# Front wheels have side-to-side play -- bearings?



## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

Long time lurker...first post...

I took my '97 Pathfinder 4X4 for an alignment because the tires are wearing on the outside edge, and they told me I had to replace the bearings before they did an alignment because there was side to side play in the wheels. 

Sure enough, when I pull and push sideways on the wheel, I can feel about 1 to 2mm of play. It seems very insignifigant, but the mechanic said they needed to be replaced.

1. Is it a problem?
2. Can I get an alignment even with the small bit of play?
3. What parts do I need if I do need to replace them, and will I need special tools?

Thanks


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## FOUNDMYPATH (Oct 22, 2006)

side to side play or top and bottom play?. If you grasp the top and bottom of the wheel and shake it and there is play then it may be the wheel bearings. I am having my repacked today, I pick it up tonight. I also had a little outside edge tire wear. Took it to the dealer. they are repacking and tightening the bearings on the front. but they also like... all dealers told me there is more wrong with my truck like stabilizer end bushings. Maybe this causes the tire wear??. I am not having it done right now. I want to check it out before they take more money.


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

I can detect the play when I jack up the wheel, put my hand on the top and bottom, and alternately push and pull in opposite directions. Like I said, the movement is very small, maybe 2mm at most.

Is it possible to tighten the bearings? I have heard that, but it doesn't mention anything about it in my manual. I even took a look at it last night, I went as far as to take the drive hub off. It appears to be tightened via snap ring. Couldn't I just get a thicker snap ring? My service manual mentions something about that.


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## 95'BlackP-Finder (Nov 24, 2005)

Up and down play usually means wheel bearing..I'm experiencing this on my 95 right now..I'm thinking of repacking and inspecting them today...Side to side play usually means tie rod ends, ball joints..etc..Check all those..Peace out..!..


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## tcrote5516 (Sep 30, 2006)

The bearings need to me inspected first. You can tighten them up...but you shouldn't have to. If they are worn out, just replace them. For now you can pull the hubs off and spin the "nut" until its tighter, but you might just be speeding up the wear out process. If its too tight, I have seen bearings get chewed up in 1 day of driving.


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

Well when I took it apart, there was no nut to tighten. At least in the '97, the only thing on the end of the axle is a snap ring. The rest of the drive hub/brakes/etc is held on by ball joints and the strut tower.

I should just go ahead and re-pack or replace the bearings. The CV boots are ripped anyways.


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## lewisnc100 (Apr 25, 2003)

ecsnyder said:


> Well when I took it apart, there was no nut to tighten.


If you took your hub off you had to loosen the wheel bearing lock nut, its the only thing holding the hub on.


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

Does anyone have an exploded view of the axle assembly on the '97 4x4? My Haynes manual says nothing about a hub lock nut, and when I took off the drive hub, I didn't have to unscrew any lock nuts.


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## tcrote5516 (Sep 30, 2006)

ecsnyder said:


> Well when I took it apart, there was no nut to tighten. At least in the '97, the only thing on the end of the axle is a snap ring. The rest of the drive hub/brakes/etc is held on by ball joints and the strut tower.
> 
> I should just go ahead and re-pack or replace the bearings. The CV boots are ripped anyways.


NOPE! Behind that snap ring is a washer, behind that is another washer type device with tabs to keep it from moving, behind that is a ring with 2 small screws that lock your HUB NUT TYPE THING (dont know the technical name) from spinning. This is what holds everything together. You cant even get the brake disc off without removing it. 

So the process...remove the snap ring
-remove the two washer type pieces
-remove screws (gently they are small and sometimes tight)
-pull that ring off
-This will expose another thicker ring with holes all around it. THIS IS THE "NUT"
-there are tools to remove it, but you can do it with the tips of a pair of nose pliers, just spinn it off. Pull the brake disc assembly torward you (being carefull the bearing dont fall into the dirt. remove all the old grease, repack them by pressing grease in all the way around the bearing. Put it back on the spindel. Crank down the Nut sleeve again tight as hell (this sets the bearings) then back it off until you have easy (but not free) rotation of the brake disc. Thats about it I think. I wrote this from memory so dont quote me on the exact placment of everything. Just keep good trak of the order of each piece as you remove it, and you cant go wrong.


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## Zilverado (Sep 25, 2002)

ecsnyder said:


> Well when I took it apart, there was no nut to tighten. At least in the '97, the only thing on the end of the axle is a snap ring. The rest of the drive hub/brakes/etc is held on by ball joints and the strut tower.
> 
> I should just go ahead and re-pack or replace the bearings. The CV boots are ripped anyways.


I am assuming the '97 will not be that different from my '92 or any other 4wd (or 2wd) for that matter...

In order to get at the wheel bearings, you have to take the hub off of the tapered spindle (2wd) or front drive shaft (4wd). There *has to be *some sort of lock-nut that holds the hub assembly on the spindle from the end. On the 4wd, this is sometimes a flat (approx 1/4" thick) lock washer-style nut. Sometimes over time, the grease in the bearings "liquifies" and loosens the bearings to the point where the lock nut/washer is extremely loose - easily removed by hand. But what ever it is, it is there. This is the only way the hub assembly and bearings are held together and held on the spindle/shaft. The brake rotor (or disc) is bolted to the hub and will also come of.

The ball joints and strut tower you refer to are external to the hub and hold the steering knuckle and spindle. The steering tie rods are also attached to the knuckle assembly - all external to the hub.

Also keep in mind there are 2 wheel bearings - inner and outer. The outer one is the first one you will encouter, closest to you when you are facing the wheel. The inner bearing is further in - closer to the engine. In order to remove the inner bearing from the hub, the hub must be removed from the shaft and the grease seal removed from the back of the hub.

So take another look and I'm sure you'll find these parts. Keep the questions coming.


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

So...do I have to unbolt the ball joints, too?

This doesn't seem like too difficult of a project...


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## Zilverado (Sep 25, 2002)

ecsnyder said:


> So...do I have to unbolt the ball joints, too?
> 
> This doesn't seem like too difficult of a project...


No - - the ball joints are external to the bearing assembly. The only tricky part of the bearing job is pre-loading the bearings. There are some good step-by-step articles available on this and other forums.


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## lewisnc100 (Apr 25, 2003)

If you want to get technical there is one washer called the Lock Washer, behind that is the Wheel Bearing Lock Nut.


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## Zilverado (Sep 25, 2002)

Here is an step-by-step article that may be helpful. It is for a 2000 Frontier, but the components and procedures should be similar...

Frontier 2000 Replacing Brake Pads, Rotors, Races and Wheel Bearings

Have fun.


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## Xeno (Oct 5, 2005)

... It's called a "spanner nut" that requires you to fab a socket for it or to purchase/rent the correct one. It is loose because the bearing/race etc.. has worn that much. It is best to just replace the BEARING & RACE (sealed bearing come as one).

X


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## lewisnc100 (Apr 25, 2003)

Here's a hub/bearing diagram showing the lock nut and washer (97 Pathfinder 4WD): Lewis Pictures


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

Ok, so I took everything apart, repacked the bearings, and put it all back together last weekend. Initially, everything seemed better...there was no side to side play after I tightened down that spanner nut (with some needle nose pliers). I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and it seemed fine.

The next day it started making noises on the passenger side. It sounds like a creaking noise ONLY when the brakes are applied. It seems to creak twice per rotation, so it goes "CREAK creak...CREAK creak...CREAK creak..." with one creak being higher pitched than the other.

Today I took it all apart to check for problems, and I saw none. I packed some more grease in the bearing and put it all back together...this time double checking the correct tightness of all the bolts. I also didn't tighten the spanner nut as tight as last time...1/8 turn less this time.

After a longer test drive, it started up again with an identical CREAK creak noise, but about 1/4 as loud as before.

Any ideas on what the deal is? Did I kill the bearing? The brakes work fine and I haven't noticed any drivability problems.


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## golfer (Aug 21, 2006)

ecsnyder said:


> Ok, so I took everything apart, repacked the bearings, and put it all back together last weekend. Initially, everything seemed better...there was no side to side play after I tightened down that spanner nut (with some needle nose pliers). I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and it seemed fine.
> 
> The next day it started making noises on the passenger side. It sounds like a creaking noise ONLY when the brakes are applied. It seems to creak twice per rotation, so it goes "CREAK creak...CREAK creak...CREAK creak..." with one creak being higher pitched than the other.
> 
> ...


Curious ... did you just repack the old bearings or replaced them ??


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## Zilverado (Sep 25, 2002)

ecsnyder said:


> ... I packed some more grease in the *bearing *and put it all back together...this time double checking the correct tightness of all the bolts. I also didn't tighten the spanner nut as tight as last time...1/8 turn less this time....


A couple of things to think about. The quote above may have been a typo, but just to make sure - - when you say "bearing" are you talking about both inner and outer bearings or did you only service the outer one. If you did you might want to take a look at the inner bearing as well (you have to remove the hub and the inner grease seal to access this bearing). Forgive me if you already did this - just thought I'd make sure.

Also, make sure you "preload" the bearings properly. This involves tightening them down to a higher torque while rotating the wheel forward and back. This helps to work the grease into the bearings. Once this is complete, then loosen the locknut back off and gently snug back up (not too tight). This process is described in the link I posted earlier. It's not the most technical description, but the idea is there. If this preloading is not done, the bearings will become loose as the grease works it's way into and out of the bearings.

Lastly, are you sure the squeak you are hearing is not a brake issue?


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## TuffguyF4i (Nov 8, 2006)

My right front wheel had play in it. Dealer replaced the stabilizer bar. Fixed the problem. I thought it was bearings, but turned out to be wrong.


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## ecsnyder (Oct 26, 2006)

Well, it appears to have been a brake issue because it's gone now.


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