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  1. #26

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    I year or so ago, I was driving my tbird and I hit a pothole. Car immidiately dropped and I had very little brakes. Obvious pound grinding noise.

    Pull over and pull the from wheel, the outter wheel bearing completely shattered, chunks of metal everywhere.

    I get some cheepie wheel bearings, clean everything up and get it home. Outter brake pad was worn almost down to the metal backing pad, inner brake pad looked brand new.

    Swapped in a new set of brake pads, and went on my way. Another day or two, maybe 100 miles, and ive got a bad wheel bearing noise. Replace the wheel bearings with name brand, and I cant tighten everything up.

    This car has warped rotors. Vibrates bad when braking since I got it. The rotor wasn't thick enough, not on the braie pad part, but the wheel bearings. There wasn't enough thickness to tighten it down.

    Swapped a rotor off another car, problem went away.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  2. #27

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    FWIW I had the same issue with grease caps on my sons 80 when I replaced the bearings. I even bought brand new caps thinking the old ones were bad. They seemed to pound on tight enough but would loosen after a time.

    I was confident it wasn't an issue with installation or overheating etc so I ended up putting a bit of ultrablack RTV on them to hold them in place better. It worked fine and that was a couple years and quite a few miles ago. I did spot clean the cap and area where the cap seated on the rotor with brake cleaner prior.

  3. #28
    FEP Senior Member OX1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by homer302 View Post
    I believe the cause is more innocent than any of that. Just my guess. I actually had a similar thing happen to my Turbo when I put it back on the road. I believe my center caps were attached more firmly though as the grease caps came off inside the center caps but the center caps never let go. It's the new rotors. They are most likely ALL Chinese sourced at this point and the hole works just fine for what they tested it for, which is just fitting the car. What they DIDN'T test it for is the grease cap. Neither one of mine stay on but my center caps won't fall out. I just leave them off. The center caps keep the heavy debris out.
    I had the same issue on only one side with new rotors. Never really thought about it just not
    being the right diameter for dust cap, but that makes sense. Somehow I got it to stay, but
    not until I beat the crap out of it in some fashion.
    86 Capri, 5.0, 5Spd, A9L QH/BE, 47 lb Inj PMAS 3" MAF, Single T44 Turbo, Front Mount IC, TW170,
    Stock Cam, Explr Intake/TB, 1.7 Rockers, CF dual friction clutch, 3" DP, 2.5" full Exh, 3.27, 11.932 @ 115.78
    84 LTD, 331-10:1, TW170/Exprl Intake, 47 lbs inj/80 mm LMAF, Full Duals, Quarterhorse, Vortech 7PSI, Lentech AOD, 5 lug Mk VII brakes/rear, Eibach Sway bars, Cobra HB (dads ride, but I fix it )

  4. #29
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    -"You will want to use National or Timken bearings..."

    Went with National wheel bearings and C-Tek rotors from NPD, premium seals.
    Have Mustang GT turbine 15" rims.
    Dust caps fit perfectly on the new rotors. No to bashing a dent in them.

    Test drive today 10 miles.
    Everything feels normal again.
    Even ventured on the freeway for a mile. Was no big deal.
    Nice to not feel rotor warp. Been years.
    But have to be wary and not too complacent. It is a 350k car.

    Bearings had a lot of miles on them.
    Only quality name brand parts, oe spec rotor metallurgy will do, then shop the lowest price for them, not lowest cost of job.
    At this point, believe incorrect bearing torque and delayed maintenance was the problem.
    After effects still turning up years after enduring too many 50-70 hour work weeks.
    A sober reminder if it ain't broke don't fix it does not apply there.
    Last edited by gr79; 03-14-2020 at 12:53 AM.

  5. #30
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Glad it’s solved! Yea, I hear you on miles. With normal maintenance it has a lot of life left. Especially if things are rebuilt as needed.

    Ford built one hell of a product with these cars, that’s for sure.

  6. #31
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    For sure hope i solved things. Time will tell.
    Kind of do 'NTSB' studies, internet searches, for similar occurrences that have answers, not only it happened.
    All parts that fail or caused grief are kept. Study, then store small ones in a pickle jar.
    Have database on most everything done to the car and truck since day one, 1980 and 1994.

    Am fond of working on the car and 93 Ranger, good or bad and desire to keep driving them.
    Never kept any vehicles so long or nearly as many miles.
    What they are about, how relatively simple they do the job, and fit lifestyle, stays interesting.
    Now 2/3 less total miles per year to drive (6k) is helping a lot to keep them fit for dd.
    Heavy work schedules of the last 10 years took a more of a toll on them and the house than thought.

    The reality of keeping them reliable and safe to drive keeps getting clouded from having owned them for so long.
    The many past trouble free miles that have been driven span has changed a bit.

    Am always interested in any older high mile cars, especially ours, and why they survive.
    Appreciating the simple, practical, hopefully durable engineering. The frequent radical styling changes.
    Heavy duty steel, iron. Repairable electrical. Long runs, parts interchanges.
    From a time when qc data was just starting to be standardized and recorded.
    Trucks, aircraft, also been of ongoing study to me as to how to apply a bit of their materials or engineering.

  7. #32
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Front rims were playing tricks with the eyes.

    Just remembered to do a quick check of the front wheel alignment toe in.
    Wheels looked straight, but never know after what happened.
    Used a wooden folding carpenters ruler.
    Measurements were right on, nothing got bent.
    A shop alignment check will be done after spindle and strut replacement.

  8. #33

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    Two common problems I've seen with dust caps (and inner grease seals) popping off:
    - Filling the dust cap with grease. Don't do it. I pack the inside of the hub fairly well, but leave the inside
    of the cap dry, to provide air space for expansion.
    - Dust caps are not all created equal. With some, the metal is too soft, and won't have a tight enough fit.
    This also goes for some of the cheaper seals.

    I am usually able to re-size good caps that have just been hammered on and removed improperly too many
    times. I support the cap by the bead, by inserting it into a length of pipe, then drive a suitably sized socket
    into it to expand the O.D.

    When installing the cap, I prefer to use a length of pipe against the bead as a driver. To remove it, I start by
    working a tapered scraper under the bead, then use that to lever it out, spinning the hub to work around the
    cap, rather than just prying it out from one spot. Likewise, grabbing the cap with pliers and levering it free
    will cause a loose-fitting cap when you put it back on, not to mention denting the cap and making it ugly.
    Cheers,
    Jeff Cook

    '85 GT Hatch, 5-speed T-Top, Eibachs, Konis, & ARE 5-Spokes ... '85 GT Vert, CFI/AOD, all factory...
    '79 Fairmont StaWag, 5.0, 62K original miles ... '04 Azure Blue 40th Anny Mach 1, 37K original miles...
    2012 F150 S-Crew 4x4 5.0 "Blue Coyote"... 65 coupe, 289 auto, Pony interior ... '67 coupe 6-cyl 4-speed ...
    '68 Vert, Mexican block 307 4-speed... '71 Datsun 510 ...
    And a 1-of-328 Deep Blue Pearl 2003 Marauder 4.6 DOHC, J-Mod, 4.10s and Lidio tune

  9. #34
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Mine are good and tight. Came off as a one in a million event.
    Pry off like a paint can lid. Wipe inside and bead clean.
    Tap on squarely with homemade tool. Short piece of capped 2" (?) dia pvc pipe on the bead flange.
    If the cap gets dented or rusty, i buy new. Prefer the dichromated gold ones.
    Bash in is ugly like a pushed in voice coil dust cover on a speaker.

  10. #35
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    We used to hammer the inside of the dust caps with a socket to flatten them out. That plus a thin spacer often solved the center cap of wheel on normal foxbody spindles wheel fitment issues

    they don’t have to look good if no one ever sees them .....

    Personally I hate the look of weld draglites with tall center caps

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