MyE28.com

This is for my E12, but no difference. One of my front wheel bearings was for sure a little loose, so I adjusted it the other day. I followed the usual procedure - tighten to ca. 25 ft-lb while turning the wheel, back off to slack and then tighten to ca. 2 -4 ft. Lb., adjust as needed to get cotter pin back in. I have a touch of play when cold in both fronts now. But I’m not sure whether this is correct (for zero play when hot), or if it should have zero play when cold. I couldn’t be super accurate since my low-range torque wrench is 1/4” drive and I couldn’t find adapters to use my 24mm impact socket on it, and my big torque wrench isn’t calibrated below about 20 ft-lb. So I set it to sort of approximately 4 ft-lb. 10 made it tight. I’m inclined to just turn each nut 1/6 turn but I know these shouldn’t be over tightened - I just don’t know how sensitive it is to adjustment and what “overtightened” really means.

I have found it difficult to impossible to completely adjust out play in cone and cup bearings, especially with less than brand new bearings. On things other than E12s, I've tightened them a bit too tight, just to see to eliminate all play, and the next time I was in there I would find play. Not extreme, but more than I wanted. Not so tight I roasted the bearings, but tighter than it should be. I have found with new bearings I could get them tighter than with old bearings.

Thanks, Mike. Sounds like they’re fine as they are now. Left side had just enough play that you could tell there was play there, right side had (subjectively) about twice that until I adjusted it. First iteration (estimated 10 ft-lb) there was no play when I put the wheel back on so I decided to back it off a little. I think this was only 60 degrees.