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After jackin up the rear today I found a little play in the spindles. What is the proper way to check these for play and how much is bad???
Don't want to break at the track.
Follow the GM service manual and remove the rear wheel, disconnect the 1/2 shaft and mount an indicator against the spindle nut. Have some one push/pull on the rotor and see what the indicator reads. Tolerence is .001-.008" end play with .001-.002 good. The factory set my originals at .003"
Gary
I'm far from an authority on this but it is very recent in my mind (ie this week).
If the play is actually in the spindle then 1/16" is way out of spec. I suspect that it may not be the spindle that's giving the slack but rather the assembly. If you want to be sure just check it by removing the tire, tie up the caliper, unbolt the half shaft, and remove the rotor if it's not riveted on. Then if it still moves 1/16" back and forth in relation to the trailing arm, it's time for new bearings. Most try to set them at .001" so 1/16" is alot. There's lots of places the slack your feeling could come from that are perfectly normal. Like the trailing arm movement and u-joint slack.
Also, you might just be feeling some play in the rear end yoke. I would first have someone push/pull on the wheel as you watch to see where the movement actually is.
gary