Wheel Bearing Preload Question

[spddm0n]

Can somebody help me understand what is actually happening while "torquing down" the wheel bearing lock nut, in the process of reinstalling the front wheel bearing and setting the pre-load correctly?

 

I found something a bit interesting while attempting to reinstall my front wheel bearing after replacing the wheel stud.  I don't have the right tool to actually torque the wheel bearing locking nut down to the correct specs (58-72 ft-lbs), but I was able to get a "decent" amount of torque on it (30-40 ft-lbs I'm guessing) using a similar tool I had for my Nissan Xterras.  I found that after finally "loosening" the nut again and continuing with the procedure outlined in the FSM (once it is loose again, turn it 15-30deg more in order to set the lock washer in place.

 

When I did this, I found the wheel bearing a little tighter than the wheel bearing on the opposite side (I didn't do anything to this side, just using it as reference for the amount of pulling force necessary to start to turn the wheel hub).  I'm not using the correct strain/force gauge to measure the pulling force, but I'm can tell from my fingers it is requiring more force to get the hub moving.  I found this odd, since I didn't actually get the lock nut torqued to the required amount of torque in the beginning.

 

I'm not sure I understand the process/importance of wheel bearing PRE-LOAD. 🙂

[datzenmike]

The other side may be worn or out of adjustment. Re-torque the other side and then compare. You might find they are now the same.