| Author | Message | ||
     Kurbennett |
Moving this up out of the archives. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/509886.html?1265575495 Mine is the last post. Any suggestions would be appreciated. | ||
| Spiderman |
Belt change time, finally got the old one off, decided I would replace the rear bearings as well, I have the orange one, 23k miles. Cleaned it up a bit with WD40 and broke out the blow dryer. I worked on one side for about a half hour being sure to not direct the heat on the bearings. Those babies will not budge. Any ideas? Will HD pull the bearings for a reasonable charge? First off a hair dryer is no where enough heat! Second don't even worry about heat, head to your local Autoparts store and rent a wheel bearing or blind bearing puller. Looks like this  Some parts stores rent them out for free, you pay a deposit and get it back in full upon return | ||
| Etennuly |
IMHO even if you use the puller from the parts store, heating the rim will allow it to come out easier and cause less scoring of the machined fit surface in the rim. | ||
| Spiderman |
yeah but to put the heat needed onto the area to relax the aluminum enough will ruin any paint or powder coat... You may get a smallllll benifit from using a heat gun but if not careful it will damage the powder coat... | ||
| Etennuly |
Uh.....not necessarily. Mine are factory powder coat with urethane paint on them. Just don't be a dee-ta-dee and hold the heat in one spot too long. I keep my other hand in the area to feel how much heat is being applied and keep the heat gun moving around the outside of the machined bearing seat area. Mine came out quite easily and went back in easily with enough heat that got the rim just hot enough to not be able to touch it with the bare hand. I did not have a puller to use, so I used a foot and a half long 1/2" square stock bar, reaching through the center of the hub and tapped them out. I worked evenly around the inner race of the bearings using a 16oz hammer, the bearings dropped out before tapping them around the inner perimeter two laps. But hey, we all have different ways of achieving the same goal.....eh?  | ||
| Spiderman |
Cool, I didn't thing a heat gun would have the huevos to do so! With a puller and a heat gun you should be set! Go to a bearing shop and get some ceramic bearings, you'll never have to replace em again!  | ||
| Etennuly |
Your basic professional heat gun will do 1500F. That will cook the paint and blister the powder coat if you don't keep it moving. I believe enough even heat around the hub to do the job, might reach about 250F or so. To make it even easier, after you heat the wheel hub, set a chunk of ice in the bearing, give it a minute to transfer some cold, flip it over and tap away. When installing them cool the bearings, heat the hub, try not to tap it in too deep. Follow the SM on which side to do first, it goes to it's bottom. Then slide in the tube, then tap the other side in per spec. The second side is not just bottomed in the rim. |
