I just need to know how much I should tighten the castle nut for front spindle/disc brake assembly.

Last time I just went hand tight plus whatever I needed for the cotter pin but when I took em off this time they seemed looser.
Maybe they were just worn out, not sure. Thx.

Ben
91 Camaro RS

 

you tighten it to a set preload on the bearing, no idea what it is, i guess at it. then install the key, sounds like you did it right before. was there any wear or damage to the bearings?

 

Not that I could tell. I guess they are cheap anyway, if I screw them up I'll just get new ones again. Thx

 

Torque is 12 ft/lbs... barely amounts to nothing.

And you don't want to tighten the castle nut so you can put the pin in. You should be loosening the castle nut to put the pin in. While you're spinning the wheel forward, tighten to 12 ft/lbs. Then break the nut free, hand tighten, and try to put the pin in- if it doesn't line up, loosen the nut until the pin slides in.

When you took the nut off, it was looser because it should've been. Re-check your bearings for endplay after driving the car for a little bit, they'll have loosened up. Loose wheel bearings also affect braking and handling! I usually try to re-check mine about a week after I pack 'em. (I repack my bearings whenever I change the front brake pads; done that since '94.)

 

Every thing you said was great Tom until I read this. I have to step in and correct this- You want to err on the "tighter" side.
Spin the rotor as you are snugging the castle nut making sure it is still spinning freely (I use a set of Channel-lock pliers). Just snug it with the pliers where all play is out of the castlenut. THEN, position the cotterpin into place. If it is not lining up, THEN TIGHTEN the castle nut slightly more to the next cooterpin alignment hole WHILE SPINNING THE ROTOR FREELY. If any bind slows the rotation of the rotor, you have the castle nut too tight.

Too tight and you will burn the bearing up.
Too loose and you will prematurely wear them from sloppy endplay.

They will always loosen from wear over time, not tighten. SO err on the tighter side.

 

LOL, well you know me, I always go by the GM service manual! So if I were to tighten it just enough to get the pin to slide in, if it was overtightened, I'd be able to feel it binding by spinning the wheel?

Or would it only bind slightly... and that I'd be able to tell by quickly spinning the wheel forward, tightening the nut that extra little bit to slide the pin in, and see if the wheel stops abnormally?

 

I would recommend it be tested without the load of the wheel on the rotor. The extra enertia of the tire and rim will make it harder to judge. Just tighten the nut with only the rotor weight spinning on the spindle, its much easier to see binding due to accidental overtightening.

 

Thanks a lot guys. Your Awesome.

 

Thanx Dean; I'll try that out on my next brake job!

 

I would have to go with TomP on this one. Back in the early 80's I was taking frontend n brake coarse at a local VOC college. We were taught to snugup the bearing while spinning the the rotor /drum then to back it off to the next castle slot. The reasoning was this, HEAT.
The frt, bearings are carring the heavy end rolling and side loads, both generate it.
Then there is conduction from the brakes. All that forward kinetic energy gets turned into heat every time you hit the brakes.
All this means theres going to be some expansion and the clearances would tended to tightenup.

 

I've always heard it as TomP's way as well.

Not to say that vsixtoy's method is wrong, but I can see where it would be beneficial to different scenarios.

Using TomP's method you would have less rolling resistance, albeit a small amount, but with vsixtoy's method you would have less chance of wearing out the bearings when heavy loads are put on them [cornering].

 

it`s as easy as 1..2..3