l75eya Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Since I've had the 87 GL, the driver's side front wheel bearings have been an issue. - -Wheel slop (tire off the ground, I have play in the hub. Tie rod = tight. Ball joint = tight. Grab wheel at top and bottom and the whole hub moves..) - -Grinding/squealing noises that alternate between occurring sometimes when there is load on the drivetrain (while accel/decel) and sometimes only while free wheeling/coasting in neutral (down a slight hill; between gear changes) - -intermittent clunks - -And this: Apologies for the large resolution, I wanted the deformation of the wheel bearing hub (top) to be clearly visible. I do not have much experience with wheel bearings..or the steering knuckle this one is fit in to. Just by the look of that, is it reason enough to judge the steering knuckle is warped/deformed in some way that would require me to replace it? That's one of my main concerns.. The other is that the whole assembly comes loose in time; I tighten down the axle nut and everything seems okay After some miles the axle nut is loose again and the whole assembly has play and the bearings make noise. Today I took the whole hub off (not the steering knuckle though. Ball joint was not being co-operative) I did a quick visual and noticed that 1.) The grease packed in the bearings looked pretty cooked and dirty. It was new 10,000 miles ago. 2.) There was a lot of red powdery dust everywhere. Kinda like rust, but I'm not sure if it is rust. 3.) The damage to the hub noted in the picture above When I re-assembled everything, I put on a new beveled washer and I cranked the axle nut down as tight as I could (standing/jumping on the wrench. I'm 140. Should be pretty tight) I also packed some fresh grease into the bearing as well as I could without removing the whole knuckle. I am contemplating trying out ordering a new washer, the one with the slit in it. GD has named that part many times but I forget what it is actually called at the moment, though I do know from his and others' explanations on here that the tolerance and importance of that piece being within spec is very important and could also lead to some of the issues I have if it is not. Here's a picture of the dust and that slit-ed-ed-ed washer Sorry for the lengthy read, just trying to be thorough in my explanation.. Trying to finally get one of these last few quirks taken care of and thanks for everyone's time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I believe that washer is upside down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 I believe that washer is upside down. Oh! I should have mentioned, the pictures were taken while I was dis-assembling the hub. The washer you're talking about, you mean the beveled one, right? If that is the case, the replacement (new) washer I installed was clearly marked OUT on one side, and I installed it with the word facing outward (obviously). If that's what you're referring to, then that has been fixed. I would be ecstatic if that's what was causing all the problems, but I kinda doubt it = \ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 the cone washer is called a "center Piece axle", you can find the subaru part number if you search the site a bit. the thinner one that goes between the center piece axle and the nut is called a spring washer (or at least thats what I have always heard it called. Its the one you have that is marked "out". imo replace them both with new parts. that ridge on the edge of the silted-ed-ed washer is not supposed to be there, and it can keep it from going deep enough to lock the hub. new center piece axle, new spring washer (though it sounds like you have one already), might as well get a new castle nut and torque it down. don't forget the cotter pin just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Re: What's wrong with my EA82's hub/knuckle/bearings? the cone washer is called a "center Piece axle", you can find the subaru part number if you search the site a bit. Got it. Thanks for the advice. For reference the explanation and part number of the center piece axle, or conical spacer as it also seems to be referred to, can be found here http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=99165&highlight=center+Piece+axle Going to see if any local dealerships have them in stock tomorrow. Thanks djellum! I'd have never known to question that ridge, really glad you pointed that out! Makes perfect sense now, hopefully maybe....JUST maybe.....it's that simple (Knock on wood) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Unlikely to be in stock. Try Retroroo, sub specialists in Colorado. Shippings cheap, parts are a little under $10. There was 1 dealership in oregon that had 2 (according to my local one). if you can't find any, see if any can be shipped out. I would go with Retroroo if you can't get one local though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Greased and new spring washer on the hub in question (driver's front). Torqued that mother down as much as I could. 500 mile round-trip to PA and back, hub is all sloppy and loose again (I did get about 430 miles to a tank though!) =\ Going to call up a couple of dealerships to try and find the "Center Piece Axle" and if that doesn't work, will be contacting Retroroo to send me out a couple. Also have a lead on a steering knuckle out of a 93 Loyale for around $50. These are all interchangable, correct? 2wd 4wd Loyale GL The only thing I know for certain is that a turbo model's knuckle won't work.. Can't wait to get this fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Also have a lead on a steering knuckle out of a 93 Loyale for around $50. These are all interchangable, correct? 2wd 4wd Loyale GL The only thing I know for certain is that a turbo model's knuckle won't work.. : Turbo one will work. all EA82 knuckles are the same. Turbo axles are different. If you can't find a cone washer, just file the ridge off the one you've got. You also need to check the condition of the splines inside the hub (the part with the rotor bolted to it) If they have a flat spot on the top of each ridge, it's fine.......if the ridges come to sharp points, the hub is worn out and no amount of tightening or new washers will ifx it. I also can't help notice that though all this your still using the old bearings. They are cheap, less than $10 bucks a piece from industrial suppliers. 6207 is the number. to review, you need: Grind or new cone, spring washer-dome out, a good hub, and new bearings. Leaving any one of these out of the mix during service will mean you will need to go back in shortly, again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Turbo one will work. all EA82 knuckles are the same. Turbo axles are different. If you can't find a cone washer, just file the ridge off the one you've got. You also need to check the condition of the splines inside the hub (the part with the rotor bolted to it) If they have a flat spot on the top of each ridge, it's fine.......if the ridges come to sharp points, the hub is worn out and no amount of tightening or new washers will ifx it. I also can't help notice that though all this your still using the old bearings. They are cheap, less than $10 bucks a piece from industrial suppliers. 6207 is the number. to review, you need: Grind or new cone, spring washer-dome out, a good hub, and new bearings. Leaving any one of these out of the mix during service will mean you will need to go back in shortly, again. Thanks for the advice. Keen observation about the bearings, they were replaced, but that was about 10,000 miles ago and the hub/axle/knuckle/washers/spacer/etc still was not working 100 percent. It's probably safe to assume they are starting to get pretty trashed through all the abuse they are taking. -I've got a lead on a steering knuckle -I've got feelers out to retroroo and local dealerships for the center piece axle -I'm going to check out some bearing suppliers for the 6207 bearings (that cheap I might get a couple sets and have them..just to have them) -I'm also going to tear in to it again and check out your suggestion of inspecting the splines in the hub..just to see how it looks. Thanks for that suggestion and for the tidbit about the knuckles being universal. After I made that statement and then took a gander at the pictures, I was second guessing that "certain"ty haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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