Both sides.

And I would tend to agree with new bearings and races, but I bet I don't have 4000 miles on that set that's in there. That said, based on everything I'm reading, I not know what else it would be.

 

Some wheel bearing end play is acceptable, the term I remember from Tech School is barely perceptible. You need to make sure that the spindle nut and spindle threads are in good condition, and that the spindle nut tightens easily. I tighten the nut down securely while rotating the hub to seat the bearing. Then back off and hand tighten. I don't know if your truck uses a slotted spindle nut or a stamped retainer, but may require additional adjustment for cotter pin alignment. Sometimes I will use a channel lock pliers with the jaws perpendicular to tighten nut until the pliers slip off, this tightens the nut a little more than finger tight. Depending on your type of wheels, I try to do final adjustment with tires on for a more accurate adjustment. Also the wheel bearings will loosen up after driving awhile, not a bad idea to recheck after awhile if you can. Bottom line, I would not replace wheel bearings because of a little bit of play.

 

Mark,

I have some sorta black spoked aftermarket 17" wheels on the truck.

The spindle nut is held in place by a stamped retainer (as opposed to slotted nut)and cotter key. I would call the amount of end play to be perceptible. I can actually hear something clunking when I push and pull on the top and bottom of the tire/wheel.

I tightened the spindle nut with a 1/2 drive torque wrench and the wheel installed while I slowly spun the wheel. I quit at 40 ft/lbs because there still was a clunk and I was afraid of applying any more torque without further guidance. My Haynes manual said no more than 20 ft/lbs so I started with that.

 

I assume the wheel bearing replacements were the correct ones and the cups fit tight in the hubs. I think you have worn ball joints or control arm bushings. You need to have a second person move the wheel, while you watch the ball joints (hard to do by yourself). It does not take much wear to cause a clunk, sometimes hard to see.

 

I asked the tech at the tire shop (see original post) if it could be the anything else, specifically the ball joints. He said he didn't see the ball joints move. I assume he looked at other components. My experience has been that at tire shops, they are looking for worn components in order to increase their sales.

I replaced the bearings when I replaced the hub/rotor. The hub came with a race installed and I used that one. Any chance it's not a good match for the bearings I installed?

 

Shouldn't matter. When replacing hubs/rotors of that nature, I always used the races that came with them. (if it came with one....) Never had a problem.

I HAVE seen some strange wear on bearings though...... Had one in the mower deck on my tractor, that the rollers were the part that got worn, and so the spindle was a tad sloppy. Replace the bearing/race, and it's all good now.

Bearings are pretty cheap. Might try getting a good name set, change 'em out, and see what happens. Other possibility is, might be the seats for the races were machined too deep..... in which case, it simply won't matter what you do...... you won't be able to eliminate that last bit of slop.

That said, inspecting the rest of the suspension yourself, is a VERY good idea. grab a friend, check it out, see what ya got.

 

I replaced both the bearings and races with new National brand. Still have the the perceptible wiggle. (Insert head bang emoji here)

I tried torquing the spindle nut a little more than the standard 20 ft/lbs. but didn't seem to help.

What I did notice is that with only the outter bearing pushed onto spindle ( i.e., not inside the hub) the outter cage of the bearing would wiggle around on the rollers. To a novice like me, that would appear that that is where the wiggle is coming from.

I was under the truck pulling and pushing on the other components, and can't find anything obvious to the untrained eye. I know something isn't right because the truck wanders around while driving and accelerating and stopping.

(Thread creep alert) I have replaced the steering box with a Redhead a couple of years ago in an effort to fix the above mentioned. All that did for me was make my steering wheel off center while driving straight down the road. (Another head bang here)

 

Is the play still there on both sides or did at least one side improve?

 

The cage around the rollers isn't supposed to be tight. It just keeps the rollers in place.

You really need to grab a friend, and verify that your slop is indeed the bearings..... Is the hub/rotor new?

 

Apparently it's not the bearings, it's the ball joints.

That is the latest diagnosis from the same tire shop who said last week it was the bearings. I am never sure of the competence of these places, as the tech are usually pretty transient.

Ran out of time yesterday, but will get under the truck with my son this morning and try to verify the ball joints are bad before I proceed any further. My problem is, I don't have any experience in this stuff and Not real sure what I'm looking for, beyond the obvious.

Thanks