[r-mm]

How do you all go about torquing the front hub nut?

Manual says torque first to 14 ft-lbs while spinning hub. When I approach 14 ft-lbs the hub starts binding a bit... doesn't spin as freely. Is this right?

next step is to untorque the nut and then retorque to ~7ft-lbs. Well my clicker type wrench starts at 10 ft-lbs... do you all use a beam type torque wrench for this or just wing it?

 

[Gubi]

I've got an inch-pound clicker torque wrench (goes up to 250 in-lbs or ~20 ft-lbs) which works well for this particular job.

 

[r-mm]

it goes down to 7 ft-lbs?

 

[Gubi]

It goes from like 25-250 in-lb. Twelve inches in a foot, and twelve in-lb in a ft-lb. 7 ft-lb = 84 in-lb.

It's the smaller Craftsman 3/8" model. Works great for spark plugs, too.

Honestly, if you've got decent feel you can probably just snug 'em up close to 7 ft-lb and then back off per the procedure. That's probably what folks who are less pedantic than me do. But I always use a torque wrench.

 

[Gordon Raymond]

This job is best done by feel, with experience. Some Ferrari's are very sensitive to this, and will wear out outer front bearings quickly if it's not just right. Spindles and bearings can change enough with heat to cause too tight or, sometimes, a too loose condition. I set them by feel, drive them until brakes or driving heats components, check them again, allow to cool and check once more. By then, they are right, and maintain fit.
From my experience.

 

[papajam]

When I approach 14 ft-lbs the hub starts binding a bit... doesn't spin as freely. Is this right?

Absolutely.
This part of the procedure is called 'seating the bearing'. It is not only normal but necessary.

 

[r-mm]

This job is best done by feel, with experience. Some Ferrari's are very sensitive to this, and will wear out outer front bearings quickly if it's not just right. Spindles and bearings can change enough with heat to cause too tight or, sometimes, a too loose condition. I set them by feel, drive them until brakes or driving heats components, check them again, allow to cool and check once more. By then, they are right, and maintain fit.
From my experience.

Fair enough.
I also noticed in the manual that it says that once the nut is re-torqued, the washer should move with a slight tap of a mallet or nudge with a screwdriver in one of its holes (is that what the holes are for?). this doesn't make too much sense to me since the washer is splined... am i looking for in-out movement on the axis of the spindle?

 

[Tifosi]

The washer should be able to move rotationally but not in/out/rocking.
The holes are to allow grease to move to and fro in the bearing and hubcap as neccisary instead of having no relief area so it just blows out the inner seal.
That and packing a bit of grease in the hubcap as suggested can press a bit more into the outer bearing if a little overdone instead of just building a pressure pocket in the cap which in turn can cause it to pop off all by itself.

The mallet is used to tap the end of the spindle post~tightening to help things settle, not to baff at the washer to try and move it.

 

[eedneco]

FWIW, my 2 cents:
Re the mallet, I remember Fred DiM telling me a couple decades ago to hammer on a wheel mounted on the hub whose bearing you're setting, while turning the wheel.
What I do for the bearing play judgement is (once I get it settled) to measure the end play with a dial gauge on a magnetic mount, and compare it to the number published in the Plat/Verde milano manual, which I think was 0.02-0.12mm. Mount the mag mount on the hub, place pointer on the stub axle end, and push the hub all the way, then pull all the way out (hard as you can each way) and see what the travel is.
On my car I found the smallest step you can do by shifting the cotter is 0.08mm, but you can use valve spring shims and reduce that to a smaller minimum change. I had a bunch of them around from motor work and I found if I measured them for one that was not exactly 0.5mm (I think they were that) then you can use that to tweak the gap. They seem to be hardened so appear to be up to the job.
I try to get mine down to 0.02-0.04mm.
The point is that you want to have a non-zero end play so the bearing doesn't burn itself up, but also so that you don't have too much slop.
What I have not done however is to measure how much the end play changes with a hot hub, using Gordon's thinking. That would be interesting to do sometime.
Just my inexpert input here.
Cheers
Neil

 

[Alfajay]

Honestly, if you've got decent feel you can probably just snug 'em up close to 7 ft-lb and then back off per the procedure. That's probably what folks who are less pedantic than me do. But I always use a torque wrench.

Given that the cotter pin only allows the big castelated nut to be positioned to within +- 30 degrees (there are 6 slots in the nut, 360/6 gives resolution within a 60 degree range), trying to set the torque to within 1% of 7 fl-lb is kind of pointless. So setting the torque it by feels seems OK to me.

 

[r-mm]

Not to mention the tolerance of the torque wrench...

okay well since everyone agrees that "by feel" is the way to go... what's the feeling you're looking for? When torqued should the hub spin entirely as freely as when it is entirely untorqued?

 

[Gordon Raymond]

Hard to describe. When are you coming by? I'll show you.

 

[Tifosi]

LOL

Right up there with 'how much should the parking brake shoes drag when fully released' in'it

 

[Gordon Raymond]

It is a hard one! Experience is the best instructor on this sort of thing. It's a lot like how tight the upper timing chain should be. You know that one Darren. It should be about this tight. What can I say?

 

[r-mm]

well, if anyone is in the new haven area, feel free to stop by my garage and apply the power of experience to any and all of the mechanical gray areas on my car in exchange for a beer and or cigar.

 

[Gordon Raymond]

On my way!