Evening all

A whirring noise that is coming from the front left of the car and increases with speed is begining to get louder the more miles I do and I suspect it to be the front wheel bearings in need of replacement/ overhaul.

I jacked the car up and spun the front left and front right wheels. The front left certainly made more noise when spun, but spun freely if not more so than the front right - I appreciate the bearings were not under load.

Is this enough info to take on overhauling the bearings and, if so, how involved is this? I see the workshop manual references three different Fiat 'pullers' under 8:6, which I do not have. Would I be better off seeing if a local garage would take this on or are these pullers inexpensive/ usful for other things around the car?

I depart a week on Friday for a 1,000 mile trip around northern europe and so would be very grateful for the usual timely advice!

Thanks as always.
Steve

Steve..it's very easy and no puller needed. (It is a Classic 500?)
Wheels off, you remove the dust cover. It's an art and I used to wreck them but careful use of a flat screwdriver nipping round the flange will do it. The nut (22mm I think) will have a reverse thread on the RH side.
The drums are also the hubs if the car is an un-modified 500 and all the bits that don't fall out will be stuck in this. The bearings are tiny and the judicious use of a simple drift or even an old screwdriver and hammer gets them out quickly.
Putting them back with a new seal will then be self-explanatory and the most technical bit is to get the tightening just right. there is an explanation in Haynes but really it's just common sense.
You probably need new locknuts which are "staked" into the slot in the axle.
The fronts are relatively expensive for what they are and I recommend getting a kit with the seal and the nut.
Don't overgrease. Good luck with that and the road-trip. Destination?

Hi Peter

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it's a classic 500 with no known tweaks to the wheels and so I've ordered a replacement bearing kit - I'll let you know how I get on.

Planned route of Bristol-Portsmouth-Caen-Paris-Roubaix-Brugge-Amsterdam-Harwich-Bristol.. about 1,200km all in, so 200km a day average if all goes well.

I have packed a few spares for the trip - odds and ends of nuts etc., alternator belt, basic tools, wiring etc. - and am open to any other suggestions (European roadside cover already ordered..)

Have you got still got 'points' ignition on the car? If you have, I would suggest a condenser---get one of Swiftune's competition condensors--I have been in correspondence with them, they can be used on the 500/early126, although they have been designed for use on 'Classic' racing cars where the original 'points' ignition has to be retained, everything from Minis to GT40s

Swapping the point ignition out for a 123 electric dizzy was one of the first jobs I took on, largely due to the strength of views on the forum abou the 123 system. I have also since put in a refurbished alternator (650cc 126 engine), overhauled the carb (28 weber) and given it a jolly good clean, so hopefully, with a tailwind, we should be good to go (at least as far as Swindon)...

Hi Peter,

So, parts have arrived and I've sucessfully extracted the races, pressed the new ones in, together with a new seal, packed with grease and put back on. I followed the haynes manual instructions on tightening the nut and backing it off 1/6 and wheel back on. The wheel now spins freely and no more grinding. Great. Thank you!

However... there is a small (2mm, say) amount of play in the wheel with my hands at 3:15. I don't get this in the other front wheel, and so I'm not sure if this is acceptable or not. I am yet to stake the nut and so have tried tightening it further, but the hub quickly becomes stuck such that you can't move it by hand. I'd appreciate any guidance on whether the play is acceptable and if not, how I go about getting rid of it!

Thanks again
Steve

Steve, I think that as long as you're reasonably sure that the shells are fully in and aligned, the slight play is better than the a crunch; but you know that. I have read it several times that there may always be some play with this traditional style of bearing. One of mine has a titchy bit of play. Are you sure it's not kingpin wobble?

I would secure it and then check if you can nip it a bit more in a week or two after it has been used and bedded in. You will probably still get away with re-staking it. If not, did you get a left and right nut in each kit and so have spares?

Your steering might be better now if my experience is anything to go on and changing the rears made even more of a beneficial difference.