need abit of advice about a tight wheel

[Richie]

The drivers side front wheel is tight to turn on my sj410. Ive got as far as removing the caliper and its still tight so I guess its something in the axle. Any advice what I should check first? Please dont say the transfur lever i know it's in 2wd lol. Thx in advance

[TomBod08]

This happened to mine not so long ago, I used a wire brush on where the brake pads fit and cleaned up the piston and slid it in and out until smooth, put it all back together and it worked fine.

[Pugsley]

As the caliper has been removed and therefore the braking on that wheel is redundant, I would be looking for a wheel bearing problem. Possibly a worn out or unlubricated set of bearings or possibly the bearings have been tightened up too much but I think that is the next step for investigation.

[Darrell]

If you have fixed hubs on the front it could be a UJ seizing up.

[Richie]

Yea my guess was its a bearing because its got tighter over the last 6 months of standing and beforehand ive been through some big rivers lol. What are the bearings like to do on this front of a sj?

[Darrell]

The wheel bearings are easy enough to change, but you could do with a big socket (50mm) if you can borrow one.
A couple of tab washers may be useful if you have a Suzuki dealer nearby (you can often reuse the old ones).
If you buy a kit it will also come with a hub oil seal.
I would pull it apart first before buying any parts though, just to see what you need.

Front Hub Numbers.jpg (174.16 KiB) Viewed 5870 times

If you have freewheel hubs disengage it and give the wheel a spin.
If you have fixed hubs, remove the axle shaft drive flange and give the wheel a spin.
If it's still tight at least you know its the wheel bearing and not the diff or UJ's tight.

[Pugsley]

As Darrell says, you will need a 50mm socket which in my experience may have to be modified to provide a longer length - they always seem to be too short to allow it to engage with the outer locking nut which MUST be correctly torque loaded. Expect to pay about about £6-7 pounds for one from a tool seller from a market etc.

You really have to do this job properly for it to be successful - avoid shortcuts e.g. whacking the locking nuts tight with a hammer and punch, if you do, expect to replace the bearings 1000 miles later.

[twiss]

I got a long reach 50mm socket for mine, it did cost me £20 though!!!