jonjeffryes

Hi all,

Finally got around to checking out the cause of the wheel wobble on my 86 'S'.

I'd had the wheels balanced and 4 wheel alignment with no improvement. So today, I lifted the car and checked the suspension/steering. Apart from the lower drop link bushes being shot, the only other problem was a little play in the wheel bearings.

Pulled them apart, rplaced with new, regreased and adjusted and she runs as smooth as can be!

atvb

Jon J

86 944S

79 911 SC Targa sport

Porrsche

Next time, try adjusting the bearings. According to the Haynes manual that is a standard procedure in every other service.

SoCal Driver

Front wheels I take it. Did you check the rears?

Kevin Baker

How in the h@ll do you ADJUST the bearings. They are stuffed in there between the axle and the races, there is NO adjustment. Clean and repack with grease yes, but adjust?

SoCal Driver

Think he's refering to the front bearings. Timkins; tapered rollers. These do require adjusting as you have to leave them just a bit loose as they do their own preloading.

Kevin Baker

Right, I knew I would feel stupid just as soon as I hit "Submit Reply"

Matt Romanowski

Wheel bearing adjustment can be interesting. The manuals suggest doing it with every service, with is a good idea. I talked to a friend that lived on a dirt road and he had to adjust his every week. The only thing we could figure was the extra vibration from the road!

Matt

SoCal Driver

Rear bearings are non adjustable. They depend on the stack up of the spacers. More critical in the later 944's than the early.

Porrsche

Have had mine front bearings adjusted twice.

Bought the car 4 months ago and adjusting the front wheel bearings was among the first thing I did. Some 300 miles/3 months later a 944/951/968 experienced mechanic pro showed me to do it better (don´t read Haynes manual too close). He told me that the front bearings rarely needs to be replaced, but often adjusted.

SoCal Driver

When the races were not seated properly you will find it necessary to adjust them often.

TheCooler

What is the proper way to adjust them?

trebor_quitman

I recall something along these lines; Tighten until wheel can no longer spin freely, then back out an 1/8th or 1/4 turn? Someone else please chime in and verify. I might be confusing the specifics with my bug's old drum setup.

Zero10

I believe you tighten them until you can just turn the washer with a screwdriver.
That is probably understating it.

SoCal Driver

IIRC I always spun the wheel and tightened the spindle nut till it was firm then backed off about 1/4 turn. Then spining the wheel I would just snug the nut down and cinch it with the locking bolt.

I found that a just perceptible free play top and bottom was as close as the loose washer setting.

I would use the screwdriver to the thrust washer "adjustment" with the 944.

RedlineMan

Hey All;

Here's a rundown I posted on 968.net regarding my proceedrue for bearings. Hope this helps.
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Clean them thoroughly using various brushes and whatever solvent you like (kero, gas, etc.) I use brake parts cleaner as the final step because it dries fast and leaves NO residue. Also, if you have compressed air, this REALLY helps to clean them completely. I jamb them on my finger/thumb, douse them with brake clean, and give 'em a good spin with the blow gun.

Look at both the rollers and the races and see if you note any pitting, scratches, flat spots, grooves, or discoloration (slightly brown is OK, dark brown-to-blue is bad). If you note any of this, REPLACE THEM.

Chances are there will be nothing wrong. You can use any generic wheel bearing grease for normal street use. Synth or other fancy stuff is not necessary, but certainly won't hurt. If you intend to track the car, you really should use high temp grease. I have boiled generic grease completely out of my bearings before, splattering it all over the fenders, so I've been there!

You can get all manner of greasing tools. I use my hands! I work the grease into all the knooks & crannies, spin them around, and keep jambing grease in till they are packed. You do not need to pack the entire hub full of grease like a lot of people do. A bearing only uses the grease that is on the contact surfaces, and will more or less sling out what it doesn't need. In fact, if you pack the hub tight, you will probably blow the dust cap off when the grease gets hot and expands!

I put the bearings in and then wipe some extra grease in around the front and back sides, but nothing excessive. When installed, I run the clamp in fairly snug with a set of pliers (I use vise grips locked fairly lightly) perpendicular to the clamp. I then spin the rotor a few times to seat everything. I then back off the clamp, and resnug it until I can detect only the slightest play in the bearing. All the while, I am holding the TOP of the rotor and wiggling it with my fingers (if you wiggle at 3 & 9, you can get rack or tie rod slop. If you wiggle at the bottom, ball joint). Once I get this tad of play, I lock the clamp and finish the job.

www.redlinerennsport.com