Hi,
I installed new bearings on the right front wheel Friday afternoon before going away for the weekend. First time I tried doing that.
Was nice and tight when I left home but when getting there it had lots of slack and was humming. This was after 150 miles. I tightened it a bit which helped a lot but it was still occasionally humming and a bit lose but not much.

Came home (another 150 miles) and my neighbour who works on cars a lot told me to tighten it a bit more. "You can't really over tighten it" he said. I tightened it a bit more but not a lot.
When I first installed it I followed Bentley's description which said tighten it to 1.5Nm. This time I might have done 8-10Nm but my torque wrench doesn't really go below 29Nm which is why I at no point have been certain what it was torqued to. Well, I test drove it for 15min and when getting out of the car I saw smoke comming from the hub. Not good.

I turned the spindle nut counter clockwise one hole which made it really lose but turning it back to the original hole it gripped again. I've left it in the hole just before it gets tight.

Now my questions are:

1. Have I damaged anything? Should I get new bearings again or re-grease it?

2. How do I now adjust it correctly?

Thanks a lot in advance

Cheers

Is there a good trick to get a stuck brake disc off? I don't know how my neighbour got it off the last time but he's not around in the evenings this week and I'm beginning to be desperate to get this sorted.

Thanks

"I followed Bentley's description which said tighten it to 1.5Nm."

I think you mis-read the Bentley. )n page 770-4, the 1.5nm reference is Step 4 of the procedure.

Step 1 says to tighten the nut to 55nm (41 ft lb) while spinning the wheel by hand (assuming you can, with a stuck piston).

Step 2 says to loosen the nut 1/2 turn.

Step 3 refers to pre-'81 240s (you don't say what year your's is)

Step 4 is where you tighten slightly (1.5nm), then turn as needed to fit the cotter pin in the closest set of holes (vertical or horizontal).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When you replace that bad caliper, you can prevent brake fluid from draining from the open brake lines if you prop the brake pedal down about 1.5". The MC piston seals will block off the reservoir ports so no fluid will be lost. Pull the correct fuse to keep the brake lights off.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

I did all those steps including the 55Nm. I just read the Haynes procedure and it says to only tighten if finger tight and doesn't go as far as 55Nm in step one although I can't remember the procedure exactly.

Thanks for the brake fluid tip, I was wondering if there was a trick.

Cheers

Well, my neighbour actually did half the job by taking the old bearings and races out while I was at work and he does know it's rear wheel drive.

I've actually thought of something else because I didn't really tighten the bearing that much I think. As I posted in another thread a few days ago I have a sticking piston in the caliper on that same wheel. It has worn down a brand new brake pad in about five months so it's completely wedge shaped. I'm beginning to think this might be what actually killed the old bearing. Is that possible? This might be where the smoke came from because when I tried to turn the hub by hand it was stuck. It took some serious force on the brake pad to release it.

Well, I left the car at home today, have a new caliper waiting at home and will get new pads today if I can find some.

Cheers

Yep you needed that caliper. Definitely stuck from your description.

And the heat probably contributed to the bearing failure. 15+ year old grease, plus that thermal stresss.... yeah could have smoked it.

The smoke may have just been from the brake. But as the others noted the bearing race may not have seated fully, and then seated itself deeper under compression, loosening the bearing.

Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll sort it all out.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!

"You can't really over tighten it" he said.

Well, before we crucify your neighbor, in his defense he probably assumed it was a sealed bearing like most FWDs (and some 700/900s, I think) use. But yes, yours certainly can be overtightened. I agree with Fitz - the race probably wasn't quite seated. I expect the play caused the damage, if any, to the bearings, by letting them ride over the edge of the races. Can't hurt anything to try reusing these bearings but expect the worst - and you may be pleasantly surprised! Good luck!
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Chris, Dartmouth NS Canada 70 M-B 280SE, 83 245DL, 84 244 turbo, 90 780 turbo, 92 VW Golf

If it came loose after driving, either the bearing is new defective (unlikely) or one of the outer races was not seated in the hub when you finished the first time. As you drove, the race pressed in deeper which loosened the bearing.

The smoke worries me. I think you should dismantle and at least replace the grease and give the rollers and races a careful visual inspection.

Oh yes, you really CAN overtighten wheel bearings.

The link to the description in the other first posted answer to this question was very good.

It's hard to say if you've damaged the bearings. I would assume that the ladder-like conical housing can be bent if overtorqued, but I would suspect that you're problably ok right now. If the bearing grease has shiny sparkles in it (like very small glitter), this is a shure sign that something is being chewed apart...

A couple years ago I wrote up a comprehensive 240 front wheel bearing replacement procedure that also included the torque tightening sequence. Feel free to read through it, and pass it along to anybody who asks in the future.
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=682877
Note, the final torque tightening steps that my Volvo dealership uses (and whom advised me on how to do it) requires that you have the wheel on the car while tightening the castle nut and simultaneously checking the wheel play. You can not do this with a torque wrench alone and expect to hit the "sweet spot" that the trained Volvo technicians achieve. It's all covered in the post above and it should give you the results you're looking for.

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
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'87 Blue 240 Wagon, 255k miles.