gearhead437
Well-Known Member
- Local time
- 1:02 AM
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2020
- Messages
- 254
Dear Fellow Motorheads-I don't want to goad the wet noodle brigade, but noticed that my rear wheel bearings were a tad loose. I called the shop who cleaned and repacked them and they said that they should be adjusted on the loose side. I realize that these are thrust bearings that fit into pressed cups, and that they are an inexpensive way to keep production costs down. I grew up on mid 1960's Fords and , like my 1963 Falcon and 1965-67 Mustangs, have adjusted front end thrust bearings. That being said, I broke out my new cone wrench set and adjusted the rear wheel bearings so that there's no wiggle room whatsoever. The bike shop said that it's better to adjust them on the loose side than too tight, as the wheel can bind otherwise. Was going to remove the 415 drive chain to get a better "feel" for the rear bearing adjustment I did. I spent at least an hour slightly loosening the rear bearings, verifying that they were loose and then tightening them again. There was no sweet spot that I could find in this adjustment. I was told that they can make some noise if they're too tight. Do any of the senior members here have any constructive detailed feedback concerning this? I never claimed to be a mechanic-just a very handy facilities maintenance man-Gearhead437