What is the rule of thumb for tightening the front Rotor (hub) bearing nut. I thought it was tighten until tight then back off 1/2 turn. Any one else no what Ford suggests?

 

Not sure what Ford recomends, but there are bound to be a wide range of opinions.

You might want to describe your vehicle to get a precise answer.

IMO, backing off a half turn might be too loose. I would try tightening it up to about 20 ft. lbs., loosen it up, then tighten again finger tight.

 

I have a 97 F150 XCab Flareside with 4.6.

 

I'll give you my opinon on it.

I first tighten the nut all as much as I can with a pair of channel locks to seat the bearings. Then I back the nut off.

Now there is a washer (that goes in the groove of the spindle) behind the nut. I take a screwdriver and try to work the washer side to side to gauge how much pressure is on it. If the nut is too loose, the washer will slide easy. If the nut is too tight, you will not move the washerat all. The nut should be tight enough so that the washer has a slight drag when moving side to side.

 

The way I always do it, and the way a lot of manuals say, is tighten the nut while hand turning the rotor. If you are using channel locks, go as tight as you can with one hand. If you have a socket and torque wrench available, go about 30 pounds. Now back off the nut 1/4 - 1/2 turn. Re-tighten the nut to 12-16 pounds, or about the dead weight of your hand/arm on a pair of channel locks. I position the handles of the channel locks at 3 o'clock, grip the pliers and just let my whole arm go limp. Adjust for any alignment/retaining pins.

 

Here's the answer

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=162598

 

Here are the instructions from the Ford Service Manual for a 99’ Ford F-150:

While rotating the brake disc and hub(clockwise), tighten the spindle nut to 30 ft/lbs to seat the bearing.
Loosen the spindle nut two turns.
Tighten the spindle nut while rotating the brake disc and hub(counter-clockwise) to 17-24 ft/lbs.
Loosen the spindle nut 175 degrees.
Final - Tighten the spindle nut while rotating the brake disc and hub(clockwise) to 17 ft/lbs.