Play in Rear Wheel

[SPW]

I've just been giving the car a check over before a track day next week and found some slight play in the nearside rear wheel (offside seems fine). Car is a 2000 Superlight. I'm assuming it's just a matter of checking the torque on the hub to take up the play in the taper bearing, but checking the manual it quotes 200 lb/ft (41mm socket). Is this correct and is re-torquing likely to solve the problem?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

[stevefoster]

The hubs are not adjustable they are made and assembled to have the correct tolerance once torqued up. No adjustment.

I'm on the original 7 years old on one side the other was replaced after 4 years of use.

Road / Trackdays / Race use.

 

You can buy refurb kits and its straight forward enough to drift the old out and drift the new in the hub carrier.

 

Hants (north) / Berkshire club here

Area meeting pics here

My Racing here

 

[SPW]

Thanks Steve. Is a small amount of play likely to be a safety issue i.e. replace immediately and don't drive the car?

 

Steve

[stevefoster]

Hmm,

Hard to say with our feeling it for oneself. Mine don't have any play to speak of really. It's a judgement call. Usually wheel bearings grumble noticeably before lunching themselves.

My one was not grumbling but I replaced it anyway. Paranoid perhaps but you don't want any issues with track days or race days ahead.

 

They are not too bad to remove.

Wheel bolts, hub nut, calliper bolts - untie wrap the brake hose of flexibility, hub and disk slides off, 4 hub carrier bolts and the bearing carrier is in your hand.

To refurb it wa a case of finding the right sized sockets or stuff I had in the garage to drift the bearing faces out of the carrier.

 

 

 

Hants (north) / Berkshire club here

Area meeting pics here

My Racing here

 

[EFA]

Soem of the bearing carriers made around the time your car was built were found to be slightly out of tolerance. Its not an issue unless you try to fit the AP rear brakes where clearance problems arise due to the different caliper design.

 

This advise is on the basis that the paly is minimal - i.e you can only just feel the play, rather than +/- 5mm at the rim???

[SPW]

Thanks for the replies. I've ordered a bearing kit today and will have a go over the weekend - the play is only probally a mm or so at the rim but there is none on the other wheel so for peace of mind it's better to be on the safe side!!

 

Steve

[SPW]

Fitted new bearing kit tonight and I still have the same amount of play in the wheel I'd estimate about 1/2 to 1mm play at the rim. Everything seemed OK during the fitting so i'm at a loss as to what the problem could be - any ideas?

 

Could it be tolerance problems with the bearing carrier as EFA suggested? One of the bearings was a lot easier to fit into the carrier than the other but it was by no means loose.

 

Steve