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front wheel bearing 'maintenance' while the wheel is off anyway?


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Did a search and didn't find anything about greasing/maintaining the front wheel bearings. Even the service manual has no specifics--just a remove and replace procedure.

 

I've got the wheels off and new rubber installed. Before I put the front wheel on, I feel I should do SOMETHING to the bearings. I see a beefy dust seal on each side. That doesn't look easy to pop out without damaging it and I'm not sure what the lead time is on replacement new ones here in Canada.

 

Only have 30,000 km on it (18,500 miles). Can I just jam some bearing grease behind the seal and into the bearing area? Should I do something more like removing the bearings and repacking them?

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Hard to tell from the microfiche (#18 in parts microfiche) but I certainly see grease in the gap behind the seal.

image.png.88fe64143f1314830ce751548ec2c5bf.png

 

Not much for hints in the service manual either:

image.thumb.png.1a367ea016b11fd87b03ffdb51c6e1b7.png

 

Maybe they're sealed as you suggest, @bmart

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You can lever the dust seals without damaging them if you are careful and use a good tool.  I usually use a tire iron levered over a small piece of wood and a rag for leverage.  Even if I have new ones, I try save the old ones for emergency spares.

 

With the seals out you can remove the small seal on the bearing with a very small flat blade screwdriver or pick.  Even if the bearings feel good, I will do this on bikes that are new to me.  Sometimes you'll be very surprised with the (small) amount of grease used on a "sealed" bearing to save money.  I've even had one new Honda bearing come dry to my surprise.  I now check all bearings, even new, and pack them with Bel Ray Waterproof Grease.

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10 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

You can lever the dust seals without damaging them if you are careful and use a good tool.[...]With the seals out you can remove the small seal on the bearing with a very small flat blade screwdriver or pick[...]and pack them with Bel Ray Waterproof Grease.

Aight, let's see how brave I feel about picking apart the bearings. I have a tub of Lucas Extra Heavy Duty Grease. What is the bearing seal made of? Metal or plastic?

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3 minutes ago, BartmanEH said:

Aight, let's see how brave I feel about picking apart the bearings. What is the bearing seal made of? Metal or plastic?

 

Rubber coated thin metal.  Work you way around in steps.  That applies to both seals.

 

Once you find your way under the lip on the bearing seal it will want to release.  I think I find that the inner portion, closer to the axle, is the easiest to get under for some reason.

 

Even if it deforms slightly, it can be straightened back with your fingers or on a flat surface.

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The grease won't go in the bearing, but against it to keep moisure/grit out. Grease also attractes debris, so you should do as you see fit. This could easily be an oil or chain lube discussion. 🙂

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8 minutes ago, bmart said:

The grease won't go in the bearing, but against it to keep moisure/grit out. Grease also attractes debris, so you should do as you see fit. This could easily be an oil or chain lube discussion. 🙂

 

The grease will absolutely go in the bearing...   when you remove the dust seal ON THE BEARING.  Not just the outer dust seal for the wheel.

 

Like I said before, sometimes you will be very disappointed by the quantity of grease that was used when you open one up.

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I think bmart was replying to my original post where I asked if I should just jam some grease in there

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https://www.rideapart.com/features/245588/what-you-need-to-know-about-wheel-bearings/

 

I have never, ever pulled a set of sealed bearings apart. I've also never ever had one fail. If you pressure wash, maybe you're knocking stuff out of there, but otherwise...if it is smooth in movement, I'd leave it be. 

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Do, or don't do, whatever you want. After finding one dry, I do it all the time.  I have the skill and patience to not hurt anything and I find value in doing it.  Takes just a couple minutes when they are sitting on my bench to verify and pack with high quality grease.  And no, the dust seals don't come off later when the bearing gets warm.

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I just got done doing a 62,000 mile rehab on my front wheel that included the following.........

 

Removed and replaced the bearings and dust seals

Installed new OEM rotors

Installed new Metzler M7 tire

Installed new EBC brake pads

Painted wheel with 3:1 single stage urethane paint

 

It now looks like a new wheel 

 

The bearings were still good with no hints of failure but I wanted to put new bearings in to make it into the 120K+ miles.  New bearings and seals were only $50.  To remove the bearings you need to use a long drift punch to knock them out.  Once you do that, the bearings are not useable.  

 

So I go to put the new bearings in and remembered a veteran Honda mechanic once telling me that you can remove the seals on ball bearings to grease.  Afterwards just pop the side seal back on.  I had the old bearings right there so I thought I would give it a try.  I took a micro screw driver and got under the seal on the outside edge and it popped right out.   The seal pops right back on like it never left.

 

I take the new bearings before installation and pop the side seal off.   Honda doesn't overload the bearings with grease.  I packed both of my new bearing with additional grease, reinstalled the side seals and put them  in the wheel.  

 

To make a long story come to an end, the moral here is that yes, you can do front wheel bearing maintenance without taking the bearings out of the wheel.  Use a wide screwdriver and pop out the dust seal for reuse later.  Now you can see the bearing.  Take a mini pick or micro screwdriver and pry the side seal off.   Pack it with grease, reinstall side/dust seals and you are good to go.   

 

I plan on regreasing mine every 20K miles or so. If a person does that, they will probably last the 130K mile life of the bike if it garaged.

 

 

IMG_6969.JPG

IMG_6970.JPG

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6 hours ago, Fritzer said:

Another angle on it

IMG_6982[1].JPG

IMG_6983[1].JPG

 

Yup, I do same thing. I doubt Honda makes and packs their own bearings. Sometimes, they get low QA/QC bearing from their supplier with insufficient grease. And not best quality grease either.  

 

Like Capt, I prefer to repack my bearings. I do it every other chain & sprocket replacement.  Start with cleaning out old grease using brake-cleaner 1st. Unlike oil, grease chemistry varies and aren't compatible. Then pack it full with Mobil-1 synthetic grease (pink stuff). Going on 96k-miles on original wheel-bearings on my VFR750.

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Everyone seems to be obsessing over the "not enough grease" thing. Radial bearings like these require very little grease, not like a Timken-style bearing that

need to be repacked every so often. Radial bearings like these have a "point contact" and this is one of those places where "More is Better" doesn't apply. Kind

of like it doesn't apply to motor oil either. 🙂

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This is how my grandmother gave herself congestive heart failure. She just kept drinking water until her heart couldn't pump...

 

I'm reminded of "show me the dead Canadians." Wheel bearings seem like a non-problem unless they get high-pressure washed a lot. Sadly, I don't have the kind of free time that would allow me to do this. 🙂

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Well bmart, you were right.  We made preventative maintenence on a wheel bearing into an oil thread.

 

Congratulations everybody!  We did it!

 

Just like I check the oil in my car if anybody else has worked on it besides me, I'm gonna pop the seal on a bearing and make sure it has a suffiicient quantity of quality grease.  

 

That's it.

 

I'm gonna go work on a VFR now.

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On 6/8/2022 at 3:56 PM, Fritzer said:

Another angle on it

IMG_6982[1].JPG

IMG_6983[1].JPG

 

I've employed the same method with great success... Ball bearings only hold so much grease... excess grease will push beyond the seal... this push feature is why I first spin the bearing to collect the excess grease before installing the seal...

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1 hour ago, BusyLittleShop said:

 

I've employed the same method with great success...

 

To what?  Generate copious amounts of drag and heat and blow the now ruined seal before the grease turns into a burnt paste? 

 

#sarcasm

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On 6/8/2022 at 11:18 AM, Captain 80s said:

 

Rubber coated thin metal.  Work you way around in steps.  That applies to both seals.

 

You only need to remove one seal to clean and repack... 

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1 minute ago, BusyLittleShop said:

You only need to remove one seal to clean and repack... 

 

No shit.

 

Did you even read the thread?

 

"Both" seals refers to the wheel dust seal and the bearing seal.

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I'm gone for a couple of days and miss out lol 

I've done the grease yer own method on mtb for a very long time. Its a shit i rode through that sand & mud for days, and no way you can wait for new bearings. But i get bmarts commentary, my pay time is worth more than doing that. It is a helpful skill to have on tap. You may want to smite someone down the road for asking🤣🤣 incidentally, i have been peeling my own sportbike tires, by hand, and balancing them by hand, for the better part of 25 years lol

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