While installing the front suspension and removing the front wheel hubs I decided to check the condition of grease, bearings and spindles. The bearings have around 9K miles since new and same goes for the grease. I noticed circular scars on the spindle. Are these indicative of grease failure/insufficient grease or caused by dirt? And the big question is: is it within "limits"? The inner most scratches can not be felt with a finger nail but the next set of scratches marked by the arrow catches the finger nail.

The passenger side spindle does not have the same scratches.

Cheers!
Carl

 

Usually the bottom of the spindle gets pitted and starts giving you a little movement. It quickly then becomes a problem.

 

Carl, I honestly don't know whether to be worried about what you've pictured, but Dr. Bob posted a simple test in post #2 of this thread, along with a rec for Loctite 641 if there is (minimal) wear:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-question.html

Obligatory spindle pics for comparison, 'cause all I got is pics:

 

FWIW I have found that the spindles are made of metal that's not very hard, and possibly cut a bit more undersized.

Thus a bearing inner race seems to easily spin and deform the metal surface.

This damage is most pronounced at the inner bearing race ,
you will also see the metal that's perpendicular to the area that's in question has also worn down. ( The Shoulder of the spindle)

NOTE the most wear will be on the underside of the spindle inner race .

As this is a crucial part I suggest adjust the bearing as described in the WSM
Dont try to adjust out the play by making the nut tighter as this will add to the wear the spindle will see.

Also you will want to resurface the washer on both sides and the nut so the surfaces are smooth , use 220 grit then 400 to make a smooth surface on both of these parts,
they will then easily slide and make adjustment of the bearing easy.

The indications of worn spindles will be most noticed when backing out then applying the brakes the pedal will seem to have jump in it as the rotors move out of plane from the inner bearing moving around on the spindle.

NOTE when driving forward the rotors will assume a seated position and the brakes will work as they should.


Short of replacing the spindles with new parts that may also be soft,
I would suggest to follow the instructions above for adjusting the bearings,
and drive it like you stole it!

 

The bearing turns internally ,not on the spindle . it must fit tight , but the marks are of no concern . the seal area should be polished up

 

Thank you Rob and Bilal,

I found Dwayne's excellent writeup and in there it was pointed out the first wear mark closest to the hub is from the inner bearing seal, and I see the same on your picture Rob. They outer wear mark that was worrying me seems to be outside of the bearing "resting area" so I think it will be fine. I will do the test Dr.Bob points out in your link.

For re-assembly, does the spindle need to be greased at the area where the 2 bearings rest? I am assuming it needs a thin coating just enough to allow the hub to slide on? Or should it be completely free of grease?

Cheers!
Carl

 

Stan and Rob,

Thank you for chiming in. Your answers appeared while I was typing my previous reply. So far there has been no play in either left or right side front bearings. I will go ahead and follow your suggestions, and hopefully have this buttoned back up in the near future. Probably a good idea to replace the bearing seals at this point?

Cheers!
Carl

 

Terry,

Can you recommend a polish and procedure for polishing it? Will Autosol or Flitz be too coarse?

Carl

 

Unless the sealing surface is rough, I'd leave it well enough alone. The polishing by the old seal won't prevent the new seal from doing its job. Do lubricate the lip of the new seal, and put some grease in the lip area where the spring lives. That will dramatically extend the life of the new seal. It's meant to float on the thinnest film of grease on the spindle. Note that the area between the seal and the inner bearing cone should NOT be packed solid with grease. Some is good, packed solid is not good. Needs a little room for expansion (from heat) without blowing the seal out.

 

Roger that! Thank you Dr. Bob

Carl

 

To confirm before I install the bearings again, I just want to confirm that the two circled areas where the wheel bearings rest should be FREE of grease? As the bearings rotate internally I am assuming that the exterior bearing shell should sit firmly onto the spindle without any grease that would allow it to rotate. Am I correct in this assumption?

To follow up on the scratches, after cleaning and using a very mild metal polish (liquid) most of the scratches actually "wiped off" nearly completely. There are some very small scratches left but they do not catch the finger nail any longer.

Cheers!
Carl

 

Apply a thin layer of grease.

 

Will do, thank you Greg!

Carl

 

Man, that spindle doesn't look clean enough for the scale of what you're doing. I'm surprised you didn't restore the raw cast part of the spindle to better than OEM condition, for teh concours...

 

Yeah...you're right. I better polish it a little...how's this?

Cheers!
Carl