I tried to replace the wheel bearing today and ran into problems. It still makes noise when turning. I drove about 10 miles and the right front wheel is warmer than the left front. I believe I tightened it correctly. The washer will just barely slide when pushed with a screwdriver.

I think the problem may not be the bearing. I took the wheel off a there are spacers to clear the (non-stock?) caliper and there is a washer between the strut and the caliper on the bottom bolt.

Anyone have an idea what is going on without a pic?
I'm too tired and frustrated to go take the wheel off again tonight. I was planning to drive to Hershey in the morning but that ship has sailed...

What noise does it make? Could be a stuck caliper. Def recommend you return the brakes to stock. Eric at PMB can hook you up....

The noise is rhythmic. The car rolls fine when I let off the gas.

It could be...

If your spindle is worn and after this many years it just might be, your new bearings might not contact the spindle correctly. Mine did this and McMark had to machine a bit off the back of the bearing to get it to contact correctly...

Thanks for the help.

When you say wheel bearing (singular) you mean bearingS (plural) as in both inner and outer bearings and races, correct? Please give some detail.

Did you also pound out the outside races of both inner and outer races which are attached to the hub?

What tool did you use to pound in the new outside races into the hub? I use a large brass drift as to not mar the outside races.

Did you also replace the seal on the inside of the hub?

After putting the new bearings in and greasing them and then setting the lock bolt and replacing the hub cap and before the caliper was replaced, did the hub turn smoothly w/o the rhythmic noise?



Where were these spacers? Were they on the caliper?

Or were they on the back of the spindle to move the wheel out?

Why was there only one washer between the strut and the caliper on the bottom? It would seem that the caliper would be cocked with only one washer on the bottom and not on the top.

Yes, I replaced both inner and outer bearings and races on the wheel. I did reuse the seal because 2 auto parts stores didn't have 1 in stock. I plan on doing the brakes this summer, so it will be replaced again at that time. I used a flat blade screwdriver to drive the races out and used an aluminum race driver to put the new races in. I made sure to clean everything thoroughly and bought new grease. The rotor seemed to spin freely before the caliper was added. I installed the caliper and it locked it up because I forgot the washer used as a spacer. Once the washer was added it spun but I wouldn't describe it as freely.

Areas of concern:

Strange calipers
The washer between the caliper and the strut mount (both sides have one washer only on the bottom)
Wheel was noticeably warmer than the other after a short drive.

I think I'll bite the bullet and replace rotors, calipers, bearings, seals, and probably the hard lines near the calipers.

You can check if the caliper is hanging by taking a drive then jacking up each side and spinning the wheel. You'll be able to tell if the caliper is dragging. If you go for new/used calipers, check with Eric @ PMB for info. He restored the front calipers on my 914 and helped me with issues with the rear calipers that were restored by someone else.

You said it rolls fine when "off the gas". Does that mean the noise goes away when you lift?

I figured it out with everybody's help. The car has a mismatched set of parts. Early struts, early spindles, early rotors, and LATE rotors. Whomever did the brake work didn't realize it had an early front suspension and ordered the late calipers and then added spacers to make it work. Thanks

Even as a fix for the incorrect calipers this is wrong.
If the calipers require spacing to center on the rotor they have to be spaced the same at the top and bottom. With a washer/spacer only at the bottom the caliper will sit at an angle to the rotor, the pads will probably drag, they will wear badly and won't brake properly.

Jim

You are correct, there was a washer on both the top and bottom. Thanks