Rear Wheel bearings

[79FLH]

  Goin through the scooter over the weekend, & found a bad bearing in the rear wheel hub.. There was at least a 1/4" of side to side play on the rear wheel.  Got her apart & found the spring from the sprocket side seal all tore up, & some other metal floating around in there..   Thinkin that might be the reason I lost my Master link last fall, a little wobble in the rear end causing the chain to come off the sprocket crooked ??
   Anyways, I need to replace the cone style bearings, & want to do the cups also.  I do not have a blind bearing puller..  found a kit on ebay for around $100.00,  but, I don't wrench on bikes for a living...  Is there a good way to get these cups out without causing damage to the inner hub without that blind puller, or should I just take the wheel to somebody with the right tools ??   Thanks,  Dave W.

[Lew]

You need the special race remover tool to get them out, so it's best to take it to a shop for this if you don't want to get the tools.  It is possible to get them out by welding a bead around them so they shrink, but I wouldn't do it for fear of messing up the aluminum race bore in the wheel.  On some wheels it's possible to cut notches in the race abutment after the races have been removed.  That way a punch can be used to remove them when they need service in the future.   

[79FLH]

  Thanks Lewy,  That's what I was thinkin, but I had to ask..

[Lew]

One other thing to look for while you have things apart.  Many times when the bearings get this bad the inner spacer will get trashed on one or both ends and will need to be replaced also.

[Snuff™]

79,
Stop by your local (Batavia) Autozone and see what tool you can rent from them.  Generally it's just a deposit only.  I use their Blind Hole Brg Puller when removing inner cam brgs.

[79FLH]

   Snuff,
      Good idea on Autozone,  Looks like my ID is 1.407", So I'll guess that I'm lookin for a puller with a range of 1.25-1.50 ??
   Lewy,
The inner spacer doesn't look that bad, the outer two spacers are in rough shape, & there were some washers stacked up in there to make up some space between the inner spacer & the inner race for the bearing   Doesn't seem like that was such a good idea.....

[Lew]

A blind bearing puller will not get those out.  When you put it back together leave the shims out and check to see how tight things are and adjust as needed.  I'd stay away from using shims on the spacer and go with one the proper length. They are made in a few different sizes and a longer one can be trimmed for an exact fit.  There are bearing kits available with axle spacers included but the ones I've seen all use junk bearings.  Best to go with Timken bearings and purchase the rest separately.  I get my stuff from J&P for zero hassles with availability..and their outstanding customer service.  Good luck Dave!

[easyricer]

Those shims are there to dial in an exact fit as the bearings wear in over time, during normal service. Your wheels should come apart every 10000 miles or 2 years to clean, inspect, reset and repack your bearings. Most of the time I do this with every tire change on customers bikes. Also while you have your wheels apart, check the spokes and retrue the wheel to keep everything as smooth as possible.
With regular service the wheel bearings should last a lifetime, but it is as over looked as brake fluid.
If you have aluminum wheels, either get the right puller or take it to your Indie, if you have steel hubs, you can knock them out with a long drift from the opposite side. When you set your bearings, be sure and do it dry, you cannot feel for the movement if there is grease in there. They should be loose enough to make the spacer spin with the bearings but tight enough to make you question if they even moved. If you put them in too loose, you will have a wobbly wheel, if you put them in too tight you'll burn up your new bearings. Take your time, use the shims and get it right.
EASY

[billbuilds]

     There's a spec for the freeplay (.004-.018) and you really need a magnetic mount dial indicator to measure it. Mag base goes on the brake rotor and indicator point goes on the axle. Bill

[76shuvlinoff]

The first time I replaced a wheel I took it in to the local rice bike shop. The wrench there has a barn full of various vintages and breeds.
He checked the end play and had me machine off the spacer to hit the specs bill is talking about. He reassembled the rim, packed the bearings,
mounted a new tire and tube I already had then balanced the assembly for $30.00 total.  I couldn't complain much about that.
I now buy my rubber and have them mounted at the indy 7 miles from my house. I repack the bearings with every new tire.

[79FLH]

   Lot's of good info,  Thank you !!  My wheels are 5 spoke steel (chromed) wheels,  Hubs are steel.   Best pic I could find of my wheel...
   I was able to convince my boss that we need a puller in the shop that is able to pull inner races So , that should be here by the end of the week.  My bearing guy is coming in tomorrow,  I'll be replacing the old bearings with Timkin.
   Hopefully I can get the parts in & get it re-assembled over the weekend.  Still to early in the season to think about gettin out on the road , but I'm gettin itchy !!   

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