lateral play in front hub - DT 240

[AngryScientist]

I've got a set of wheels with DT 240 hubs with piles of miles on them. the bearings are buttery smooth when rotated in hand, so i think they are still good, but there is a bit of detectable lateral play in the hub when mounted in a fork.

these being sealed bearings, with no real adjustment, i think all i can do is remove the endcaps, make sure everything looks OK, add some grease and tighten the QR down hard.

that's it right? there is no other means to remove lateral play in DT 240 fronts, correct?

[Lewis Moon]

Is the wheel radially laced?

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

Is the wheel radially laced?

3x, tied and soldered too!

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I've got a set of wheels with DT 240 hubs with piles of miles on them. the bearings are buttery smooth when rotated in hand, so i think they are still good, but there is a bit of detectable lateral play in the hub when mounted in a fork.

these being sealed bearings, with no real adjustment, i think all i can do is remove the endcaps, make sure everything looks OK, add some grease and tighten the QR down hard.

that's it right? there is no other means to remove lateral play in DT 240 fronts, correct?

Correct but if you have play, then the bearings are worn...out(?) or the axle is worn so it's not tight in the ID of the bearings.

Tied and soldered baby!! Huzzah!!

[AngryScientist]

the play is pretty minor, so i'm going to pull the end caps off tonight and get some lube in there and hopefully that helps.

as it is right now, if i clamp down the QR really tight, the play is gone, so it may just be a matter or some minor debris/grit in there.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

the play is pretty minor, so i'm going to pull the end caps off tonight and get some lube in there and hopefully that helps.

as it is right now, if i clamp down the QR really tight, the play is gone, so it may just be a matter or some minor debris/grit in there.

I have to do the same with a really old Phil front hub I have..smooth bearings but a wee bit of play..

[AngryScientist]

yea, i'll report back tonight with results.

[charliedid]

OP is right.

Also do not overload the bearing by trying to over tighten the QR. You will only make matters worse.

Bearing seated correctly should have no play. Except that some do. ;-)

[Mikej]

I have a few sets, by play, do you mean just a slight tick? That's ok. I believe its actually the end caps that dictate bearing preload. So after removing and installing and clamping a front qr a few dozen times a year, you can compress the aluminum end caps a bit (both the bearing side and fork side are susceptible to this), creating a non-optimal pre-load. The slight tick, however is ok.

[cmg]

Originally Posted by charliedid

OP is right.

Also do not overload the bearing by trying to over tighten the QR. You will only make matters worse.

Bearing seated correctly should have no play. Except that some do. ;-)

You will overtime crush the bearing races. I've done this, don't, replace the bearings and live happily ever after........

[AngryScientist]

i may order a set of bearings just to have them on hand

[dustyrider]

Did you pull the end caps? Might be worth it.

I recently took an older set of my 240s down the street to dt because they were screaming at me when I spun the wheel in the frame on the stand. They pulled the end caps and the rear had a bunged up seal that they replaced on the spot. The fronts felt buttery but while I was there they pulled them just to make sure. Ohsa rules meant the public can no longer see what they do just trust the man that works on them. Which I fully do! The hubs are now perfect.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by dustyrider

Did you pull the end caps? Might be worth it.

I recently took an older set of my 240s down the street to dt because they were screaming at me when I spun the wheel in the frame on the stand. They pulled the end caps and the rear had a bunged up seal that they replaced on the spot. The fronts felt buttery but while I was there they pulled them just to make sure. Ohsa rules meant the public can no longer see what they do just trust the man that works on them. Which I fully do! The hubs are now perfect.

Dave Agapito? You must be in Grand Junction..the guy knows his ****z...

[AngryScientist]

UPDATE:

pulled the endcaps off, there was some grit that had snuck in there that i presume was preventing the endcaps from seating perfectly squarely against the bearings, allowing ever so slight play. cleaned everything up really well, applied a thin coat of good grease, and now all is well in the world.

[dustyrider]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Dave Agapito? You must be in Grand Junction..the guy knows his ****z...

Yup! Agapito and the company being "local" are a huge reason why I'm such a dt fanboy.

Glad it worked out angry!