help or suggestions

[GUS]

I had a front wheel bearing go out in my 93 festy. After disassembly I discovered I had no preload spacer in there. Upon searching and according to my service manual there should be one, one of 21 it looks like... Since they are obselete from FoMoCo, where can I source one? How can I determine which one I need? Buying all 21 sizes isn't feasible, or an option. What are my options short of buying a complete spindle at the pull a part?

[blkfordsedan]

I would buy a complete spindle from a junk yard, or, this would be a great time to do an Aspire swap. I suppose you could always tear the other side apart to get the spacer and take it to a machine shop to get it duplicated.

Surely someone on here will sell you a complete spindle assy for cheap.....................

[GUS]

I have already torn the other side apart. I have what the manual calls a #11 spacer. What are the odds of them both being the same?

[festivaWES]

Tonycash has a detailed guide of replacing wheel bearings. It is somewhere here on the boards.

[Festiva_Fred]

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24263

[Festiva_Fred]

^nevermind.. pics are deleted now.

[GUS]

I have the ford manual on "how", just don't have an actual preload spacer(s)

[V8Festiva]

I have the ford manual on "how", just don't have an actual preload spacer(s)

Ran into that on one of my cars. I just changed out the whole side.


Member tonycash may have what you need.


Dean
Raleigh, NC

[GUS]

Ran into that on one of my cars. I just changed out the whole side.
Dean
Raleigh, NC

So the odds of them both being a #11 spacer are good then?

[V8Festiva]

So the odds of them both being a #11 spacer are good then?

Couldn't tell you without checking a lot more cars for spacers.

It shouldn't matter if you install another complete side.

Been running mine two years without problems.




Dean
Raleigh, NC

[GUS]

Thanks guys. I guess I will be replacing that whole side then.

[GenevaDirt]

if it didn't have a spacer it may have not needed one. They are there for the hub not the bearing. The hub is not made to as close of tolerances as the bearings are. Put back what is there...not what is on the other side.

[TONYCASH]

I still have the pics if needed.

[Mike McKown]

So the odds of them both being a #11 spacer are good then?

According to a guy that has done a lot of bearings, the #11 spacer is the most common one. I don't know if that is true or not.

You can get another spacer of that size and try it. If it's too long, it can be turned down to a shorter, appropriate length. If it's too short, you can shim it. A machine shop should be able to do the whole job for you.

If it was me, I'd just go get another spindle assembly and start from scratch.

I read here that the spacers are still available from Mazda.

[GUS]

if it didn't have a spacer it may have not needed one. They are there for the hub not the bearing. The hub is not made to as close of tolerances as the bearings are. Put back what is there...not what is on the other side.

The problem is when I torque it to specs, it is to tight and the wheel heats up. Thats what I believe happened in the first place. So my line of thinking is someone has been in there before I bought the car and lost the spacer.