I just sent for a front wheel bearing "Spacer Selection Tool"

[Greywolf]

Pricey ($58.oo +s&h), but I like to set things up right, not guess. Once I have it, I plan to look for any way at all that it can be gotten around so that if we DO NOT have to have it in order to be correct in how we shim or pre-load front wheel bearings, I'm going to find out how.

It's the actual dealership service tool, and for that reason alone I suspected that it was totally uneccessary.

I bet I can mike it out and determine a way to do without it!


Consider it my small sacrifice for you guys...

I'm guessing that the turning torque for the front hub can be measured just like it is for the rear bearing pre-load. But this will give me a benchmark for what that ought to be.

In other words:
Stack up shims, nut it down, then measure turning torque.

Depending on the result add or take away from the shim thickness.

~But first I want to know IF I GO BY THE FORD MANUALS, what is that turning torque exactly and precisely?

SO! I have the genuine FOMOCO Service tool (ROTUNDA!!! :notworthy on it's way to me, and I bet what I find out is that the results at the far end turn out to be "PLUS OR MINUS A BRICK OR A TRUCKLOAD..."

So howzat? You see the kinda stuff I do to make sure your wheels are right on spec :laughing1:

Whattahell, Christmas presents ought to be useless anyway, and this is mine to me.

***If it DOES turn out to be useful - I can be convinced to share it around. UPS delivers everywhere and so does the Festiva Underground



I'd just like to know where it ends up - in case I decide to chrome it and put it in a small shrine on a bookshelf or something



~Wolfie out

[ryanprins13]

Nice. Thanks for doing that for us.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[Eaglefreek]

I've seen this on other forums and while you have good intentions, it doesn't always turn out good. If you decide to loan it out, you need to take a deposit on the cost of the tool.

[Advancedynamix]

I made my own, but it probably cost me more than 70 bucks in time and materials when all said and done. I had to have it in a hurry though and didn't have time to wait for the tool to ship.
The tool is necessary, otherwise there is no way to TQ the bearings to spec to check drag. You'd have to press the hub in and out and that's not good for the bearings, plus it would take more time and you'd still need to concoct a way to adapt an in/lb tq wrench to it.
I set my drag at 5in/lbs dry. I use a needle style TQ wrench to monitor how smooth the bearings roll in the race. This will show an improperly seated race or any other bearing alignment issue. It's getting harder and harder to find virgin knuckles these days. Most of them have been serviced by someone without the patience or proper tools to do the job and they are often damaged. I've had a couple knuckles that just wouldn't hold a race true no matter what I tried, and into the scrap pile they went. This tool allows you to carefully check that. Once the bearings are all greased up and pressed onto the hub, you can't feel that kind of issue by spinning them with your hand.
I constantly hear others on this site having wheel bearing issues on their regularly driven street cars, while my cars are pounded heavily in extreme conditions and I've never had one fail. The difference is having the proper tools to do the job correctly.

[jawja jim]

Charlie, could you do a write-up describing step-by-step what you're talking about, and the tool you use, in more detail. I don't understand what you mean by "setting the drag dry". I have an inch-pound needle style torque, but I find the FSM procedure somewhat confusing and certainly didn't think anything about it was done with the bearings dry. I had always thought the FSM was describing the method for determining which spacer was needed in a new knuckle, but thought the spacer in an old one would be correct, assuming it hadn't be messed with by some jackleg in the intervening decades. I bought my car new and know that the spacer is the one installed on the assembly line.

[F3BZ]

that's actually a good price. those rotunda tools are top quality and i've seen lightly used selection kits go for crazy money on ebay auctions. i think you'll be happy you bought it. i used mine twice for new bearings. both times the specs were in range using the original spacers. maybe that's because the new bearings were OEM. luckily almost or maybe all the spacers are still available thru kia or ford or mazda. i wouldn't trust an independant, or even ford mechanics to do these hubs right. i also would consider getting a deposit if you lend it out. i'm still waiting (about 10 years) for a few things i lent to members back when i used to be a "nice" guy

[Advancedynamix]

Charlie, could you do a write-up describing step-by-step what you're talking about, and the tool you use, in more detail. I don't understand what you mean by "setting the drag dry". I have an inch-pound needle style torque, but I find the FSM procedure somewhat confusing and certainly didn't think anything about it was done with the bearings dry. I had always thought the FSM was describing the method for determining which spacer was needed in a new knuckle, but thought the spacer in an old one would be correct, assuming it hadn't be messed with by some jackleg in the intervening decades. I bought my car new and know that the spacer is the one installed on the assembly line.

The procedure needs to be done with all bearing services. Inconsistencies in the bearing races themselves are enough to throw the preload off. I've built about 20 sets of knuckles with my tools and almost every one was either out of spec or too close for my comfort with the original spacers.
The tool basically allows you to assemble and torque the bearings in the knuckle without seals or grease so you can check the drag on the bearings with an in.lb torque wrench.
I'll get better pictures and do a little write up when I build my next set.

[jawja jim]

That would be much appreciated by me and probably others. I have only replaced one set and it has about 4k on it now(no video of me knocking on my desk), but every slight rumbling road noise makes me paranoid. Can your method be used with standard Festiva knuckles when the rotor's already in place? I do have a spare pair of knuckles for practicing.

[Advancedynamix]

Yes, as the rotor is attached to the hub, and that isn't used to test the drag. The tool acts as the hub, but slides into the bearings, rather than pressing in. If you have 4k miles on those bearings and they still feel good with no slack or tight spots then I wouldn't worry. The bearings get very sloppy before things get unsafe, and you'll feel that when you use the brakes (excess pedal play) or you'll hear a droning hum.
My girlfriend and I regularly travel at well over 100mph in my Festiva, and the car sees strenuous track abuse. That's why I'm such a stickler about my bearing preload and the quality of my parts and lubricant.
For those who live in wet climates, I reccomend a product called “green grease“. It's actually designed for industrial use, but works excellent as a wheel bearing grease. It's waterproof. I get it at Napa. It's a weird whitish green color. It's a little too heavy for racing or hypermiling, but for those of us who just put along, it's great grease.

[Eaglefreek]

Inconsistencies in the bearing races themselves are enough to throw the preload off. I've built about 20 sets of knuckles with my tools and almost every one was either out of spec or too close for my comfort with the original spacers. .

Thanks for bringing that up. A while back, I brought up the point that bearing races and bearings aren't always exactly the same size and that different spacers may be needed when replacing bearings, but another member was adamant that it wasn't enough to throw anything off.

[Advancedynamix]

The change in 5 in.lbs of drag can be as little as .001“. I custom grind my own spacers on a surface grinder to set my bearings up perfectly, so I've become pretty used to the small amounts of difference needed to get it perfect. I creep up on my target drag .0002“ at a time until it's spot on. I take these cars as seriously as if I was setting up a vintage Ferrari F1 car. Parts are parts, whether the car was sold for 2k or 2m, it doesn't matter to me.

[shorestiva]

Is there a good diy way to do the spacers or am I going to have to take it to the machine shop? I've got 2 sets that I'm going to need to rebuild soon.

[Advancedynamix]

I use a weld bead method to remove my bearing races, to avoid galling or damaging the bore in the knuckle. The bearings fall right out of the knuckle this way.


Then the knuckles are checked for cracks or other damage. I use a florescent mag particle (magnaflux) NDT. I inspect the bores for out of round and I.D.

To install the bearing races I heat the knuckles to 250 degrees F in an oven and chill the bearings to 10 degrees F. I apply a very thin coat of anti seize lubricant to the bearing races prior to freezing them.
The chilled races then fall into the heated knuckles with no pressing needed. I do use my press tool to help guide and hold the race in place as it heats up and locks into to knuckle.
I then let the assembly cool to room temperature.
I assemble the bearings and spacer into the knuckle on the special tool, without grease or seals. I blow all parts with clean, dry compressed air to ensure no dust is inside the assembly. Dust can disturb the readings.
I torque my tool to the specified axle TQ and hold the knuckle in a vice and use an in.lb tq wrench to check the drag on the bearings.

I record the drag and disassemble the tool/bearings/hub. I record the spacer width and decide if I need a thicker spacer (drag tq too high) or a thinner spacer (drag tq too low). I then check the spacers in my box to see if I have one more suitable for the hub, and I check the preload again. Once I'm within the factory specified range, I grind the spacer on a surface grinder to get my desired drag. I lime to set my bearing drag to 5in.lbs, which is slightly loose from the mean of the tolerance range of 2.5-10in.lbs.
If my first assembly netted a 15 or more in.lb drag, I remove the bearing races and toss the bearings in the scrap bin and install a new set with a thicker spacer. Over 15 in.lbs of drag can flat spot the bearings or dimple the races. 30 dollars now gives me piece of mind at 150+ mph in an econobox that "should never go that fast".
Even if you don't ever plan to go warp speed in your Festiva, the bearings should be taken seriously. Failed wheel bearings are never a fun time and can be dangerous. Please do good work for everyone's safety.

Side note: I now use a needle style in.lb tq wrench to get a better look at how smooth the bearings roll when loaded. This warns me of any problems with the parts or how they have been assembled.

[Zman86]

Can I ship you my knuckles and have you install new bearings?

Seriously though, is the above conversation regarding festiva or aspire front bearings. I have to put all new bearings in my aspire knuckles after they get back from coating. I was quite confused when I was disassembling the knuckles.

[Advancedynamix]

Festiva, Aspire, 91-94 Capri, BF 323, and I believe early Rio all use the same bearings and install tools, so yes, the procedure is the same for all of those cars.