new inner bearings wont go on to spindle...new spindle needed?

[down4thakrown]

i just bought a 84 3/4 suburban for a tow rig and im doin the front wheel bearings and i cant get the inner bearing to slide on to spindle..the part number on bearing is same as old one...one side i can barely get on but it has to go on perfect and gets stuck coming off. the other side it wont even go on...i can feel a slight lip where the bearings ride...should i buys new spindles?

 

[bradshawtech]

I would just take some emory cloth to the spindle or a file to clean up any burrs that are on the spindle.

If the part numbers match up to the old ones then they will go on if you clean up the spindle.

Buying new would be a last resort for me.

 

[down4thakrown]

whats a emory cloth? where do i find it?

 

[down4thakrown]

and where do i find new spindles? i cant findem anywhere..

 

[wheeler]

emory cloth is very fine sand paper. any part store should have some, or probably home depot and lowes. But a file should work just fine. Good luck

 

[Fordum]

First of all, those bearings are a slip-fit. In other words, the inside of the bearing is only a tiny amount bigger than the spindle.
So, it has to be exactly lined up to go on or off. Any misalignment and it hangs up like you found.
The secret is to not force it when it jams. Just wiggle it with some mild force, and it will work free.
Next, swap sides with the bearings. If the one that goes on, goes on both sides, then there is something wrong with one of the bearings.
Make sure that the numbers are correct on Both bearings. I have seen bearings in the wrong box.
A bad bearing is really rare, but it can happen.
If neither bearing will go on that one side, then look for a burr or high spot and try to get just that high spot down level with the rest.
You do not want to get so ambitious that the bearing becomes a loose fit.

J.

 

[down4thakrown]

its feels fine once it gets over a small lip the goes all the way around where the bearing rides...once it gets past that it feels fine it moves free and doesnt hang up...only when im taken it off...just the last part of each bearing gets hung up unless i go very slow...same with puting it on...once its over the lip its good.you can feel the lip all the way around the spindle..im goin to try emory clothe and a file tomarrow and see where that gets me...or would i just be wasting my time?.i dont know if the spindles are original..but i know the suburban has alot of hwy miles on it. it was used in alaska then used to move the guy to prescott...

 

[down4thakrown]

the old ones hang up to but are a little easier to get on and off but still hang up....

 

[Fordum]

If the new ones go all the way on, then just use them as is. They are not supposed to be coming off and on while you are going down the highway.
Look at the section that they are on when they are seated. If it looks nice and smooth, and there is not a deep groove there, they they should be fine.

The main thing you want to watch out for is if a bearing has seized in the past and started turning on the spindle.
The spindle is softer than the bearing, plus it builds up a lot of friction.
This will gall up the spindle and cut a groove the width of the inside of the bearing.
Then, the bearing will fit loosely when in position, and will not work .

J.

 

[down4thakrown]

i would but the only way i can get the bearing on there is if its not in the hub...i have to hold the bearing in my hand..if its in the hub i cant hold the bearing straight and lightly,slowly work it on there...if its in the hub it gets hung up right away...as for how the bearing sits on there ehhhh...it does kinda wana spin on the spindle...i already messed up both seals cuz i couldnt believe i was having this much trouble puting this on there and thought i mite have goten wrong bearings and took them both out to see if they would even go on there....

 

[DustinK5]

I was affraid I had the same problem, but it was just fresh new bearings. I took a mallet and gave the hubs a couple good taps and bearing set all the way on the spindle after that.

 

[diesel4me]

One trick is too use a 100W droplight bulb to warm up the race,leave it sitting on the bulb for 15 minutes and use a glove to handle it..it will expand the bearing several thousandths and let it slip on easily..

I learned that from a Bower/BCA factory "helpline" tech one day,after I sold two bearings to a customer who was repairing a large oil delivery truck--I had sent hime one bearings (by matching the numbers off the old one),and he calls me back ten minutes later and says "I dont know WTF is wrong with this bearingmits just TOO SMALL to fit over the threads on the axle,and I dont want to booger them up trying to force it over them--the old bearing slides right on!--this one must be undesized or something"...so I sent another one,and again,same dilema...

Out of suggestions,I told him I'd call the BCA "helpline" and see what they said..
When I called him back and told him what to do,with the light bulb,he said "phhhhfftt--what an assenine answer!--YA,RIGHT,that'll work!. ..
"Oh well what the hell,I got nothing to lose!"..
About 20 minutes later he calls back--said "Hey,I cant believe it,but it WORKED!..that bearing looked to be .010 smaller than the old one--but after I heated it up,it slid right on!..they were right!....

I've warmed some tapered bearings for a small engine up on my wood stove before,and they slide right on,you just have to be careful not to get them TOO hot..if I hadn't done that,they would need to be pressed on at a machine shop..$$$$..I put the crankshaft outside in a snowbank to shrink it some too,and it worked slick...