quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: Currently, every rear wheel drive vehicle with independantly sprung front wheels (basically, every SUV, and rwd sedan) uses this design.

Not so much... Repackable bearings are dead except in heavy trucks.

The idea of "finger tight" is a nice laugh. It's been a while since I had my fingers calibrated. Where's the cal sticker? They should just give an end-play spec.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: Another fun fact is that in the absence of the cotter pin, one side would loosen while the other side would tighten up... they use the same thread on both sides.

no they wouldn't
the washer between the nut and the bearing cone has a tooth that fits in a grove in the spindle.
so the washer cannot rotate to make the nut rotate.

EDIT:
oops MotorTV beat me to it.

[This message has been edited by buddycraigg (edited 02-17-2008).]

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Second, this thread has nothing to do with bearings... I was asking about wheel retention, the bearings have no effect on that.

lol

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Second, this thread has nothing to do with bearings... I was asking about wheel retention, the bearings have no effect on that.

quote Originally posted by FastIndyFiero: lol

double laughing at that...

[This message has been edited by buddycraigg (edited 02-18-2008).]

quote Originally posted by buddycraigg: no they wouldn't the washer between the nut and the bearing cone has a tooth that fits in a grove in the spindle. so the washer cannot rotate to make the nut rotate. EDIT: oops MotorTV beat me to it.

I forgot about the tabbed washer.... haven't worked a pre-88 for several years.

quote a cotter pin is all that holds the front wheels on??

Maybe the best answer to this question would have been "Yes."

quote Originally posted by Formula88: They got rid of that primitive, dangerous design on the 88 Fiero. That old design is also how old knock off wheels could work. Remember those? I believe I'd have to safety wire the center nut on one of those.

88's don't have a big nut with a cotter pin holding the wheel on?

quote Originally posted by 2.5: 88's don't have a big nut with a cotter pin holding the wheel on?

Nope.

also remember that for the wheel to come off the rotor does two, and the caliper is going to keep that from happening.

so if you add up everything said in this thread the likelyhood off seeing your front wheel leaving the car and rolling down the road is near zero.

[This message has been edited by DandRauto (edited 02-18-2008).]

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Thanks for the explanation....A "+" to all the helpful people in this thread. In NASA we treat all catastrophic hazards the same i.e. loss of vehicle and crew... If a washer floats away during a spacewalk that's considered catastrophic, because its moving at 17,500 mph. Although the odds of recontact are low, they are not zero. In a car, most failures have you on the side of the road, but able to make it home eventually. I have learned more about how the wheels and axles work, and if I feel a wobble, I will certainly stop to check it out. Now to finish up those rotors.

Talk about opening a "can of worms"