Just finished refresh of first side of rear suspension, still waiting for correct caliper rebuild kit to replace dust boots.
Question is how much free play is tolerable for the rear wheel bearing. With axles and caliper removed i get about 3/16 possible movement at the tire OD when i rock the wheel side to side (in at the back, out at the front). bearing spins freely with no noise. While I'm in there, i could go for new bearings.
Haven't done the other side yet, so no comparison.

What do the experts say ???

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Interesting question, free bump.

No use feeling for play with stub axles removed.
Put the stub back in, then check.
And dont' roll the car or put weight on it without the stubs installed and tight.

You can't get a good estimate of bearing movement without the stubs installed and the axle nut torqued to spec.

That being said, now would be a very good time to do them. Not that expensive, and it'll save you from having to align it twice IF you end up having to pull it all apart again later if the wheel bearings end up going bad. Very likely that they're the original bearings if you don't have documentation that they've been done already.

Further explanation please, guess i don't understand what rigidity the stub axles add to this equation. They provide no further bearing positioning and I'd think the CV joints add very little to rigidity of the system, but I'm a newbe here, so fill me in.

The presence of the stub axles and the pressure exerted by the axle nut sandwiches the bearing tight, providing the appropriate force on the races and the balls inside of them. Without the whole thing being torqued down, the balls do not fit tightly against the race. This is why people are told NOT to roll the car around or drive it without them being torqued down. It can very, very quickly ruin the balls and/or races, leading to premature failure.

It makes more sense when you have a bearing in your hand, or if you remove the rotor and bearing retainer. You can usually pull the outer half of the inner race off with just a fingernail, exposing the balls. You'll see that there is nothing really holding the race on but the suction from the grease.

Most folks do the job with the arms in the car. No need for an alignment.

The Cap'n

That's true. That's how I'm doing mine with a threaded rod. Is that how you do it Cap'n? I like having the leverage with the arm on the car. Of course, other folks prefer a press and in that case, the arm comes off and it needs to be realigned.

Thanks much for the info, I'll put the axles back in before rolling the chassis.

To maintain alignment. I drilled and pinned the outer bracket up into the frame so I could maintain whatever alignment existed when i started.

[quote name='ThePaintedMan' date='Dec 23 2013, 12:13 PM' post='1974045']
[quote name='Cap'n Krusty' post='1974043' date='Dec 23 2013, 12:02 PM']

Most folks do the job with the arms in the car. No need for an alignment.

The Cap'n
[/quote]

That's true. That's how I'm doing mine with a threaded rod. Is that how you do it Cap'n? I like having the leverage with the arm on the car. Of course, other folks prefer a press and in that case, the arm comes off and it needs to be realigned.
[/quote

regarding the original question.
If you want to evaluate rear wheel bearing condition remove the half shaft and CVs' from the stub axle. re-install the stub axle alone and re-torque. remove the brake pads. install a wheel/tire.
At that point you can feel for play or better yet, spin and listen.