Greasing Bearings - DIY

Thread in the Tech Reference section here:
http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2553


Everyone has their own opinion on how to do this simple job. Or indeed whether in fact it is actually necessary to regrease new bearings before fitting them to our bikes.

Personally I feel it it worth the effort. From years of experience I have found that even reputable bearing manufacturers tend to skimp on the quality/quantity of the grease they add to new bearings.

My method follows................

Items required:

Good quality waterproof grease. I prefer to use Castrol APX T, others prefer Belray waterproof-grease. It is up to you

A needle/pin

Kerosene

Small brush

Contact Cleaner

Gloves

Clean rags (it is a messy job!!)




Find yourself a clean well ventilated area to work. Set out all the items you need



Gently prise out the seals from the bearing. I prefer to pick it out from the inner part of the race. (If you are using a variety of different brands of bearings make sure you do not mix up the seals as they may be slightly different sizes.)

Also, be very careful when you insert the needle/pin, that you do not damage the lip of the seal.

Place the seals in a safe place



The picture below shows the quantity and type of grease installed in this bearing. Looks like "petroleum jelly" to me..!!



OK, lets get rid of that stuff by soaking the bearings in kerosene for 5 -10 minutes



Then gently brushing the remaining grease out using a small paint brush



It is advisable not to use petrol for this process due to the fire risk and potential health implications from breathing the fumes.

After making sure all of the grease has been removed, wipe off the excess kerosene and then completely flush the bearings by spraying liberally with "Contact Cleaner" or equivalent product.



Allow the bearings to then "air" dry for 10 minutes. Do not use compressed air to blow dry the bearings as it is possible to spin the bearings up to very high revs and they have been known to self destruct with disasterous consequences using this method.

NOTE: Avoid the temptation to "spin" the bearing when it is dry. (This is the best way to destroy a new bearing...!!)



To avoid possible contamination to your expensive pot of grease, trowel the amount of grease required into a patty pan and then immediatley reseal the grease container. This also stops you from dunking a contaminated finger back into the grease pot..!!



Now for the messy bit. Place a blob of grease into the palm of your left hand and then push the bearing into the grease, forcing it to fill the spaces between the inner and outer race. Slowly rotate the bearing till it is full then flip it over and repeat the process. When you are sure that the bearing is fully packed hold the outer race still and slowly rotate the inner race through one full turn. This will displace some of the grease which you can now press back into the cage and coat the balls. If you are happy with how it looks, you now use the tip of the index finger of your right hand to remove the excess grease so that you can see the cage. Repeat for the other side



When you have finished your bearings should look something similar to the picture below.

Note: It is not advisable to pack the bearings 100% full. When the bearing spins up it needs space for any grease displaced by the balls rotating. This can result in the bearing running hot or possibly displacing the seals.



Now all that is left to do is to replace the seals. Before doing that, I like to coat the metal on the back of the seal and smear some grease over the sealing edges. It is then just a matter of simply pressing the seals back in place



Time to sit back and admire your handy work



For the sake of half an hour of your time, you can be confident the bearings installed in your wheels are now going to be able to survive the worst you can throw at them.

Excellent photographs! I agree, the only way to know the quality and quantity of grease in any given bearing is to grease it yourself. Many/most different greases do not mix well so be sure to remove all the old if it's a different type.

I presume those are wheel bearings, I've not had to replace a wheel bearing since I started packing them with waterproof grease every time the wheel is off the bike...as a barrier to water/dirt, etc.

Great work there! I too never really considered what came packed in those sealed bearings, until now. Yet another handy bit of info for something to do on the down times.

Yes, rear wheel bearings of a TE250

good job!
nice pictures!

+1 Excellent write up.

^^^^ +2 Very nice, looks like fun

I just had my front and rear wheels off my TE 250/300 to install Motosportz rotor guards and wanted to inspect the bearings or possibly repack like described here. All I've ever done when the wheels were off before was clean out the old gunk and the axel bolt and re-lube by packing new grease in as best I could with the bearing in the hub. Can the bearings be removed without damaging them - if so, how?
Also, I tried to peel the rubber seal off as shown here while still in the hub, but it didn't budge and I was worried I'd rip them if I tried too aggressively.

Excellent work Seahorse.

Not saying that it is impossible to remove the bearings without damaging them, but the odds are against you. Personally, I change mine out whenever I change tyres.....


Bearings/Seals are cheap if you source them from an industrial supplier. (They should have the bearings in stock.)

The lip seals supplied for the front wheel may be 1 or 2mm thicker than genuine Husky parts but it will make no difference....(they will just protrude a little proud of the hub).

Don't forget to check the condition of the wheel spacer that the seal runs on.!!

Seahorse
Since you obviously forgot more about this procedure than I'll ever know, you think you could post that procedure too (removal, installation of wheel bearings) Your bearing packing post was better than any shop manual instruction I've ever seen.

X2

Thanks

You are in luck....Was just out fitting a new set of "Bark-Busters" on my bike and decided to check the front wheel bearings while I was at it..... they are on their way out.

After a few close calls with by front tyre (Dunlop 952) losing traction on my last ride I will also be tracking down a new tyre to fit while I have the wheel off.

So, it will be a complete exercise, starting with checking the bearings with the wheel still on the bike, to wheel removal, bearing/seal removal & replacement, tyre removal & replacement and finally wheel re-installation and adjustment. This will all happen in a month or so, when I get some leave from work....

Great news Seahorse, me (and I'm sure many others) look forward to seeing it.

Thanks did not know you could do that.Will use that next time.

These work well for those with no experience hand packing bearings

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_877850_877850