cv nut too tight?

[Jon]

Is it possible to get the nut that holds the cv in the hub, too tight? What is the torque required? I found one measurement here that said something like 180?

We thought we had a sticking caliper, but after removing the caliper COMPLETELY the rotor refuses to turn. Im really confused here. New bearings in the hub and new CV axle and new rotor. When I try and turn the nut to loosen it, the hub will turn, but its really really hard to turn.

This is on an 88 btw.

[FestYboy]

125-130 ftlb is the spec. so, yes, you can have it too tight.

from the discription, the bearings are gauled and starting to sieze on the races (or have been over torqued). replace the bearings with quality pieces (timken or the like, no off brand crap!) and then retorque the CV nut properly.

[Jon]

Thanks a ton! Loosened it and torqued it to spec and everything is fine. We didnt drive it with the nut that tight, so I believe the bearing should be fine.

Thanks again.

[georgeb]

Who assembled the hub assembly? It requires fiddling with different size spacers and sounds really difficult and tedious. You can't just install bearings. I'll get a salvage one if mine goes.

[Pu241]

It requires fiddling with different size spacers and sounds really difficult and tedious. You can't just install bearings.

Not necessarily!
90%+ of the time if you use the spacer that came with the hub and use a quality bearing you have no issues.
The other 10% of the time is a combination of:
1) The spacers get switched because the shop presses them both out and do not know which hub they came from. 50% chance at that one. I take in one hub at a time and ask what the spacer is for. The correct answer get the business.
2) The use of crappy/off grade/cheap bearings.
3) the owner waited too long to replace the bearing and it destroyed the hub.

Yes, you can just install bearings!

[drddan]

Not necessarily!
90%+ of the time if you use the spacer that came with the hub and use a quality bearing you have no issues.
The other 10% of the time is a combination of:
1) The spacers get switched because the shop presses them both out and do not know which hub they came from. 50% chance at that one. I take in one hub at a time and ask what the spacer is for. The correct answer get the business.
2) The use of crappy/off grade/cheap bearings.
3) the owner waited too long to replace the bearing and it destroyed the hub.

Yes, you can just install bearings!

^^^ This is all VERY important! The spacers are HUB specific. Not bearing specific. Timken bearings FTW! The best you can get. Dont buy the $8 china made bearings, buy the $15 Timken.

I wonder if your bearings will hold up now since they were torqued so tight.
180 ft. lbs is nuts!

Good luck!

[WmWatt]

Haynes manual specifies 116-174 ft-lbs for driveaxle/hub locknut (pg 8-1).
You're not supposed to be able to stop the rotor from turning by overtightening the axle nut
unless the preload spacer is missing or too small. Loosening the axle nut enough will let the rotor turn
but then the bearings will be loose on the hub. Grab the top of the tire and shake vigorously. There should
be no movement. It's also been written in another thread that a low rumbling noise indicates loose (or worn) bearings.

What does a destroyed hub look like? How do you tell if a hub is good?

[GenevaDirt]

Haynes manual specifies 116-174 ft-lbs for driveaxle/hub locknut (pg 8-1).
You're not supposed to be able to stop the rotor from turning by overtightening the axle nut
unless the preload spacer is missing or too small. Loosening the axle nut enough will let the rotor turn
but then the bearings will be loose on the hub.

agreed

[nitrofarm]

The preload setup question keeps popping up.Someone needs to do a tutorial per the Ford manual.That way we can point people to it.
You say " Check the Shim for pre-load" and people start thinking its complicated.But if they could see it in pics.I think they would be much more prone to tackle the task.

[WmWatt]

l should qualify what I wrote above. The one time the rotor can be hard to turn is when new bearings are first installed. After the car is driven a few feet (up and down the driveway a couple of times) the weight of the car pushes the cups and cones against each other and the rotors then turn freely. Also, when first installing the bearings you should rotate the steering knuckle on the hub as much as you can after every few turns of the nut to seat the bearings.

Nitorfarm: people have posted links here to online manuals which describe the spacer selection and bearing installation. I've seen one for Ford (1991) and one for spacer sizes with KIA part numbers.

[georgeb]

Not to discourage anyone from tackling a hub rebuild, but it seems that the old spacer being the right thickness for new bearings is somewhat of a crapshoot. There are 21 different sizes of spacers (where would you get one?) and the right one is determined by the flaky and tedious method of using a sensitive torque wrench to determine pre-load after everything is pressed together. It also requires several pullers, adapters and a "pre-load selection" tool. It makes more sense to get a used one and save your old ones for a rainy day.

[nitrofarm]

Nitorfarm: people have posted links here to online manuals which describe the spacer selection and bearing installation. I've seen one for Ford (1991) and one for spacer sizes with KIA part numbers.

Well why arent we pointing them to these manual's?

[nitrofarm]

Not to discourage anyone from tackling a hub rebuild, but it seems that the old spacer being the right thickness for new bearings is somewhat of a crapshoot. There are 21 different sizes of spacers (where would you get one?) and the right one is determined by the flaky and tedious method of using a sensitive torque wrench to determine pre-load after everything is pressed together. It also requires several pullers, adapters and a "pre-load selection" tool. It makes more sense to get a used one and save your old ones for a rainy day.

I can do one in the same time it takes to drink a cold Corona.And good luck on finding used ones.And good used one that have the correct spacer(Because it came from a JY its goona be correct?).Plus the manual clearly states any time you change bearings & races.You need to veryify the preload. I'd much rather do it right. But thats just me.

[FestYboy]

Haynes manual specifies 116-174 ft-lbs for driveaxle/hub locknut (pg 8-1).
What does a destroyed hub look like? How do you tell if a hub is good?

what gives you the idea that haynes has the correct torque specs if they cant even get the wire colors correct?

it's 125-130 ftlb. 116-174 is a huge range even for a hub nut.

a bad hub will be scored or gauled on the smooth outer surface where the bearings press onto.

[WmWatt]

FestyBoy: Thanks. My hubs are good then. No marks on them.

The 1991 Ford Festiva shop manual says on the last step of preload testing to torque to 145 ft-lb, about the same as you wrote.