wheel bearings

[kitkatman]

how hard is it to replace the wheel bearings on a bike, is it a case of pop em out and replace or is it a bit more technical than that......doing this as part of the winter service ready for the spring job, wheel bearings, head stock bearings ( done them before) and the accelorator cable ( seams to have strectched :confused: )

[Grav]

Tis not a highly technical task, but needs care so as not to damage anything.

It's so easy though, even you can do it mate.

it involves hitting things wiv a hammer. :D

[kitkatman]

Tis not a highly technical task, but needs care so as not to damage anything.

It's so easy though, even you can do it mate.

it involves hitting things wiv a hammer. :D
i also have aquired a rubber mallet now as well :D

[hardtailbiker]

use that to put in the new ones. YOu will also need a crappy old screwdriver and bash the bearings from the back

[kitkatman]

so is there any other tricks that i need to know, like lubing the bearing to make it slide into place better

[hardtailbiker]

as with all bearings, clean off all crud in the bit it inserts into and pack the bearings with grease, and gently hit the bearing at quarter intervals until seated

[Grav]

Wheel bearings are a friction fit, lubing them to get them to go in easily will give you bother........

Just make sure you have the wheel properly elevated and cushioned with rags so as not to damage the disc and to give the bearings a bit of room to move. When the first bearing drops out, a spacer tube should follow. DO NOT THROW IT AWAY! It has to go back in. remove second bearing and clean the wheel bearing seats before gently fitting the new bearings. An old socket can be used to help seat the bearing evenly.

[Grav]

Why are me and him being so bloody helpful?

we must be ill.......
:D

[lowrider]

Also if the bearings are a bit tight,bung them in the freezer overnight and pour some boiling water over the bit the are going into just before you are ready to fit the bearings
Then get then in quick,should slide in no bother.

[kiffer38]

only hit the bearings outer race (the outside bit) never hit the inner race of the bearing, as you will damage it, and make sure there are no circlips holding em in, or youll be there for ever with the hammer !

the new 1s that is, ya can hit the old 1s where ya like, as they will be going in the bin

[bird]

And use a soft metal drift, rather than an old screwdriver to get the old one out and tap the new one in, so that if you slip and whack the housing you won't leave a big nasty gouge.

First real job they trained me to do in mechanics, changing a bearing, after showing me how to make a drift and making me take a week to make a dril gauge and a spanner to adjust a distributor from flat plate. Bet they don't make trainee mechanics do that these days...

[dracken1]

we always fit them as stated by lowrider.

freeze the bearing for a couple of hours
warm the hub with hot air gun or water
do not use oil or grease to install them ;)

[kitkatman]

thanks peep.....will be doing that when they turn up :D

[Shaun the Fatman]

A suitably large Socket makes an excellent Drift and also helps the race enter the hole true.. An alternative is to use the Old bearing as a drft if you didn't rip it to shreds getting it out! Much cheaper than the Precision drifts made for the job, but hey they are pretty....
http://www.ntxtools.com/Merchant/graphics/00000001/otc-4507.gif

[noizy git]

I normally warm the bearing housing with a hot-air gun before fitting the bearing although if you're wheels are painted/powder coated this should be done with alot of care. As previously stated make sure that you only hit the outer race as it doesn't take much of a knock on the inner race to bugger the bearing and make sure the bearing is going in square.If it goes on the piss and jams knocking it back out a bit to square it up is often better than the "hit it harder and hope" method ;)
With the spacer tube that goes between the bearings these don't always align on their own, if it doesn't just use the wheel spindle to line it all up. It's not normally a difficult job so just take your time and you should be fine :)

[Mitch]

After getting the bike through the MoT on Saturday, I took it out for a blat yesterday. It started making a bit a of a squealing noise (similar to the mudguard catching the wheel - had a look at that and could find nothing).

When I got home (after nursing it back), I found that the oil seal was hanging off and some of the offside ball bearings had fallen out! :eek: It was fine for the MoT thankfully (might have been the stoppy on their brake testing machine...).

I've ordered some new bearings off Ebay here (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170089929298&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=007#ebayphotohosting) , which come already sealed, etc. so I'll be sorting this out on Saturday. :)

Can anyone think of owt else I'll need?

[madastoast]

big Hammer

[Mitch]

Got one of them... :D

[kitkatman]

a stainless steel bolt and a welder...incase you manage to get the ball bearings out and not the caseing, weld the bolt across the housing and then shove a metal pole down to the bolt and then gentle wahck the fuck out of it with the biggest hammer you have got...good for venting frustration..lol

[trikerdrew]

Scuse the god bothering nature of the bloke

http://www.dansmc.com/wheelbearing.htm

drew

[dracken1]

please please, becareful with some of the cheap ebay motorcycle products on ebay. they are absolute ****e. and when it comes to chains sprockets,brake pads and bearings, or any other part which the failure of can greatly shorten your life span. i've changed chains and sprockets on customers bikes after less than a 1000 miles of using no name ebay ****e. brake pads where the friction material has been ripped off the backing plate. but i guess that was the riders fault "he applied the brakes" :mad: :) wheel bearing! please ensure there is a known brand name on them. there is somuch **** quality made in china stuff about now. just check the labels on your clothing. even taiwan farms out to china now. do you really want to trust parts made by the same people who make some of those chinese scooters :confused:

[trikerdrew]

eek,

Surprised all your hair ain't fallen out seeing that lot Dracken.

Bearing factors are everywhere shed loads cheaper and better quality than e berk stuff.Look up your local stockist-you know it makes sense

drew

[Mitch]

eek,

Surprised all your hair ain't fallen out seeing that lot Dracken.

Bearing factors are everywhere shed loads cheaper and better quality than e berk stuff.Look up your local stockist-you know it makes sense

drew

Local...? You have got to be joking... :rolleyes: :)

3 nearest (http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?ssm=0&scrambleSeed=57571983&keywords=bearing&companyName=&location=EAST+SUSSEX&x=0&y=0&M=0)

the nearest bearing factors are 25 miles away in either direction (far side of Brighton in one direction and far side of Hastings in the other).

This is why I get most of my stuff such as brake pads, etc off Wynne :D!

Down here, it's not like when I was in Yorkshire - I could get nuts, bolts and bearings from proper factors without travelling half way around the county. And when you don't work 9-5 how do you propose I get to these places? I have to rely on what I can get. Even when I did work in Brighton, trying to get to these places took over half an hour across town and most don't often open on Saturdays.

This isn't a rant but a lot of folk take things for granted when they can get stuff like this on their doorstep without relying on shyte like Halfords. I used to... :)

[trikerdrew]

I take it for granted that I can go three miles or so and get to the following;

bearing and seal place

Stainless bolts/hosinh etc

Steel stockholder

Approx nine car breakers

bike breakers, two of.

If you ever get stuck for owt just shout me with what yer need.

I work three shifts aweek as well which helps :D

P'haps I should be more thankful for what I take as normal,eh?

drew

[Mitch]

three miles? Can't be bad. All I can get to for three miles is Seaford Town centre then it's fields, fields... and erm... more fields (oh yeah and a nice beach! :D) - even steel, I have to order by post or go 15 or so miles to a place in Eastbourne.

and did I say fields? and hills... ;)

Seriously though Drew, cheers for the offer - I might take you up on it if I need owt in future. :D

Just looked... despite what the Yell.com site tells you, there are no bike breakers in East Sussex :( There are a couple of car breakers within five miles down the road in Newhaven so I can get tyres for the mondy, etc.

[Mitch]

What a double-hard bastard that was!!!!! :(

semi-decent bearing wasn't too bad, it came out the housing with a couple of whacks with my drift (an old socket) - easy...

t'other one... that sits on the offside of the forks - what a complete arse. In the end, I had to cut it into bits with the dremel and then bend a screwdriver a bit (cheers Grav :D) so I could bash it out from the other side (took best part of three hours (including a trip to the supermarket with Mrs R to get some food :)).

The two new bearings are sat comfortably, after spending a night in the freezer, they went in very easily (and no, I didn't dremmel out loads of the bearing housing :D) using my 30mm socket I got last year for the clutch centre nut.

Anyway, that's all done... apart from having a circlip go ping and snap in two (ever tried getting a 42mm circlip on a Sunday? (As it is, I have to ring z-power for two measly circlips tomorrow), then, just put the whole thing back together. Hopefully, if the circlips arrive in the post on Tuesday, I set the spotlights up in the drive and sort it then.

I don't want to wait till I come back from hols to finish this piddling job.