Wheel bearing type play.

[BlueCruiser84]

I just installed new rear wheel bearings in my Crown Victoria and also got a new axle shaft because the old one was grooved. I am still having considerable play in the wheel. If I grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and alternately push pull with opposite hands the wheel moves. Could this be caused by a bad carrier bearing? That is the only thing I can think of that I haven't replaced.

The axle is a Ford 8.8 c-clip style.

Brian

 

[Poser]

If you had that much play in the carrier bearings that you could feel it in the wheels, I would think that you would have a significant amount of metal in the gear oil for the rear differential, and that there would be a lot of noise coming from the rear end as well, since the carrier is effectively rattling around inside the differential housing...

 

[BlueCruiser84]

That is kind of what I thought. When I grabbed the carrier and tried to shake it around I really didn't get too much movement. I'm going to put in new carrier bearings and see if that fixes it.

Is there anyway the rotor or the wheel could be warped so badly that the lugnuts wouldn't pull it down tight... can that even happen?