1999 Vanguard axle play

[Jerry In Maine]

If I jack a wheel off the ground I can "wiggle" the axle a bit. I'd think that this would mean that bearings are shot but they roll smoothly and quietly. Is any amount of play typical or should they not move at all?

[AJB]

Bump for this, as I’m new to it , I’m going through mine as well

[ARGOJIM]

Sounds like bearings are showing wear, the amount you can wiggle will determine if bad or not. The more they wiggle the worse they are and eventually can eat into the seals and aluminum flanges. Try watching the inner and then outer bearing while "wiggling" to see which is wore.
First fill the bearings with grease as they may just be dry from lack of maintenance.
Try that for now.

[Jerry In Maine]

My hubs will move about 1/8". I'd imagine the inner, outer bearings and seals are replaced in sets...are they difficult to change?

[bigfootbob]

do your axles with the extensions wiggle? Not sure if they put extensions on the vanguard. I would upgrade to the newer hd bearing if possible. The older bearings with the seals in the flange would always wear the axle and cause leaks.

[great white]

I just replaced most of them in my 87.

They would “clunk” a little and when you would looked in by the seal, you could see them moving. Once replaced, no play at all. At least not noticeable.

Not all my bearings were bad and the “good” old ones had no play like the new ones.

I use the “audible” test: If they make a clunk, time to replace. Once they start to “clunk”, they wear accelerates and they get worse pretty fast.

Play in the bearings will kill the seals and allow grease loss, seal wear and water ingress. It will also effect chain slap and tension, since the sprockets are also moving back and forth when the bearing has play.

All my inners were still good, it’s the outters that take most of the abuse.

If everything is still “loose”, it’s just a little bit of a PITA to change them. Weekend job.

If your sprockets are seized up on your axle shafts....prepare to go through “H-E-double hockey sticks”. Give yourself weeks, if not a month.

Mine were seized and penetrating oils, heat, pullers and finally pounding on them with a 5 lb sledge were required to get it apart. Had to rework the axle ends because I had to beat on them so much, they mushroomed out on the ends and the bearings/spockets would no longer go back on the axles.

The fronts are the worst, as you have little to no room to work inside. Ie: power pack, battery, exhaust, etc all in the way.

A PO had stored the Argo outside and that caused the parts to rust together. Doesn’t take much and living in Maine, you’re exposed to the same climate I am (nova scotia), so you know what I’m talking about with plain steel exposed to the “Atlantic effect”. It can be sitting in a warm garage and it still rusts....

If your chains have play, it’s a good time to do those as well. They have to come off to do the bearings/seals. It’s a dirty, greasy, miserable job to do while bent over and working in the bottom of a bathtub. It’s a job you only want to have to do once....