Binding Sound followed by Hard Right

1. Pea gravel between dust shield and rotor.

2. Right FRONT Wheel Bearing TOO Tight and freezing Up.

3. Brake Pads worn to 'Metal to Metal'. Right Front Caliper Binding.

4. Right Rear Parking Brake Activated. Carrier Bearings Seizing.

5. Broken/Worn Tooth/Teeth in Steering Rack and/or Pinion Gears.

MJ

Thanks MJ,

I will double check 2, 4 and 5.   1 and 3 have been eliminated.

I replaced the rear bearings when I did the Wilwood conversion, but I could have mucked it up somehow.  Will double check the parking brake too.

Does the rack need to come out to check everything?

The pull felt like it was from the front, but this is only because steering wheel was "yanked" out of my hand when it happened.  I guess the front would follow the rear if it was locking up in the back.

Thanks,
John

John, check the bolts that hold the steering arm to the spindle. It’s possible that one, or more, of the bolts is loose or has sheared off. Dennis Quella told me he’s seen this happen enough times that he now upgrades the bolts as a matter of routine.

I would lift up the front go underneath and let somebody turn the steering wheel …

That sounds bad and scary!! David’s explanation sounds pretty good / bad  and would do the trick…  😱

did you do Wilwood break calipers in the front too? If so.. check the bolts!!

I have it up on the quick jack lift now. Will give that a try.

Good luck, seems like if the steering wheel is pulled to one side, it SHOULD be up front…. But it’s easy to guess.

The real solution will only be found via troubleshooting & hands-on.

Wiper motor cover?? Probably to weak..

Thanks for all the suggestions.  MJ wins the prize!

LeMans850i was a close second with the wiper motor cover

I pulled the RF wheel off and the grease cap was pushed off and rolling around inside the wheel center. 

Looks like the bearing is seized and pushed outward on the spindle.  Hopefully the spindle isn't damaged.

I checked the bearings before I left on the 1K trip and was concerned the RF wheel bearing might be too tight.  I'm going to chalk this up to my mistake and hope that I don't have poor quality bearings.  I'm going to recheck the LF next and see if that bearing is wearing or grease turning black.  I know the bearings were packed with more than enough grease.

Lucky she didn't let loose at 85MPH on the I-10.

Thanks!

John

#3590

Glad you found it.

Glad it wasn’t more serious!

Maybe good fresh axel nuts for the front. They’re actually inexpensive from our vendors. Best to not reuse them.

Any damage to the spindle?  I would recommend that you drill the spindle and use a "real" adjusting nut, washer, locking cage, and a cotton pin.

John

My 1975 Porsche 911 had axle nuts that were sliced on one side and clamped in place with a bolt. They were infinitely adjustable and completely reusable. I wish we had those. I read  that someone machined a similar axle nut for Panteras once upon a time but have never seen them for sale.

Good advice, I will order new nuts and bearings.

I like the idea of drilling and adding a cotter pin.

Thanks,

John

Did you not have a spindle nut retainer? The tab bends down into the key way on the axle.

Joules my car doesn't have the spindle retainer nut shown in your pic.  It has a spindle washer with keyway and the nut is shaped so that it looks into the spindle groove. 

You have to be within a half turn on the nut so there doesn't seem to be a "perfect" number of turns to get it right.  1/2 turn one way and too tight, 1/2 turn the other way and seems loose.

I also have a left hand spindle nut on the RF and a right hand nut on the LF if that matters.  Car is a 72 pre-L #3590.

Thanks,
John

That nut should be round in the beginning. Adjust bearing and hit the edge of the nut with a punch to groove.

At least mine were, so they are not reusable.

-Sami

Sami,

Good to know.  I definitely reused the original nuts when I replaced the wheel bearings 2K miles ago.

I was able to get the hub assembly off with a puller and heat.  Spindle doesn't look too bad and can be cleaned up with emery cloth.

I pulled the LF off just to be safe, it came off by hand, and it looked decent but I'm not confident in the bearings as the looked like that had more than 2K miles of wear and slightly sloppy.

Does anyone have part numbers for the inner and outer front wheel bearings?  I'm going to try NAPA or somewhere else instead of the vendors this time.

Thanks,

John

John,

Outer set:  A-2  (Cone:  LM11949;  Cup:  LM11910)

Inner set: A-6  (Cone:  LM67048;  Cup:  LM67010)

Seal:  472164  (1.750 x 2.502 x 0.312")

Spindle Nut Retainer:  Dorman 615-073.1

Spindle Nuts:  M18-1.5  (RH & LH)

You can reuse your existing spindle nuts by machining off the tapered "nose".

John

I use this to “lock” the wheel bearing nut in place…. It is not as wide as the groove, rounded edges, -  it does not crack the nut like a center punch or a Chisel could do … and more likely to be reusable.

Gentlemen, thanks for part numbers, tools and techniques.

Much appreciated.

John