replaced front wheel bearings, still play

[thejackrabbit]

I had replaced the front wheel bearings because I could feel play in the wheel side to side. even after replacing the bearings there is still the same amount of play in the wheel.

could my axel be worn out? there were no groves on it.

however my wheel spacers have seen better days could this be the cause of the play?

The old bearings were kinda rough when spinning, but not loose and wobbly like you would expect from worn ones.

 

[swazi_matt]

Maybe a silly question, but are the Spokes tight?

 

[thejackrabbit]

yes I check them and they are all tight and have that "ring" to them

 

[einsteingarage]

Swazi brings up a good point your spokes may feel tight but there could still be play. Take the time to stand stand on each side of the bike and pull and push slowly you should be able to see which bearing has play or if it's the spokes

 

[thejackrabbit]

I've looked directly at the area where the spacer and the seal fit together and there is definitely still play. the hub and whole wheel assembly move around

 

[twowheels]

What was your front axle tightening procedure? Is the axle able to preload the bearings?

 

[thejackrabbit]

if i remember correctly I clamped the left side if looking at the front of the bike, then put the nut on the right side, tightened the right side bolts and loosened the left side. bounced the front a little to set it. then tightened the left side.

 

[Jakobi]

When you installed the new bearings, how did you do it? Did you ensure they went in straight and worked them in slowly only contacting the outer race? Were they in there nice and firm once seated, or is it possible the hub has been worn a bit and the play is actually the whole bearing rocking in the hub (opposed to the inner race rocking on the axle).

 

[thejackrabbit]

I had frozen the bearings prior to installing them, Even still the fit had some friction not drop in loose. And I used a correctly sized aluminum bicycle tool i found looks very similar to a socket, yet lines up perfectly with the outer race, I taped them in softly with a soft mallet until the pitch of the ring changed and checked that they were even, flat and correctly seated.

 

[GasGas]

Loosen pinch bolts on both sides. Tighten the axle nut pretty tight to seat the axle, then tighten the pinch bolts on the axle nut side. Then you can tighten the axle nut to the correct torque. Lastly tighten the pinch bolts on the other fork after lowering bike to floor and compressing the forks a couple cycles.

 

[thejackrabbit]

will do, as soon as the weather warms up and I can wash my bike, hopefully thursday I should be able to

 

[Jakobi]

Loosen pinch bolts on both sides. Tighten the axle nut pretty tight to seat the axle, then tighten the pinch bolts on the axle nut side. Then you can tighten the axle nut to the correct torque. Lastly tighten the pinch bolts on the other fork after lowering bike to floor and compressing the forks a couple cycles.

This sounds back the front. Do axle up as best as possible, then tighten the pinch bolts opposite side to the nut, and torque axle. This may result in the opposite fork binding a litte as its pulled in. Do up pinch bolts nut side and all should be seated and torqued. Release other side pinch, allow fork to unbind and fid natural position, and then retorque. Same as you did originally.

Seems you have narrowed it down to being either the new bearings were bad/out of spec, or its the axle.

 

[thejackrabbit]

The new bearings measured the same as the old ones.
how could the axel go bad there was no grooving on it?

 

[Jakobi]

If there is no play between the bearings and hub, and there is no play between the axle and the bearing.. then what does that leave?? Bearing itself.

They aren't C3/C4 bearings are they?

 

[thejackrabbit]

I got them from smith's power sports, they were packaged by them.
the old ones read KML 6905RS, the new ones read something similar to that, I'm 99% sure it was the KML part.

 

[Jakobi]

I'd be pulling the dust seals and inspecting each bearing a bit more closely.

Where are you seeing the movement? Are you feeling it click or wobble as you push at each edge of the tyre or are you just seeing a small amount of movement on the spacer (opposite brake side)?

 

[Coop]

Not sure where you are located but if you want a second set of eyes to diagnose let me know. I work at the airport so I am near Pittsburgh 5 days a week and can swing by sometime.

Jake has some great advice though. Follow his steps and I think you will find the problem. I would suspect a worn hub over a worn axle. The bearing face can wear if you run with bad bearings too long. I have had to use shim stock in the past on some bikes until I could replace the hub.

 

[thejackrabbit]

if I grab the wheel in between the forks and wiggle left and right I can fell play and I can see the spacers moving sightly by the seals

 

[adv rider]

wheel bearings

Ok, Did you reinstall the spacer in the hub? That is between the bearings. I have seen these aluminum spacer worn out, from the wheel being installed. So that there is a gap between bearing and spacer. Which causes early failure of new bearings.

 

[Elvis74]

Are the bearing Seat ok? Maybe these are worn out.