what do you think of my spindle?

[Uncle Ben]

Hmm, ok. So tell me this- I've got a greasy bearing spinning in a closed cavity, with an inner diameter that's larger than the bearing. Wouldn't the mass of the bearing grease migrate towards the outermost portion of that circal, via centrifical force when the whole thing turns into a little tilt-a-whirl? Isn't there some sort of law of equilibrium that says areas of greater concentration will migrates to areas of lesser concentration? One of Newton's laws, perhaps..

So if I pack a bearing full of grease then put it right next to an open air space, then spin the thing for say 10,000 hours, what's keeping that grease in the bearing from not oozing over to the more attractive and higher gravitational-pulling air space? And then when all is at rest, what could possibly make that grease travel back uphill back to the bearing?

So filling that cavity up with grease to me insures that more grease stays in the bearings, since there's no where for the grease in the bearings to run to when things start spinning. I'm still open to arguments though, I haven't repacked either side yet..

Who can argue with Newton? Notice which way the tilt of the rollers are? That is why there is a flat metal retainer washer on the outside of the spindle and a seal next to the bearing on the inside of the spindle. Like Newton suggests liquid does not travel up hill! Although gearlube does defy the basic principle as it clings and climbs....but thats a different argument.

 

[Kipper]

via centrifical force when the whole thing turns into a little tilt-a-whirl?

you mean lack of centripetal force

 

[AxleIke]

you mean lack of centripetal force

Just about to post about the same thing.

 

[Rzeppa]

I would replace the spindle if it were my truck and I planned to keep it a while. Probably the bearings too just because.

There is a cavity in between the inner and outer wheel bearings specifically to be a grease reservoir. The centrepetal force keeps the bearings full of grease. The FSM shows how this works. There is a nominal range of how much to fill the cavity, not too much, not too little.

A substance (grease in this instance) will ALWAYS sink and conduct heat equally. It is a function of the substance's specific heat and thermal resistance (or conduction, depending on how you arrange the equation). The other variables in a specific application will involve the mass of the substance, the surface area ratio to total volume, the thermal resistance between it and what it is in contact with (for conduction, the main thermal path in this application) and the delta T if you wish to calculate a thermal rise over ambient.

 

[Red_Chili]

you mean lack of centripetal force

Keep your bugs to yourself.
What goes 99-clunk... 99-clunk... 99-clunk?



















A centipede with a wooden leg.
I was very popular in kindergarten.

 

[Red_Chili]

...The FSM shows how this works. There is a nominal range of how much to fill the cavity, not too much, not too little.
...

It takes a pretty good argument to convince me the FSM is wrong. We've come a long way since the early Japanese technical documentation.

Not that the FSM is divinely inspired... I've been known to depart from orthodoxy... but it takes a darn good argument.

Them yoda boyz dun thunk it out purty good.

 

[nakman]

All sounds good, and it seems like my grease level was right at the level of the inner races, which is just what the FSM says (link below, Chili please note torque specs for future reference.)


edit: ok, maybe a little more...

 

[nakman]

Oh, and thanks for the refresher on force, Kipper.. neat little illustration there. Maybe they shoud update that cassette tape to something a little more modern though, like a floppy disk.

 

[Rzeppa]

Oh, and thanks for the refresher on force, Kipper.. neat little illustration there. Maybe they shoud update that cassette tape to something a little more modern though, like a floppy disk.

LOL! I finally tossed out those cassettes I had lying around after I sold my VIC20. And then there were the 8" floppies that wouldn't fit my 5.25 drive...

 

[nakman]

Ok, so I got some parts... one invoice from Boulder, the other from Stevenson West..

New spindle is pretty trick, the roller bearings on the inside look pretty cool I'm sure my full time front axle will appreciate those

 

[wesintl]

you know you're going to have to replace the other side now... you can't have one side with a bearing and the other side without

 

[nakman]

I know, I know.. but at least the bearing side is the long side right? If that counts for anything.. I thought about it but the bill was really starting to add up, would have much rather installed one of these on the Taco this week, heck it would have been cheaper. At least the labor is free. Messy, but free.

But ah well, the mighty 80 will soon roll again!

 

[Red_Chili]

Ooooooo.... TSB heaven. You got the NEEDLE BEARING fix!!

<Napoleon Dynamite voice> Lucky!

 

[corsair23]

That thing sure is purdy Tim

So the roller bearings on the inside replace a separate bearing in the spindle or is that just part of the new design?

 

[nakman]

That thing sure is purdy Tim

So the roller bearings on the inside replace a separate bearing in the spindle or is that just part of the new design?

it's an all new design.. well not that new, has been out for at least 5 years? It's the only new spindle you can get now... so in the old version you've got that brass bushing with the grease grooves, in the new version that's been replaced by the bearings.

It's probably possible to just buy the bearings and press out your bushings somehow, I dunno, I needed the whole shebang so I didn't ask.

 

[Red_Chili]

It would be very interesting to see if the bushing with needle bearings is available separately. It would be worth it. That was the fix for the cold weather GROAN noises that the ADD 4Runners would make after a few years. Essentially, a fairly high frequency chatter.

Schlick.

 

[corsair23]

It would be very interesting to see if the bushing with needle bearings is available separately. It would be worth it.

Definitely! The front end of the LX needs a "rebuild" so now would be the time to look it that

 

[nakman]

Ok got it all buttoned up today. two observations:

The new spindle/new bearing fit is TIGHT. took me quite a while to massage the outer bearing onto the spindle... there's not much difference in the ID of the bearing vs. the OD of the spindle that's for sure. it's on there though.

And my outer nuts are a good 2mm further out than they use to be. Don't suggest the races aren't seated- they are.. what changed was new races/bearings, new thrust washers, new star washers, and new nuts. I guess all of that old stuff had squashed down somehow, most likely the bearings. Now the outer nut is barely on the spindle, there's not much thread showing, where I had 1-2mm of threads before outside the outer nut. It's the same on both sides.

I'm going to drive about 75 miles tomorrow then will check the front tires for play or heat afterwards...