| Author | Message | ||
     Avc8130 |
I was doing my weekly inspection of my bike today and I caught an eye of this:  I don't know if it is clearly visible in the picture, but the orange seal appears to be out of place and inside of its normal position on in the inner race. Opinions? Suggested course of action? ac | ||
| Brent1125russ |
Bearings; just my specialty. Hard to tell if the bearing is good or not, it would take removal and inspection to tell for sure. What I can tell from this photo is that the seal has been compromised and the likelihood of contamination being able to enter the bearing and wreak havoc is high. I would recommend trying to reposition the seal (if the lip isn't torn) but the easiest course of action is to replace the entire bearing assembly. | ||
| Ccryder |
It does look different than mine. But as they looks can be..... A better way to tell is to remove the front wheel and stick your fingers in the bearing and try to turn it. It will be stiff. It should turn without being gritty or notchy. If it's getting real bad you could feel it or even hear it when you spin it with it off the ground. Last tire change, I felt my front bearings and they felt notchy. The Dealer replaced them and all is good. This is when you should be VERY concerned:  Neil S. | ||
| Avc8130 |
Neil, I did check it when I had the wheel off over the weekend. The bearing spun smoothly. Brent, Any suggestion on how to reposition the seal? ac | ||
| Ccryder |
From years of working with all kinds and sizes of bearings, I would recommend that you do not try and do anything with the seal. If you try and move with a dental pick or some other implement the odds are you will damage it more. It's actually pretty easy to pop off the seal and then you are FUBAR. Just my $0.02 and YRMV but, I've NEVER been able to fix a damaged seal. Watch it and see if it changes or you see some lube leak out. Oh yeah, your bike is too clean ;+}! Later Neil S. | ||
| Avc8130 |
Neil, Too clean? Look at all that dirt on the spokes! Maybe I will take the bike to the dealer and see what the service writer says about the bearing. I have no clue how this seal got like this. Could this "just happen"? ac | ||
| Ccryder |
Dirt, dirt, wait let me blow it up. I just ride mine every day and b/t heavy fog, a few sprinkles and out right rain, I would have to wash it daily. Your best bet is to let the Dealer look at it. You have it documented and that is good. | ||
| Avc8130 |
Neil, I daily ride mine also, but after the trip to Indy it was just too dirty to leave for its own good. Cleaning it gives me a chance to give it a nice once over and find things like this bearing before they become a serious issue. ac | ||
| Dirty_john |
the initial photo is shows external corrosion and whilst unsightly is not unusual. If in doubt remove the wheel and spin the bearing inner race to check for roughness, etc - new bearings are cheap, your life isn't | ||
| Avc8130 |
John, I am not worried about the little corrosion around the outer race, I was concerned with the out of place seal on the inner race pretty much dead center in the picture. ac | ||
| Ccryder |
FWIW, my replaced bearings have a black seal. The seal is nice and even, not the way your's looks. Yep it's time to run by your Dealer. Just have them compare the way your's looks to a new one on the floor. Just ask them nicely to order them and call you when they are in. Later | ||
| Brent1125russ |
avc8130, It's not easy, but as long as the seal lip is not torn, you might be able to bend the internal support ring of the seal back into shape. First off, get the wheel off the bike. Then, find something flat and low profile to put across the seal face (I'd use metal pocket ruler or a carpenters pencil, just something for visual reference) With your reference tool across the face of the seal, use your fingers to gently pull the seal back out so it fits flush against your reference tool. Don't try to pull it out all at once, work like a typewriter and just gently pull and keep massaging it back out until the seal is flush. Most bearing seals are either viton or nitril formed around a soft steel (or other soft metal) support ring. If these seals are viton (which is pretty durable), you have a good shot at getting the seal straightened out without any damage. If it's nitril rubber or Buna N or any other derivative, there's probably a good chance that the lip will tear where the edge of the internal forming ring is. In that case, the seal is FUBAR and will need replaced. It's a gamble, but is there really anything to loose? Right now the seal is compromised and needs replaced, worst case scenario you can't fix the seal and it will need to be replaced. Best case you might be able to get that seal squared up. Good luck! | ||
| Avc8130 |
Stopped at the dealer on the way home. The service writer came out and took a look at it. He doesn't feel there is anything wrong with it. He did put me in for an appointment on the 28th. He wrote "check wheel bearings" on the shop order. I dug through the service manual, the only thing I could find was to replace the bearings if they felt notchy. I was surprised there is no instruction about a compromised seal. ac | ||
| Dirty_john |
Avc8130 - must admit I only looked at the front wheel pic, yep that seal is goosed in the rear wheel pic alright | ||
| Avc8130 |
The rear wheel pic is NOT of my bike. ac | ||
| Ccryder |
John: That rear wheel pict is what mine looked like 2 weeks ago, not AC. AC only had a concern over what his seal looked liked. I posted the pict below to show him the worst case of what the seal could look like. My rear wheel looks all pretty now ;+}. Neil S. | ||
| Avc8130 |
Neil, Were you looking to post a pic of the NEW bearing? ac | ||
| Ccryder |
No but, here is the new wheel and bearings:  Neil S. | ||
| Dirty_john |
I even had a look at replacing the bearings with fully ceramic bearings a couple of years ago that would appear to need no lubrication, but would use seals just to keep the dust and crap out, that was until I found that the bearings would be £175 each (UK Sterling) If I ever win the lottery I will make the mod just for the chance to see if there is a difference. |
