150cc straight axle side to side play

Posts: 1197

when my buggy was new i notice it had a little side play, maybe a 1/16 to a 1/8 .
the other day i notice that my rear brakes were in bad shape
for no longer then they had been on so i replace them.
i had it out this evening and when i pulled it back in the shed i always go around it and make sure everything is there and the hubs are tight. i grab the rack and give it a side to side pull and sh^t house, that axle has really got some side play in it now. no wonder the brakes didn't last long looks like it is moving 3/16 or maybe more both ways now.thats not good on the rotor and brake caliper and maybe putting some extra ware on the sprocket.
have you guys run into this problem i haven't tore it down yet
but it don't seem to have a bad bearing that i can hear just has alot of side to side play.
i was thinking maybe a shim on each side to tighten up that axle some on the side play.
what are your guys thoughts on this
pud

Posts: 616

wow that is alot of side to side play. as you know i just recently had my axel off mine to put on the new sprocket. there are three bolts with nuts on both ends where the axel connects to the frame of the buggy. are those somehow getting loose when you ride? i cant think of any other way it would have that much play....however i have had my wheels not on completely tight before and thought my axel was loose. go to the back of your buggy and shake it while watching the axel. see if its the axel moving side to side or if its the wheels. try to tighten your wheel nut to one more castle head for the cotter key to go in and see if its got any less play...

Posts: 1197

thanks stang for bringing this back to life,i didn't want to fill like i was talking to myself Laughing

i checked every thing like you had mentioned and that wasn't what the problem was,i wish it could have been that simple.
here is what i found, i knew there was a little side play when new but not that much. from what i can tell the problem has always been there, its just starting to so up now from riding alot of steep sidling ground and maybe throwing it hard into turns Smile

pulled both bearing blocks off, bearings were good hadn't moved in block and in as far as they would go.so i pulled inside grease seals off and put them back on and you sure could see what the problem is.the lip on axle that the bearing is supposed to come up against when pulled up and tighten down.
there is a quite a bit if distance between the both of them, to much that is the problem.i didn't get a good measurement but looks to be around a 1/8 on both sides,thats just a guess.
so my choice is to either have bearing block machined down to fit closer or go with thrush washers (shims)
i think i will try thrush washers i think napa can get them for me.so thats what i found out no damage to axle, rotor, caliper and sprocket yet but like that it won't take long.
pud

Posts: 4196

I havent seen that problem before,, have you mic the inside of the bearing and then mic the axle and check the diff?

also the hubs do move a little , I always tighten down the castle nut a tad.

Posts: 1197

Posts: 6275

I had that problem with my Sahara. I didn't even realize it until I did the 350 conversion. I noticed it when I put the axle back on. I think if the rear end or the brackets get bent that 1/8"-1/4" that will happen. That is what I thought at the time and fixed it then. No problems now. Very Happy

Posts: 1009

On Rubberbaby's hubs, even though we tightened the
castle nut tight, the back side of the hub was wore
out on the axle from being loose for awhile. We had
to put another flat washer behind the castle nut, to
draw up the hub tight on the axle.

Posts: 218

Hey Pud sounds like your hubs have worn. I have had the same problem on my 150. Not only did it develop side to side movement but also if you jack up the rear there will be rotational slack as well. No matter how much you tighten the castle nut they will become loose again. At some point the hub splnes just wear out. I am planning on getting some new hubs for mine. I really think they were loose from the get go and all the movement continued to wear them. In general I think the castle nuts on these things are junk. The predrilled holes never line up correctly.

Posts: 1197

hey guys i have checked everything even what jabo said and everything checks out ok with hubs, brackets bearings and axle.
here is what i was talking about i put nut back on axle used a block of wood and small hammer, bumped axle over tight against one bearing like it is supposed to be.than you can go over to the other side and see how far it was traveling back and forth. it seemed to do ok until you get on sidling ground or throw it hard into a turn,i think it was just forcing itself through the bearing,hope that made since.
i'm not sure yet but i won't know until tomorrow but i talk to a guy about the thrush washers,the first thing he ask was what are you working on a 4 wheeler Smile

and said that he has seen this happen before.so i will have to see if he can get the size i need.
pud

Posts: 1197

well today after i wrote this i decided to look through my junk and treasure,its junk if its in your way and its treasure if you need it Laughing

to my surprise i found some shims for a dozer blade that were 1/16 thick and they are made out of hard stuff.the holes in them were 7/8 so i went to work with a drill with grinding stone,a dremel, hacksaw and bench grinder and made some to fit axle dia.
i added one to each side put it all back together and that done it.you wouldn't think 1/8 inch is much but it sure is when it comes to brake rotor,caliper and keep sprocket alignment.
also i got real good back brakes now that i hadn't had for a while.
guys thanks for your thoughts on this,it is always appreciated
here is what i done.
pud