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Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 09:22 am: | 
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Wife called again.....I will be back for clean up and install. |
Chadhargis
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 09:41 am: |
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I'm on my second set of bearings, and I don't have any symptoms other than them being nearly impossible to turn.
I've always used proper torque technique to install my rear wheel, and I don't have any issues with the front bearings. |
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 10:57 am: |
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Plenty of water left that didn't run out upon bearing removal. Note curly machining residue.
Good ol' Chinese manufacturing...
The dealer that warrantied my fuel pump and fan has a policy of washing bikes after service. While I was waiting around for them to finish I watched a kid prepping a brand new Lightning with the pressure washer, and guess where?
I asked him whether he knew he shouldn't be concentrating water in the wheel bearing areas and he kinda shrugged and looked at me. Gotta do his job, I guess.
I went and told service I absolutely did not want my bike washed after they were finished with it. Course I didn't want it back with greasy handprints all over it either, but that's what I got...
Weep/venting holes are a good thing, I did like Treadmarks did here:
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Glen
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 10:59 am: |
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Etennuly, that is exactly how i do the bearings on my dirtbikes. tap bearings back in using a socket thats as big as the outer race?
for removal i just use my biggest ratchet extension to drive em out who cares, there junk anyways right? |
Crusty
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 03:57 pm: |
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Well, I got the old junk bearings out. There must have been a half cup of water in the hub. I would like to know how the water got in. I don't pressure wash near the bearings, and I haven't done any water crossings. I do ride in the rain; and it's been raining for the past month, it seems. I called Dave King at Manchester, and I should have the new bearings in a few days.
I'm buying the clutch spring compressor, rather that borrowing the one from the shop. It also should be in within a few days. Then, I'll disassemble the clutch and change out the bearing in it.
Hopefully, by next weekend, I'll be back up and running. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 04:00 pm: |
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for removal i just use my biggest ratchet extension to drive em out who cares, there junk anyways right?
You bet! That is why we change them.
This is when I drilled and tapped the hole for the grease fitting.
To prep for installing the new bearings, sponge the water and spooge out of the hub with paper towels. Remove the machining scrap. There was some of the factory lock-tight glue residue in the bearing seat, I opted to leave it alone. One could clean it all out and put more in there, but with the heat/cool method of installation the outer race will grip it anyways. Just make sure no dirt or debris got in it that might interfere with the press fit.
I had left the new bearings out in the cold from the night before, it was about 30F. I heated the hub as before for the removal. Doing the brake side first, letters facing out on the bearing, set the bearing squarely in the hub. Using the hardwood block squarely and evenly across the bearing, I tapped the bearing into the hub, it went really easily to the bottom of its seat. In seconds the cool side and hot side will even out and lock that thing in there.
Next up, flip the wheel to the other side and install the cleaned and inspected spacer, before you forget to. Heat this side and set the bearing in as per the other side, but, do not drive it home. Watch the spacer closely, making sure it is straight, and aligned with the inner race on the other side. Tap this bearing down until its inner race touches the spacer. You are done.
Of course you will have to turn the bearings to see how they feel. Mine got a little tight to the spacer on the installation. The factory ones were quite tight every time I had the wheel off and checked them. Tight, but smooth. My new installation was not as tight, but they still don't turn as easily as the front ones will.
And then, because you are there, you will have to pick the seal out with a safety pin or the likes, to see if there is grease in the new bearing. The seal will press right back in with a little finger pressing.
This is when those of us with grease fittings(one known) start pumping. If I did this again I would probably get some marbles or something to help fill the void. Four caulking gun size tubes of marine grease takes a lot of pumping, which will make you wonder just what you are doing.
Reinstall the wheel go ride.
If you can remove the rear wheel with out help, after doing this job once, you will be right at home with it. It is more intimidating than difficult. By using the heat/cold method, the press fit is easily released and reformed without the damage friction can cause if using pullers. This should allow for unlimited(nobody wants that) bearing changes. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 04:13 pm: |
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I believe this is what took my bearings out. Until then (33,000 miles) I had not done a water crossing and three weeks after this one they were toast. I even had them coated over with anti-sieze as a protective measure. |
Wolfridgerider
| | Posted on Saturday, June 20, 2009 - 05:16 pm: |
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GO VERN GO!!! |
Tootal
| | Posted on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 01:25 pm: |
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I've said this before but I'll reiterate, if the spacer is the same or longer than the width of the wheel, where the OD of the bearing pulls up against, then your ok. BUT, if the spacer is shorter than that dimension then when you tighten the axle you will be putting side pressure on the bearing and it will run hotter and wear out sooner. For those who don't do water crossings and pressure wash the rear wheel but yet your still having bearing problems I would measure your wheel and spacer and make sure you don't have a problem. Just the spacer being .001" shorter could cause a long term problem. IMHO
And finding metal chips inside the hub just goes to show that production is more important than doing it right, that was ridiculous.
+1 on the weep hole. Condensation can easily form and without an escape route would definitely cause problems. The rust on the side of the bearing will slowly move under the seal where it will lift the seal up allowing the same moisture to enter the bearing. Might be good to smear some grease or o-ring sealant on the internal side of the bearing to protect the metal so rust doesn't start. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 07:12 pm: |
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Might be good to smear some grease or o-ring sealant on the internal side of the bearing to protect the metal so rust doesn't start.
I totally agree with Tootal. The water that was in the hub was rust colored and gritty. Everything in there is aluminum except for the bare steel bearing edges. At the very least if the edge of the bearing was protected, like greased, sealed, primed or painted, it would have allowed for clean non-gritty water to seep through the bearings. That may have contaminated the bearing grease, making it milky, but with out the annihilating damage to the bearing races and balls with grit. Who knows? |
Wolfridgerider
| | Posted on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 08:07 pm: |
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I was looking at the front wheel and wondering why they don't put some monster holes in the rear. Just add some extra beef in the right area's during production and it should be good to go.
I have only read one thread that talked about the front bearings biting the dust.... |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 08:29 pm: |
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Vern- you need to post that pic here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39 214 |
Xbimmer
| | Posted on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 04:13 am: |
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Etennuly, that is exactly how i do the bearings on my dirtbikes. tap bearings back in using a socket thats as big as the outer race?
Glen, that might be OK for the first bearing you install, on the rotor side as per the manual, and providing you seat it PERFECTLY straight into its bore. However if you bang away at the second bearing and the inner race contacts the spacer before the outer race seats into the bore, you run the risk of seriously preloading both the bearings even before the axle is torqued.
Condensation can easily form and without an escape route would definitely cause problems.
That's what I was figuring when I would lift out a seal to check them out at tire time, and occasionally I'd hear gas escaping. From the hub that is...
I have no idea how or why that would occur, but when I replaced my bearings the rear hub had water droplets on the inside and I hadn't been riding near water or in rain in months.
I'm not fond of the exposure that the inside seals of the front bearings get due to the large openings in the casting, but at least the front hub doesn't contain and pool water. |
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