Tips for removing play in rear hub?

As the title suggests i have a small bit of play in the rear hub of my bike.
Its a shimano xt wheelset.
Ive looked on the parktool website but my hub looks slightly different then that of the photos.
I can only gain access to the non drive side of the hub the side where the freehub is only has the part that sits onto my drop out and there are no threads on it, it screws off.

Ive dropped it to my LBS before to sort it but i would like to know how to do it myself.

Thanks.

Mac the Knife is the man to talk to. I think all hubs can be taken apart with a set of cone spanners and allen keys (sometimes allen key goes into the axle). A vice and a bearing removal tool might be needed if its a sealed bearing hub.

Cheers.

Id give it a go myself if i knew what i was up to. Its the only part of the bike im not too familliar with.
Cant go wrong with the hope sealed bearings def my next upgrade.

If its shimano its adjustable cones and loose ball bearings.The most common problem is loose locknut on cassette side allowing cone on that side to move at will.Take off dust shield on non drive side then loosen locknut and screw off cone.You can now remove axle and tighten up cone and locknut on cassette side.While your at it repack bearings with grease on both sides even replace ball bearings (very cheap) from any bike shop.Tighten up drive side cones refit axle,adjust cones on non drive side jobs oxo.You will need slim cone spanners and a normal 17mm spanner.Good luck.

Here's a good guide:

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...and-adjustment

Ha, tried this before, bears everywhere, lots of cursing, unable to get the axle centered up again - disaster. Just take it somewhere and get the cones tightened - its a quick job to someone who know's how it's done, it's a huge pain in the arse if don't know how to do it. It'll end up being something like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mdwAkWvWMw

If you know what your at its easy.. very easy.. get yourself some cone spanners and just give it a bash.. you don't need fancy cone spanners from Park or the likes... this cheap and cheerful set from Cyclo will do the job nicely..

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...?ModelID=32405

First thing I'd do is try identify which side is loose... but normally, when making simple adjustments to the cones you should only adjust the non drive side...

But... if you know or suspect the cones on the drive side are loose then its a bit more hassle as you will need to completely remove the axle from the hub to re-tighten the cone & lock nut on that side.. be prepared for bearings to fall out all over the place while you do this..

Take this opportunity to clean & inspect the old bearings for damage before re-fitting them.. if you've gone this far replacing the old bearings is a good healthy step to take.. if you don't have new bearings then check for surface pitting on the bearings, cone and the hub body.. worn bearings and cones can be replaced but if the hub body is worn or shows signs of pitting then basically the hub is fooked.. putting in new bearings and cones won't make the slightest difference.. the hub can still be used no problem but you will never get the bearings running smoothly again..

If you do take out the axle and it is the drive side cones that were loose.. then tighten them in the original position without moving them.. if you need to remove the drive-side cones for any reason then measure the distance from the end of the axle first... if you don't put them back in their original position you will end up making a pig's ear of the rear spacing (rear wheel will sit off centre in the frame and your disc rotor won't line up with the brake caliper) and give yourself a whole lot of work to do to set them back to the correct position..

For adjusting cones (non drive side) without removing the axle... just make small adjustments (as in 1/8 to 1/4 turns) and check for tightness each time you make an adjustment.. there is pre-load to consider from the lock nut as well, so even when you think you've got the correct setting at the cone, once you tighten the the lock nut it may start to feel tight again..

Check out some of these guides for Shimano hub service... The procedure is pretty much the same for all Shimano hubs.. there is very little difference from year to year.. model to model..

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...and-adjustment

http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/f...b-service.html

http://steveukmtb.wordpress.com/shim...-cup-and-cone/

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features...ub-service.htm

Sweet. I tried to tighten the non drive side first but there is still play there. Might have another go this evening after reading your info.
Appreciate the write up.

Followed the instructions and took out the bearings on both sides of the hub.
The drive side ones were loose and the non drive side were in a holder.
Cleaned out the old brownish grease and put some fresh stuff in cleaned the bearings down they were all fine.
Tightened it back up and all is good the play is gone.
Took a bit of adjusting so that i didnt tighten it so much that the freehub would struggle to spin.
Going to do the bearing on the front wheel tmrw now.

Thanks again, another part i can do myself now happy days.

Good man.. it's a very straight forward job once you get into it and take your time doing it..

And its a good skill to know as well... you can keep your Shimano hubs going for many years with just some very cheap & simple maintenance..

Its the exact same procedure for every cup n cone style hub out there.. front & rear..