Burning Smell

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Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post Brake Pads Brian Thaxton 1  1  02-10-03  01:43 pm   Closed: New threads not accepted on this page

Author Message   Brian Posted on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 08:57 pm:    I have a '97 D1, and I recently disassembled my front hubs and swivel balls. I reassembled and replaced all of the seals and repacked the bearings in the hubs. In other words, a typical rebuild of the hubs and swivel balls. Now, every time I drive any distance at all, I can smell a "burning" smell when I get out and walk by the front wheel. I am pretty confident that the smell is coming from the front hubs. I at first assumed that it might be excess grease burning off, but it is still doing it about a month later. What could cause this? There are three issues to consider: 1) I had to go back in and adjust the swivel preload twice after the fact. I had to remove the equivalent of the medium-size shim to cure the front end from "wobbling" over bumps. 2) There were three thin washers at the end of the axle (behind the c-clip) during disassembly. Upon reassembly, only two would go back on. If I added the third, I could not get the c-clip back on. 3) The way I adjusted the wheel hub bearing "play" was to tighten the hubnut down to the point where there was no free play. Then, I loosened it until I could spin the hub and it would spin freely 1/2 rotation until it would meet resistance and stop. Did I tighten the wheel bearings too tight? What could be causing the burning smell?   Brian Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 05:19 pm:    Anyone?   Bruce Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 09:10 pm:    Did you but grease on the hub seal during assembly? If not you might have dry rubber running on clean dry metal = stink Bruce.   Brian Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 03:20 pm:    Maybe that's it. Do you mean the seals where the bearings are located, the swivel housing seal(s) or both? Thanks.   Bill Bettridge (Billb) Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 04:40 pm:    Also - the thrust washers that you didn't put back on regulate end-float - if the cv is allowed to go back into the swivel ball to far it can bind and contact - though I doubt it with just one thrust washer missing. Recheck your end float to be sure. Bill   Bruce Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 06:02 pm:    Brian, the one with the wheel bearings. The other is a slow moving seal so should'nt heat up. Bruce   Brian Posted on Friday, February 07, 2003 - 09:31 am:    Bill and Bruce, Thanks. As for the end float, that is yet another after-the-fact item I just found out about. When I reassembled the swivel ball and hub, I started with three washers and ended up with two. I tried pushing and pulling things around, but there was no way that three washers would go back on (only two). I simply wrote it off to the new seals. I am an engineer, but how all of these paper-thin washers and shims (swivel pin, axle, etc) have such a large effect on my Disco's front end is beyond me. Now for the stupid question: How do I check my end float? I am going to do a keyword search, but I am asking now just in case I do not find anything. Thanks for the help.   Bill Bettridge (Billb) New Member Username: Billb Post Number: 652 Registered: 02-2002 Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 02:56 pm:    Brian, Your new seals would not have affected the amount of end-float (nor the amount of washers you could re-install) - It is VERY easy to reinstall the stub axle so that the CV joint does not move in/out as it should (BTDT). Best is to put a bolt into the threaded hole in the stub axle on the CV and be moving it as you install/tighten the stub axle. Bolt will also serve to give you a handle when attempting to fit all the thrust washers back on Regardless - I too didn't realize how critical the end float was until last weekend when replacing CVs on a friends truck. After much head scratching after listening to one CV go pop,pop,pop - the addition of one lousy .015" thrust washer cured it all. Bill   Brian Thaxton (Bthaxton) New Member Username: Bthaxton Post Number: 3 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 03:16 pm:    Bill, Thanks for the post. It appears that I am not having any ill effects from leaving one washer off on each side. I tried "making" all of the washers go back on by pulling the stub axle (with a bolt in the hole in the end), but no use. There was no way that I could not reinstall all of the washers. As it is right now I could could barely get the c-clip back on with only two washers. There is absolutely no movement or "play" in the axle right now. It is tight. I'll say again that I do not know why all of the washers would not go back on. Everything as reassembled correctly as far as I know.   Brian Thaxton (Bthaxton) New Member Username: Bthaxton Post Number: 4 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 03:43 pm:    Bill (and anyone), I guess the question is, how do I go about adding that missing washer back in? Disassemble the entire hub and swivel again? I am not beyond that if it will fix everything. How can I tell during reassembly if all washers are going to fit at the end? In other words, what did I do to make all washers not want to go back on in the first place?   Bill Bettridge (Billb) Member Username: Billb Post Number: 653 Registered: 02-2002 Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 04:35 pm:    Brian, I guess the main question I'd have is if you removed the stub axle or not? (ie: got all the way down the the CV joint). If so, then it is easy to reinstall the stub so that the CV binds. But you would have noticed other problems by now such as binding when turning and noise from the CV joint as it chewed into the swivel ball. If not - then nothing has changed and there is no reason that the axles should not move out enough to reinstall the original # of thrust washers. Did you clean up and lube the splines on both the axle and drive flange? Was the ABS sensor pulled up so that it did not interfere with the CV (very unlikely, but possible)? Bill   Brian Thaxton (Bthaxton) New Member Username: Bthaxton Post Number: 5 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 07:17 pm:    Yes, I did get all the way down to the CV Joint. I even took it out and cleaned it, as well as the axle with it. There is no noise or any other problem, I just couldn't get one washer back on. It now seems really strange. However, like I initially said, there is now a burning smell, but I really think that might be my new brake pads binding, which is something else to be addressed. I might take everything back apart again and reassemble if it might help. Like I said earlier, the axle only moves out enough to fit two washers instead of three. It will move in all the way unless I thread a bolt into the end of the axle and use it as a "handle".