Rear wheel bearings
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi can anyone tell me the torque settings for the rear nuts holding the hubs on, the bearings are the later taper bearings. I have looked in the haynes manual but to no avail. Many thanks chirs.

finger tight?

Rear wheel bearing I normally jack the car up & tighten till theres no play in the wheel. Don't over tighten though, and make sure they don't bind up. Normally a gnats more than finger tight.

Taper roller bearings can be torqued up FT, this is because there is a metal sleeve in the centre meaning no matter how tight you do the nut, there is no more axial load placed on the rolling elements in the bearing.

If you have old style ball bearings then these do not have anything stopping you loading them axially and so need setting up by the old "finger tight and back a flat" method.

I am excavating this so its more likely to be found by searchers,

aparently some rear hubs do not like being torqued right up with the taper bearing rollers,

I have always used toms method (as per the manual) and have had a few rear bearings fail within a year of fitting (some others were fine), i coldn't find a reason why at the time at the time and put it down to luck .

after one of the bearings in my KAD hubs breaking up after approx 50miles I contacted Kad and they recomend a similar fitting method to the ball bearings,

do the nut finger tight to take out he slack then tighten to the next split pin alignment hole. check ( for play) at 50 anf 100 miles and tighten if nessacary.

considering the past failures I am going to adopt this and see how I get on.

Edited by Joe C on 22nd Aug, 2008.

Things must have changed a lot since I replaced wheel bearings on anything.I have bnever seen taper rollers with a sleeve -always tighten to seat the bearing and slack off till barely perceptible play.You can put several tons axial pressure on a taper roller and it will still spin freely, but it wont last long.Ball bearings in a wheel bearing scene are usually radial contact,must be assembled the right way round, and on to a sleeve that prevents axial loading.Maybe Minis are completely different now, but I have my doubts.

i've always done them at 60lbf as it says in the haynes.

““A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.”” - Jeremy Clarkson

I've always taken FT as Fully Tight

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/solutions/auto...ngs_English.pdf

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/solutions/auto...ent_English.pdf

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/solutions/auto...ase_English.pdf

http://www.timken.com/EN-US/products/maint...uments/6347.pdf

Edited by Sprocket on 14th May, 2009.