Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

1941 - 1945, MB, GPW Technical questions and discussions, regarding anything related to the WWII jeep.
JeepdaddyRC
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Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by JeepdaddyRC » Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:28 am

This is the inner front wheel bearing race on my friend's 45 MB. Bearing was full of grease, no water.
What causes this wear pattern?
Could it explain his slight shimmy at 35 mph?
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Wolfman » Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:45 am

Metal Fatigue.
Time and load have taken it's toll on that race.
Could be the source of wheel shimmy. No way to properly adjust that bearing.
When replacing this race and bearing, I would recommend doing the others as well.
With this one like this and even if the others look OK, they were under the same load and probably not far from ending up this way as well.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:49 am

Looks like it sat with part of the bearing submerged in water. Dirt, lack of lube and misadjustment has also taken a toll. The water has long ago dried out..
Time for new bearings.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Neal Sims » Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:11 am

Jeepdaddy,
Check out this TIMKEN BEARING DAMAGE ANALYSIS Guide, an interesting read.

https://www.timken.com/pdf/5892_Bearing ... ochure.pdf
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by dpcd67 » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:19 am

If you do a lot of old vehicles you will see the bearing indents on otherwise good looking races. Not sure how they get there, wear and load as stated, but they must be replaced as when you tighten up the hub, the wheel ratchets it way around making a lot of noise and probably future failure. Cause of shimmy; I don't think so. Yours are pitted from water.
Replace them.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Bart1015 » Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:02 am

Neal,

Thanks for the link, it really explains a lot.

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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by JeepdaddyRC » Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:19 am

Thanks for the great feedback. The outer bearing and race looked fine.

As a follow-up question, his 45 MB has very slight movement at the knuckle. I've worked on later CJ knuckles, but never the MB. Would you recommend breaking it down and replacing the kingpin bearings?

If so, what is the best way to disconnect the brake line so all the brake fluid doesn't drain?
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:44 am

Best to service the steering knuckles while you are at it. Once you remove the backing plate bolts the backing plates can be hung out of the way without disconnecting the hoses. Might be a good idea to service the wheel cylinders while you are at it.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by W. Winget » Mon Oct 29, 2018 7:53 am

Brake line just has to end up higher than the reservoir, so might be enough slack in the line to raise it up along the fender. Might be a good time to just change fluid anyway. Only a plastic cap might keep it in, I would want to avoid placing a cork or something that may leave residue in the line end.
Can't reach the Timken file from here, but I would guess condensation in the hub sitting for an extreme time in the same spot would allow for that pitting where grease failed.
Pop new races and bearings in and drive on. Kingpin bearings and parts are readily available to remove that slack too, it's just all so messy :D .
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by dpcd67 » Mon Oct 29, 2018 9:34 am

If you have replaced CJ king pin bearings, then you can do an MB because it is the same basic design.
Spacers on both top and bottom though; later changed to just the top (better idea) .
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:09 am

If you do plan to service the upper and lower steering knuckle bearings, best to order the bearings, wiperseals and shims ahead of time. Attempting to reuse the may not result in sufficient combinations of shims to do the task.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by JeepdaddyRC » Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:24 am

Any favorite or recommended "pull scales"?
It sounds like the original 4-6 lbs of preload was later changed to 9-12 lbs. Do you recommend the later 9-12 lb specs for the MB?
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Oct 29, 2018 10:32 am

Recommend 9-12, using scale is not all that easy due to short arc while testing drag. I do it by feel, it is a better way. Have a micrometer handy to check shim thickness in order to fine tune drag.
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by JeepdaddyRC » Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:12 pm

Just to confirm before disassembly: Are worn king pin bearings the most likely reason for play in the steering knuckle?
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Re: Front wheel bearing race wear pattern

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Oct 30, 2018 4:34 am

The chances are affermative, this service is much neglected on Jeeps and does require skil. The CV housings may require repairs from loose bearing races that are not secure in their seats.
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