With an increased clearance in the front wheel bearings, vibration on the steering wheel is observed in a certain speed range
At the same time, the tires wear out unevenly (spots), and the resource of the bearings themselves is also sharply reduced.
The complete absence of a gap leads to a decrease in the resource, at which a tight rotation of the hub is observed.
The clearance in the front wheel hub bearings should be no more than 0.15 mm.
You will need: wheel bolt wrench, 27 wrench, hammer.
Put the car on stands.
Remove the corresponding wheel.
With a chisel we separate the cap from the hub.
Remove the brake pads (see Replacing the Niva Chevrolet front wheel pads).
We fix the dial indicator holder on the steering knuckle.
We rest the indicator leg against the wheel hub as close as possible to the adjusting nut.
We put ring wrenches on two studs (for example, “for 17”) and fasten them with wheel nuts.
We turn the keys and move the hub in the axial direction.
We measure the amount of axial movement (clearance) of the hub using the indicator.
If the gap exceeds 0.15 mm, it must be adjusted.
To do this, straighten the jammed nut belt with a beard.
Using a 27 spanner, unscrew the adjusting nut of the hub bearings.
Installing a new adjusting nut.
We tighten it with a torque of 19.6 Nm (2.0 kgf.m), while simultaneously turning the hub in both directions.
We loosen the adjusting nut and tighten it again with a torque of 6.86 Nm (0.7 kgf.m).
Then loosen the nut by 20–25˚.
Check the clearance in the bearings: it should be within 0.02–0.08 mm.
We stop the nut by pressing its shoulder into the grooves of the shank of the outer hinge of the drive.
If there is no indicator, shake the suspended wheel in a vertical plane.
If you feel play, you may need to adjust the clearance in the bearings.
For a final bearing check, have an assistant depress and hold the brake pedal. Rock the wheel vertically again.
The disappearance of wheel play during such a check confirms the need to adjust the clearance in the bearings
When adjusting, be sure to replace the hub nuts with new ones, because after adjusting the nut may take its previous position and it will not be possible to securely lock it, since the shoulder in the right place will already be damaged by the previous lock.
As a last resort, if possible, use a nut from another car.
After adjusting the clearance in the hub bearings, make sure that the wheel turns easily.
Perform the final check of the correctness of the adjustment by evaluating the degree of heating of the hubs after driving the car for about 1 km without using the brakes.
It must be taken into account that with a large bearing play, it is necessary to change the bearing.
Because when tightening the bearing with increased wear, progressive wear of the bearing will begin.
And eliminating backlash can only be a temporary measure.