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MG TD TF 1500 - tightening front wheel hub nuts on the TF

Recently I took apart my front wheel hubs to replace the dust boots on the kingpin of my 54TF. While I was at it I cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings. I reinstalled the inner distance piece,grease seal, inner bearing, distance piece, outer wheel bearing, washer, and nut. When tightening them down the brake drum would bind up and would not rotate freely until slackening the nut back up. When removing the assembly, the nut was extremely tight, now, only lightly tightened to keep it from binding back up. Any suggestions? And yes, the inner distance piece is the right way around.
Mwhitt

I'n rebuilding the front end on my TF I discovered that the PO had replaced the stock washer under the shaft nut with an over size one. This would drag on the outer rotating bearing race. Maybe on yours or maybe not.

LaVerne
LED DOWNEY

Led, thanks for the tip. Actually, they had two! washers there and I only put one back. I disassembled it twice to check everything, it all looks fine.
Mwhitt

Well lets see, you have the hub distance piece on with the taper towards the back plate, grease seal in the hub bottomed out, rear bearing, center distance piece with the larger end towards the back plate, outer bearing,washer and nut. Unless your positive I'd check the center distance piece and make sure it's in right and a light oiling on the rear seal. After that I'd guess I'd be looking at the brake shoes.

LaVerne
LED DOWNEY

While I'm not thoroughly familiar with the arrangement, the 2 washers that were there sound like they were needed. Or a thicker distance piece. Experts will correct me.
Tom

I am in the process of finishing the other side, and I will pull the previous side one more time and make double sure that the center distance piece is the right way around, can't imagine that I did that but, I have done dumber things!
Mwhitt

Just a thought, but why not go the whole way and fit angular contact bearings (NOT tapered roller bearings, as they are not really appropriate). Angular contact bearings have been fitted to most cars since the sixties, and they last much longer as they are designed to take sideways load and give much better directional stability. The centre spacer is omitted when fitting (the correct way round), and the nut is simply tightened (to next split pin hole) until the wheel spins freely without any free play. When eventually some slight wear occurs, then just retighten. The ones I bought some years ago were a direct imperial replacement, were prepacked with grease, and had shields to retain the grease. I bought them, obviously in the UK, from "Bearing Services", and their part numbers were 7304 and 7306 per wheel.
Roger Wilson

Roger, were those Timken bearings? And you cannot put the center spacer on the wrong way around.
Mwhitt

So did you find the problem? Sorry I definitly remember the spacer being tappered. If reversed with the large end towards the outer bearing would rest the spacer surface on the ball bearings instead of the inner race. Maybe different on yours?

LaVerne
LED DOWNEY

Mwhitt, Led,
Sorry, I realise that the spacer cannot be fitted the wrong way round, but in this case it is omitted, and it is the angular contact bearings that must be fitted the right way round. I cannot remember if they were Timkin bearings; I still have the receipt, but it is a "Bearing Services" receipt, and it only gives the above part numbers. However, on Monday (because I am at work now), I can give you the manufacturer and their part number of the original wheel bearings, which should enable a bearing stockist to determine the angular contact replacements. That is what I did when I changed mine.
Best wishes.
Roger Wilson

Yes, the spacer is tapered, thus cannot be reversed. Roger Wilson does have a plan. I had heard about tapered bearings before, but I believe it was on midgets. I did not get the passenger side (rhd) to ever really tighten down and after finishing the other side and installing, I had no problem tightening it down.

Roger thank you for your extra effort on this matter!

Safety Fast!

Mark
Mwhitt

The original wheel bearings for all T types were supplied by Ransom and Marles, who later shortened their name to "R&M". Later on they joined up with two other bearing manufacturers, Hoffman and Pollard, and the new name became RHP. For the TD, TF, YB and MGA, the inner bearing was 23/MJ30, and the outer was 9/MJ20. A bearing stockist should be able to determine the angular contact equivilents.
Roger Wilson

Thank you Roger for the information. This will go into my notebook of parts on the TF!
Mwhitt

This thread was discussed between 10/01/2006 and 16/01/2006

MG TD TF 1500 index

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