Pass side - The wheel turned smoothly & silently. The pink grease looked new.
Driver's side was a different scene.- The wheel turned smoothly, but I could hear a faint rolling sound. The pink grease was still evident, but is very dark inside the bearing. There was also a very faint rust trail from the spindle nut down.
Looks like I'll be replacing the bearings & seals soon.
Got the hub off today - Best advice I got before taking it apart was to keep anything with blood in it above the brake drum or hub when taking them off. Gee whizzz - them suckers love the floor!
Anyway, the rear seal showed no significant leak, it had some dirt stuck to the back of it, but the backing was grease free & bone dry.
The inner bearing looked very good.
The outside bearing - definitely in need of replacement.
Measured the spindle - No love to be found. It is not round. There is about 0.003" worn off the bottom. Looks like a new spindle is in my future.
Better to deal with this at home rather than on the road, still an unexpected expense.
Any one have a spare spindle lying around for a 1987 classic?
Kyle, a trick I saw on releasing stuck taper joints was to hit the female part with a cutting torch to heat it very quickly. The key is quickly. Slow heat expands both parts at the same time, what you are trying to do is heat the outside diameter before the heat can reach the male part.
Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home )
Tried a few machine shops today & a few axle repair shops. They won't touch a steer axle except to replace with new parts.
Bummer! Hope the new one I ordered is the right part.
Richard - Since I'm replacing the knuckle/ spindle, I'll be able to get them out a lot easier since I won't be worried about damage to the knuckle. :^)
The cheap knuckle I found arrived today. looks just like the old one - BUT, the dimensions are different. I chose poorly.
Hopefully the next one will be the correct one.
)