Left rear wheel locked up

[Wheelmang]

My 26 DB pushed awful hard when loading and unloading so the logical conclusion was the brakes were frozen. I put the rear end up on jack stands and sure enough the left rear was pretty much locked up. See the pictures for what I found. My theory is, the PO did not see the need for a cotter pin the last time the wheel was off. This resulted in the nut over tightening with the resulting failure. Wheel bearings, key slot and all other components are fine. The wheel bearing is cleaned and the axle is reinstalled with appx. .005 end play. I hammered the grease retainer back to an acceptable working condition. 

However before reinstalling the wheel (after finding a new key) could someone who knows a lot more about it than me please comment on my theory? If the missing cotter pin is not the problem what else should I be looking for. 

Does anyone have a source for the key? I looked at Myers and did not see any. It appears to be 5/16" brass?

Thanks all for your valued input. 

Edited April 29, 2017 by Wheelmang
Additional question (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

Keys are normally steel. You can buy it by the foot or whatever, not very dear.

 

So the nut was very tight when you took it off? I have found the nuts actually loosen slightly even when done up to the suggested 150 lb.ft on my Dodge 8, even with pin. Unless the nut is LH thread, it will tend to loosen on left hand side.

 

Is the drum on a taper? If so, was the taper greased? If so, that might have been the problem. The hub tends to "walk" up the taper when it is greased. If so, make sure the hub is not cracked through the keyway. And put it back clean and dry, like it should be.

[Wheelmang]

9 minutes ago, Spinneyhill said:

Keys are normally steel. You can buy it by the foot or whatever, not very dear.

 

So the nut was very tight when you took it off? I have found the nuts actually loosen slightly even when done up to the suggested 150 lb.ft on my Dodge 8, even with pin. Unless the nut is LH thread, it will tend to loosen on left hand side.

 

Is the drum on a taper? If so, was the taper greased? If so, that might have been the problem. The hub tends to "walk" up the taper when it is greased. If so, make sure the hub is not cracked through the keyway. And put it back clean and dry, like it should be.

 The nut had way more than 150 lbs. spindle is a taper. The washer under the nut was also galled up pretty bad. It is a tapered spindle. Myers did have a used key and it is on the way.

I will look for your other cautions. Thanks for your input.

[Spinneyhill]

How did the key get bent? Where was it when you disassembled it all?

[Wheelmang]

I presume it somehow got lodged in part of the grease retainer. I am not real sure as it fell to the floor when I pulled the wheel off. The wheel would only rotate a few inches. Guess the PO was exaggerating a little when he said he had driven it before putting away the last time.

[Spinneyhill]

OK, dumb theory. The PO or his bush mechanic pushed or drove the key in too far, perhaps installing it after the hub was on. They thought the key was loose coz the wheel would only turn a little bit each way due to key interference. (I have had one like that - worn keyway - went clonk on changing direction.) So they got the longest bar they had onto tightening the nut. The key being in too far was the problem but tightening the nut was not the solution? So they disposed of the car to get rid of the problem.

[Paul Bohlig]

I thought keyways sheered at the key way and the axle. So, the key way would be found one half in the axle shaft and one half in the wheel. My limited experience, thankfully, is when the key way sheers; you put the car in gear and nothing happens. Take off the hub caps and the shaft spins in the wheel  with the broken keyway because the key way no longer holds them together. Agree, they were available earlier but not certain I would use a used one on my car.

Paul

Dallas, TX area 

[Wheelmang]

After a little more deducing I think the key had actually worked it's way between the hub and the grease retainer and lodged partially in the grease retainer. The flat interior surface of the hub and the end of the hub with the key slot show the most evidence of rotational interference. Fortunately the only damage found is the severely bent key and grease retainer. The remaining components show results of the key not where it should have been, but nothing other than cosmetic damage. 

The damaged key is definitely not steel. I am thinking bronze, (it is gold colored and too dense to be brass) and there is very little magnetic attraction. Another error by the PO?? Perhaps, if this is supposed to be steel, that is the reason for the failure and the reason the PO had so much torque applied to the spindle nut. I do have a used and presumed OE key on the way from Myers and will do the magnet test for comparison. 

To Mr. Bohlig's and Spinneyhill's points - I too would have expected shearing along the lines of the taper but perhaps it worked it's way out of the key way before that happened.

Thanks all for the input on this. 

Paul

[Wheelmang]

Just a follow up  - I received the new old key and it is definitely steel. The old one that a PO had used is definitely bronze. Wonder why it failed??

[R.White]

I have read this thread with interest because a similar topic was recently aired on another forum here in the U.K.  I have no idea why anything other than a steel key should have been used but I have learned one thing.  The grip is essentially down to the taper and the key is there as much as anything to allow the nut to be tightened.  It would seem that your tapers need to be lapped to give long lasting  service.  If the assembly is relying on the key alone, then failure is just a matter of time.  I would venture to suggest that this is "old school" engineering as we don't seem to do things like this as much these days.

 

Just my four penny worth....

 

Ray. 

[Wheelmang]

Somewhere in the thread is a spec for 150 lbs on the nut. Could someone please confirm this as it seems awful tight. I am currently at about 75 and have no play in the wheel end. 

Thanks all for the input 

Paul

[R.White]

Whoah!!!! 150 Ft Lbs?  All you will achieve is a stripped thread.  75 is plenty!  It's a 90 year old car... by which I mean metallurgy has come a long way since then.  Remember, Garages is the 1920's would not likely have a torque wrench. Also, we probably don't know the values for the steel. 

 

 

Ray.

Edited May 10, 2017 by R.White (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

150 lb.ft is specified for 1930 Dodge Brothers Eight. Thread is pretty big, 7/8? Nut is 1-1/4 from memory.

 

Your metallurgy and car mass and power and speeds will be less so the tightening torque should be more like what Ray says.