Hi, 107 degrees in Dallas and front hubs are reading 160 degrees after a 30 minute in town run.Mike
How hot are your front hubs in this heat? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Michael Hanson
- Start date
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cps432
SILVER Star
What temps do you measure on an average day? I never thought to check mine. Never occurred to me.
I did install a seal backwards once and it rubbed against the spindle causing it to heat up and become discolored. I should replace it some time, but so far I haven’t had any issues with the knuckles or hubs even with that excessive heat from the rubbing. As long as you have quality grease in there I doubt 160 degrees is going to cause any issues. That’s not even enough to boil water.
I did install a seal backwards once and it rubbed against the spindle causing it to heat up and become discolored. I should replace it some time, but so far I haven’t had any issues with the knuckles or hubs even with that excessive heat from the rubbing. As long as you have quality grease in there I doubt 160 degrees is going to cause any issues. That’s not even enough to boil water.
160 is very hot.. When did your bearings last get some attention?
micruz60
Unleaded Regular
Good question - I've noticed my driver's side front hub getting 'warm' after a drive over the pass, and chalked it up to braking on the downhill.
Will check again after a flat land drive, taking the IR gun; additionally, I've noticed that the FJ62 has a 'scoop' on the innerside of the brake shield, looks to be intended to direct air to the rotor?
Will check again after a flat land drive, taking the IR gun; additionally, I've noticed that the FJ62 has a 'scoop' on the innerside of the brake shield, looks to be intended to direct air to the rotor?
- Thread starter
- #5
I just rebuilt knuckles and brakes. Hoping once the brakes seat a little the temps will go down.fj60 next to it just sitting all day temps were 113.
Check hub temps immediately after a good length drive that has had minimal brake use. If its too hot to hold your hand on comfortably for a long period of time then its way too hot and you possibly have the bearings tightened down too much. It can take a little while to settle bearings in but if you clocked up 500+ miles thats well more than enough before I'd start to look for a cause and fix.
cps432
SILVER Star
Remember that water boils at 220 and your chicken sandwich is supposed to be cooked to 165. A metal surface at 160 degrees on a very hot is not that hot. You can touch a grill when it’s 160 without damaging your skin.
The question I have still stands, what do you measure on a normal basis? What temps are other drivers getting?
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that’s excessive for the conditions described.
The question I have still stands, what do you measure on a normal basis? What temps are other drivers getting?
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that’s excessive for the conditions described.
Also what are you using to measure temp? IR thermometers on reflective metal surfaces can give weird readings
Mine are always at ambient temperature because I am in the middle of a knuckle rebuild 
Your bearings may be too pre loaded. That’s too hot. I’m in texas with 110* feels like and I can touch mine after a drive.
My initial thought is that would be about right given heat transfer from brake rotors if there's any reasonable amount of stopping before someone parks their rig, especially on a hot day.
- Thread starter
- #12
Today I measured it as it sat overnight,In 107 degrees in the sun they measured 127 degrees and I did not want to hold my hand on them. As I’ve said the cruiser had not been driven since the following day. So far the cruiser has about 30 miles on it.
cps432
SILVER Star
Most moly grease will withstand temps over 400 degrees. As long as you have a sufficient amount of grease in the knuckles and wheel bearings and your preload is correct I don’t think 120-160 degrees is going to damage anything.
People keep pointing to your preload being too high. You can easily check that with a fish scale if you remove the wheel. I would have to double check the FSM, but I think it should take around 10 pounds of force to move the rotor when you hook the scale to the lug and pull horizontally. It’s an easy way to get peace of mind.
People keep pointing to your preload being too high. You can easily check that with a fish scale if you remove the wheel. I would have to double check the FSM, but I think it should take around 10 pounds of force to move the rotor when you hook the scale to the lug and pull horizontally. It’s an easy way to get peace of mind.
There's zero point in checking hub temps after its been sitting since the following day, this is a meaningless test.
Go for a long drive - pull up on the side of the road and then immediately put your hands on each of the four hubs in turn - if you cant hold your hands on them for more than a few seconds its too hot. You're especially looking for hubs that are a radically different temperature from the other 3. The heat is either due to a bearing issue, a lack of grease, or excessively tight bearings. Sure the side thats in the sun may be slightly hotter but there so much air movement over them that its unlikely be radically different.
My HJ47 goes all over Australia every year in all kinds of temperatures (very hot to very cold) - on all major trips I do this hub test at least every 1000miles or so, usually when I've pulled over for a quick toilet stop or to fish another cold drink out of the fridge.
