Kingpin bearings: are they supposed to be smooth when dry?

[robroy]

Good afternoon,

I picked up a kingpin set at the auto parts the other day and the bearings appeared to be dry. When I turned them in my hands, they felt fairly rough and gritty (kind of like my old shot ones!).

1. Is it normal for these bearings to be shipped dry (no grease)?

2. Do these bearings receive grease from the grease fitting on the
bottom of the spindle?

3. Is it normal for a bearing like this to feel a little gritty when it's
dry? Or should it feel nice and smooth?

Thanks very much!
-Robroy

[unclejtl]

I just did mine. They were just as you described them when I got them.
pack them as best as you can before installing them. Yes, they will receive grease from the bottom zirk.

[robroy]

'Evening Jason! Thanks very much for your reply.

So when you say they were just as I described, do you mean they felt kind of gritty and rough before you added grease?

If yes, were you concerned at that point, or did you know from experience that they're supposed to be that way?

(I'm just curious to double-confirm these points to make sure mine aren't defective.)

Thanks very much Jason,
-Robroy

[unclejtl]

your welcome.

yes, they felt gritty. I went back and checked two other sets at the parts store, they were the same, so I felt they were suppose to be that way. It looks like it is a bushing style bearing, as opposed to a roller or ball type bearing, so a little dust feels like alot. This was my first time doing a ford front end, I feel that I did it right.

I did try to blow them out with compressed air, but it didn't seem to make much difference.

[marine6212]

Good afternoon,

I picked up a kingpin set at the auto parts the other day and the bearings appeared to be dry. When I turned them in my hands, they felt fairly rough and gritty (kind of like my old shot ones!).

1. Is it normal for these bearings to be shipped dry (no grease)?

2. Do these bearings receive grease from the grease fitting on the
bottom of the spindle?

3. Is it normal for a bearing like this to feel a little gritty when it's
dry? Or should it feel nice and smooth?

Thanks very much!
-Robroy

I inspect bearings in my line of work and you should clean them with dry cleaning solvent before you grease them!! If there is any dirt/sand in there when you pack them with grease it will scratch the bearing cause it to be rough and fail prematurely!! just my ! I would hate to see you replacing these bearings in 6 mos +/- !! I wish I had some picks of the bearings that a .0001 grain of sand did to it.

Semperfi,
Marine6212

[robroy]

Hi Jason and Marine6212,

Jason, I'm glad to know that they come feeling gritty! Thanks for pointing out that they're a different design that the more common bearings.

Marine6212, I think your suggestion is a great one. Since mine are still out in the open I may as well try to clean them out as well as I can beforehand--it can't do any harm.

Although I suppose it's unlikely that Jason and I really have bearings with any substantial amount of dirt in them (since that would add up to four kingpin kits with dirt in their bearings!), it can't hurt to wash them out.

Do you folks think they're designed differently because of the intense compression they're under? Isn't it true that they basically hold the weight of the front of the truck?

Thanks to both of you for the great advice!
-Robroy

[kaptnkaos]

hey robroy..

You threw me when you were saying bearing...
Each side should have 4 bushings that should be pressed into the spindles and i-beams, then reamed to fit.
The reaming will smooth them out.

I have heard of guys doing it themselves, but I personally wouldn't.
Having them machined properly insures proper fit and allows for lubrication.
If they are too tight, you get stiff steering and poor lubrication, which can cause them to heat up and seize...

KaptnKA S

[unclejtl]

Kaptnkaos,

I believe he's talkin about these. Once I cleaned and greased mine, they felt smooth.

[robroy]

Good morning!

Jason, thanks for posting the diagram. Those are indeed what I'm talking about, although they look a little different in this diagram than they do on my truck. But they're the only bearings in the whole spindle/i-beam/kingpin assembly so they must be the ones!

Thanks folks!
-Robroy

[kaptnkaos]

ahhh yes... I see now...

I was thinking those were bushings as well.
My bad,
There are 4 bushings... two for each side... upper and lower for the spindles.
From the illustration, I was thinking that the one you marked was also a brass bushing with a seal (washer) around it.

KaptnKA S