Front wheel bearing play

[Glory Bound]

I have an MKIII with the FFR suspension package that I picked up in August 2007. I torqued the front spindle nuts during the build but have found as a result of a tech inspection for an SCCA AX there is a little play when pulling on the wheels. I re-torqued lug nuts and still have some play. Do the spindle nuts need re-torquing periodically? I have about 4,500 miles on the car.

Thanks,

Mark

[Glory Bound]

Any possibility of getting an FFR tech to respond please?

[Jim Schenck]

What spindles do you have and what torque setting have you been using?

[Jason Lavigne]

Hi Mark,
If there's play, and you're sure that the wheel, rotor, ball joints & control arm mounts are tight, then I'd think it's the bearing itself. Not a lot of miles on them, which is strange, but the spindle nuts are torqued pretty hard and shouldn't need any further adjustments. I'm assuming the wheel was being shaken from top to bottom rather than side to side?

Let me know how it works out.

Jason. @ FFR
On the road to the Carlisle show in PA

[Glory Bound]

Thanks Jason. I checked the spindle nut torque this weekend and they took a bit more to get them to 250#. Driver's side still has just a tad play. Found on the passenger side that there was play and some squishing sound which I think is traced to the upper ball joint that I replaced last summer due to a problem with the boot. I had put a Moog K772 in and it does not appear to be holding up through some street driving and 4 autocross events. I bought an AFCO unit to replace it. Have you all had any experience with AFCO or Howe units?

[Glory Bound]

PS-I have the stock spindles (SN95?) that came with my kit in 2007 with the suspension package special being offered at the time. Using 250ft-#s torque.

[NicksPapaw]

Glory,
I have the Mk 3.1 complete package and had play in my spindles. I ended up replacing the spindles which fixed the problem.

[Glory Bound]

Interesting. Do you mean you replaced the hubs or the spindel itself? I found that two of the upper control arm bolts became loose and I could not either tighten or loosen them. I cut them off with a Dremel tool and replaced them with similar high strength bolts. I replaced both hubs and have eliminated the play on both sides. So it was a combination of defective fasteners and defective hubs.

[NicksPapaw]

I ended up replacing the complete spindles. I do have them in a box in the garage hoping one day Factory Five will do an exchange with me for a set of wind wings. :o