Hey guys, I had a horrible squeak coming from my front driver's side wheel.  Pulled the hub, and the bearing was toast.  Got two new from Autozone, pressed into both hubs, and reinstalled at approx 150 ft/lbs.  The problem is that I have play in the passenger side tire when I hold the top and bottom and wiggle it.  There's a little in the driver's side, but the passenger side is the one that's really noticeable.  I'm pretty sure it's not the ball joint, as there is no movement in it whatsoever. It actually seems like the bearings are slightly too big for the axle and allowing play.  I've torqued and retorqued the bearing nut, but the amount of play stays the same.  Has anyone had a similar problem?

Oops, it's a 1990 Tracker with manual hubs.

Been awhile since i've had my wheel bearings apart ( which reminds me it's about time to repack them) but if I remember correctly the race is one piece. Then the rear, or inside bearing goes in, then a circlip to hold it in place, then the seal. Sure you have all the parts back in? I'm going to go take a look at my FSM and make sure that's the correct order. I may be a bit fuzzy on that.

Another thing that may be happening is if the spindle is worn it could also cause that kind of play.  The only way to really tell is to measure the inner diameter of the bearing, then the diameter of the spindle. Or just slide a bearing on the spindle, there shouldn't be any noticable play, It should fit snugly.

When reassembled, the order I followed was, from the back working out:  outer seal, inner seal, snap ring, outer race, inner races, washer, bearing nut, bearing nut holder onner thing (with the four screws), then the assorted brake and locking hub bits.  I could see the bearings inside the hub, and there was noticeable play between the bearings and spinde when I wiggled the hub.  What can I do about the spindle?  Does anyone actually make a replacement?

Unfortunately, a trip to Southwest Suzuki answered my previous question.  I threw up a little in my mouth when I saw that they're $147 a piece.

I was able to pick up a good pair from a wrecking yard pick and pull for $20. But, it's always a roll of the dice if your gonna get a good one. If you plan on keeping your Tracker awhile, a new set is expensive, but worth it. Especially if you keep up with the maintenence. You could always try a local auto parts store, and see if they can order you one made by the aftermarket. They should be quite a bit cheaper.

I was thinking the exact same thing.  I don't mind paying a little more for a new suzuki part because I do plan on running the tracker for many more years.  What ticks me off is that I'm playing catch up for twenty two years of overlooked maintenance.  Things that should be easy aren't because the parts are worn slap out!  I must admit that I'm impressed with the amount of abuse and neglect that these vehicles can take and still keep driving.  My 02 dakota would have died many times over if I even thought of neglecting it. 

  My 02 dakota would have died many times over if I even thought of neglecting it. 

My 05' Silverado has led a pampered life and it is rotting from the inside out, I put my finger thru the front driveshaft when when I grabbed it to shake and check U-joints....................and that is the least of the issues from hidden corrosion!

Yeah, I'm also pretty impressed with how tough they are. They did seem to attract some shall we say, less than observant maintenence from their original owners. It seems to me because they were reletively inexpensive compared to any other 4wd, they were purchased by a higher percentage of idiots who just ignored regular maintenence. Mine was the same way, right front wheel bearing worn AWAY, spindle shot. It also looked like the oil hadn't been changed since new maybe? It had only 63000 on it and already had a lower end tick. Since then I've pretty much went through the whole rig and fixed or replaced anything needed and have about 120000 on that same engine with the lower end tick, never got any worse and I'm running a turbo on it to boot. They ARE tough and worth maintaining and fixing IMO.