Topic: KNUCKLE SHIM/BEARING PRELOAD? 85 AXLE

[weakyota91]

IM INSTALLING LONGS SO I TORE DOWN AXLE,  DRIVERS SIDE KNUCKLE HAD 2 THICK AND 2 THIN SHIMS ALL AT BOTTOM BEARING CAP, STEERING ARM HAD NONE, I DIVIDED THEM AND PUT ONE THICK ONE THIN AT TOP. I REALIZE ALL I DID WAS CHANGE ALIGNMENT OF KNUCKLE, BUT DOING WHAT I DID SHOULDNT HAVE CHANGED MY BEARING PRELOAD AT ALL CORRECT? WHEN I DID THE PULL TEST WITH MARLINS FISH SCALE (WITHOUT WIPER SEALS AND ROCK RING ON BACK SIDE OF KNUCKLE) IM GETTING 16 LB OF DRAG SEEMS LIKE ALOT TO ME, WOULD ANYONE BE CONCERNED ABOUT TOASTING KNUCKLE BEARINGS AT THIS SPEC. I WILL COMPARE TO THE PASS WHEN I TEAR IT DOWN. IF YOUR SURE ITS 100% THAT I HAVENT MADE THE PRELOAD TIGHTER BY DIVIDING THE SHIMS I WILL LEAVE IT AS IT HASNT BEEN TORE DOWN IN 4 YEARS AND BEARING WERE GOOD. SORRY ABOUT CAPS WORK COMPUTER IS STUCK ON CAPS LOL

[Dr Phat]

STOP YELLING!

But I bleieve ~15 lb is what most people run especially when wheeling with larger tires so you should be all set.

[OOPS]

What was the preload before? If you do not know, how do you know it changed?

The bottom shims are for centering the knuckle (important so the axle seals do not leak); the top shims are how you set the preload.