| Many
mechanics are not aware of the importance of setting
the wheel bearing end play to the proper
specifications. As a result, a lot of bearings are
adjusted too loosely or too tightly, which causes
the bearing to fail prematurely. In fact, a recent
survey showed that over half of the bearings on the
road today are adjusted incorrectly.
There are many ways
poor bearing adjustment can cause downtime and rack
up repair expense. The most obvious result is
shortened bearing life, but bad bearing adjustment
affects a lot more than just the bearing. It affects
the operation and service life of the spindle, wheel
seal, brake components and tires; i.e., factory
settings of camber and toe are impacted by bearing
adjustment.
ABS (anti-lock
braking systems) and traction-control systems with
wheel-end sensing require precision bearing
adjustment to function properly.
Poor wheel bearing
adjustments are a costly problem for the trucking
industry. When a bearing fails due to improper
setting, it is costly to the operator and everyone
else depending on it.
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