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JohnHenry

Front Wheel Bearing Slack

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I've got an 06 500 Foreman. It had slack in the front right wheel when we bought it. I put a new bearing in it from Allballs Racing. We noticed a short time later that the wheel still had slack. Took it apart and the inner race had split right where it is scored om the center. Bought another bearing, Moose this time, and it still has slack as if it has a bad wheel bearing. I looked at the parts schematic to see if it was missing something and it doesn't appear to be. It isn't in the control arm bushings or ball joints. It's clearly wheel bearing slack.You can see the wheel and the outer CV joint wobble inside the spindle. I thought perhaps the outer race could be wobbling inside the spindle but I can't see it to tell for certain. Anyone have any experience with this problem that can point me in the right direction?

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The bore of the knuckle that the bearing goes into  , at the bottom of the bore , where the bearing sits gets worn , the bearing will fit tight as your knocking it down into the bore , when it hits bottom , it will fit looser , the bearing can flex ----could that be your problem 

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Those china bearings you bought might be the wrong size too? They'll sell ya anything that looks like a bearing just to get your money. Fair warning, those china bearings won't last very long, they're useless garbage.

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Retro isn't lying about cheap China stuff ,  I ran AllBalls before and they never lasted one whole  season of riding , which is pretty much year round down here ---- I started using Pivot Works and they "were " excellent , got years out of them and they came with a one time unlimited  warranty , " but " , the company was bought out and absorbed into AllBalls and are trash now --- bite the bullet , pay the bucks and buy OEM bearings  , they will last longer 

 

If your bearing is loose in the knuckle , you can get some bearing race retainer and  glue the bearing in and take up the slack 

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6 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

Retro isn't lying about cheap China stuff ,  I ran AllBalls before and they never lasted one whole  season of riding , which is pretty much year round down here ---- I started using Pivot Works and they "were " excellent , got years out of them and they came with a one time unlimited  warranty , " but " , the company was bought out and absorbed into AllBalls and are trash now --- bite the bullet , pay the bucks and buy OEM bearings  , they will last longer 

 

If your bearing is loose in the knuckle , you can get some bearing race retainer and  glue the bearing in and take up the slack 

 Yes, I figured as much. I went to the local Honda dealer expecting OEM but got Moose. I thought they might not be bad since they were selling them.

 

It occurred to me also that it might be the hub itself? I checked the slack in the bore the second time around and it appeared to be good. I'll need to disassemble again assemble on the bench I guess so I can get a good look at it. Thanks for the input, guys!

 

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3 hours ago, JohnHenry said:

 Yes, I figured as much. I went to the local Honda dealer expecting OEM but got Moose. I thought they might not be bad since they were selling them.

 

It occurred to me also that it might be the hub itself? I checked the slack in the bore the second time around and it appeared to be good. I'll need to disassemble again assemble on the bench I guess so I can get a good look at it. Thanks for the input, guys!

 

The dealers here have the after market stuff along with OEM , usually it is the opposite of you what you experienced , they push the OEM on you unless you want the cheap stuff and ask for it 

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The 500 is really bad for wearing the knuckle when the bearing goes bad. Enough so, I don't even mess with replacing the bearings just the complete knuckle assembly.

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14 hours ago, toodeep said:

The 500 is really bad for wearing the knuckle when the bearing goes bad. Enough so, I don't even mess with replacing the bearings just the complete knuckle assembly.

 

Dang knuckles have gotten pricey.  Used to be about $75 for new ones.  Last time I looked they had gotten up there quite a bit.

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Anyone have any experience using bearing retainer? I figured its some kind of gap filling loctite

I seen it and heard good things but never used it as would rather have things be correct in the long term,

but figure it would be good a camp fix or in a pinch

I was wondering how hard to get a bearing out after using this?

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I'm fairly certain someone tried it and it worked.  Can't remember who it was though (maybe @SamUK?)

 

I would think once a bearing is in with that stuff it would become a "one more time use" knuckle.

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I used lock tite bearing retainer years ago, wicked stuff, need real clean surfaces for a good bond, hard to get off even with heat after.

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4 hours ago, AKATV said:

Anyone have any experience using bearing retainer? I figured its some kind of gap filling loctite

I seen it and heard good things but never used it as would rather have things be correct in the long term,

but figure it would be good a camp fix or in a pinch

I was wondering how hard to get a bearing out after using this?

why are you trying to fill a knuckle gap ?, if the knuckle is so worn, you need to resort to jerry rigging ?, then just buy another knuckle.

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I am not, I was just wondering how well this stuff worked and if it made it impossible to remove bearing, if at all

I like some of that "comes in handy stuff" to have on hand like JB weld and baling wire and duct tape

Up here in Alaska, some people live, work and hunt pretty remote and its good to have a backup plan and a few tricks up the sleeve.

Especially when things start to go South and your 25 miles back in the bush with minimal tools/parts etc... and BEARS... BIG ones... lol

 

Edited by AKATV
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1 hour ago, AKATV said:

I am not, I was just wondering how well this stuff worked and if it made it impossible to remove bearing, if at all

I like some of that "comes in handy stuff" to have on hand like JB weld and baling wire and duct tape

Up here in Alaska, some people live, work and hunt pretty remote and its good to have a backup plan and a few tricks up the sleeve.

Especially when things start to go South and your 25 miles back in the bush with minimal tools/parts etc... and BEARS... BIG ones... lol

 

understood. some things , yep, its a must do in a pinch, and other things, YOU DO IT RIGHT !..LOL.

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