"Press-to-loose fit" ?

[96FLSTF]

"Bearings may be a press-to-loose fit".
Ok I give up. Can someone explain this to me just to be sure.
In other words if once I install the bearing, which is expected to need pressing in place and they end up loose I just add some loctite to glue them in place??

Specifically, outer cam bearings that I will be installing. I noticed the stock cams the dealer gave me some time ago when I purchased my bike (They did 203 cams at delivery) one bearing is still on one cam, while the other cam's bearing just falls off. I guess the factory did not glue it with loctite?

Gene

[mark61]

  The difference between the 2 could be as little as 0.0002".  That much "looseness" with 2 SMOOTH surfaces goes together and comes apart easily!   The correct Loctite type will fill up 0.015" and hold bearing in place well. Or you use something to just make it stick with out any "fill" if the size tolerances are ok or  need nothing at all if there is 0.001 tighten(a lite press fit) between the 2 sizes. Unless you plan to race it , don't sweat it too much.

mark61

[Scurvy]

96 - I haven't seen the 203 cams, but the rear is a roller bearing and the race just slips in and out of the bearing. The front bearing is a ball bearing and is pressed onto the front cam on the andrews I've installed. Is that what you meant?

[Sonny S.]

As Scurvy said 

The rear bearing is a roller bearing ( since 2000). On the roller bearing the bearing itself gets pressed in the cam place, and there is an inner race that gets pressed in the cam.
Front cam.... bearing gets pressed on the cam, and in the plate.

Do you have a service manual ?

[Ultrashovel]

In the service manual, HD mentions that the bearings may be a "press to loose fit". They recommend some #243 (blue) Loctite to secure them when assembling if the outer races seem loose in the cam plate.

That's encouraging, isn't it? I don't think that Loctite was meant as a replacement for good manufacturing tolerances.

[88b]

In the service manual, HD mentions that the bearings may be a "press to loose fit". They recommend some #243 (blue) Loctite to secure them when assembling if the outer races seem loose in the cam plate.

That's encouraging, isn't it? I don't think that Loctite was meant as a replacement for good manufacturing tolerances.

I don't think air cooled Harley's are that tight on tolerances, you only have to look at some of the crank run out figures. It's part of what makes every one individual ( and with bigger tolerances they are cheaper to make  )