (from 11 to 10) and outer bearings (from 17 to 16). Of course this in theory was OK because of improvements in alloys, greater fatigue strength,etc. But when I was involved in racing we occasionally had bearing problems and this we felt was part of the problem. I was never involved with TR6's (everything's the same TR2 thru 6), but with that much more weight in front, even on a street car for autocrossing I believe Timken would be the choice. Just using the car hard will keep the darned things too loose.
 
To update this post: I ordered front wheel bearing seals from Ebatmus, and got these:

IMG_0788.jpg


I ordered Chicago Rawhide, and this is what I got..... what are they? Nothing like what's already installed. To make matters worse, I was charged $17 for handling/shipping. :wall:
 
I can't tell the diameter, but they look like the seal that is found in the timing chain cover that surrounds the crank shaft.
 
Do you have a felt seal removed where you can compare the o.d. and i.d. with the chicago rawhides?

They look very similar to what I put in mine starting back in around 87.

If not take a hub off, then check. When you go to install them, be sure of removal of the felt seal metal insert. Then a light coating of grease on the lip of the seal, Push them into the hub with the spring facing in to the hub then tap them in place, hopefully with a driver or large socket that fits close to the outside perimeter of the seal.
 
I know this somewhat off topic but it might be of use.

Here is a link to Timkin's catalog pdf. it has several pages(539-542) of many of the bearings for our cars.
https://www.timken.com/en-us/products/Documents/BSAC1989andOlder7391.pdf

If that link does not work this is the page with all the catalogs.
https://www.timken.com/en-us/products/Pages/Catalogs.aspx
Automotive Aftermarket Bearing and Seal Application Catalog (1989 and older)
Comprehensive bearing and seal application catalog for vehicles with the model years 1989 and older. Download the PDF (4.3M)
 
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