| Author | Message | ||
     Jphish |
I have heard one should not mix grease with different bases (Moly/lithium/sulfide)I use Mobil 1 synthetic to 'top off' bearings at tire change. Don't know what grease comes from the factory - Any cautionary notes from the BWB on that? | ||
| Jomartijr |
With the grease in my 07 Uly wheel bearings an unknown, I flushed out the old with WD40 and blew out the rest with an air hose. Then finished with mineral spirits streamed in with an old oil can and let dry. Once the old grease is out you can apply whatever quality wheel bearing grease you choose. Of course that opens up a "what's the best grease?" discussion ( heh, heh). | ||
| Jphish |
OH NO - not a 'best wheel bearing grease' discussion!! Just replaced the red bearings with black ones. Not sure that was the answer to the problem. So will go back to regrease method, like I did with the old red ones. seems to have worked for some folks quite well. I'm Lazy - will have to clean out and repack bearings on the wheel - don't want to yank 'em again. Thanks for the good suggestion though - solves the issue of compatibility. j | ||
| Towpro |
How do you get the seal out? | ||
| Hughlysses |
Use something like a O-ring pick and carefully work it under the lip of the seal at the inner race. Be careful not to tear this lip. Once the pick is past the lip, take your time and go around gently pulling against the inside of the seal until the edge starts popping out of the outer race. The rubber seal has an insert made of sheet metal that is easy to bend. When you reinstall, use your thumb or fingers and gently press it back into the outer race, working your way around until it's back in for all 360 degrees. | ||
| Xbimmer |
^^^ That's a perfect description. I use a dental pick with a curved flattened, rounded end. Cheap, in a pack with a sharper pointed one (I use to clean out the grooves around the bearing races) and a lighted dental mirror. Got em at CVS. I've always regreased with Lucas Red'n'Tacky, the stuff is durable. Go easy on the grease or it will puke back out... | ||
| Jomartijr |
I have a screwdriver set, cheaply made and bought consisting of tiny screwdrivers like watchmakers use. The smallest served as a small chisel enabling me to carefully pry into the seal/bearing joint and carefully work around the perimeter lifting the seal as I went. I was careful to re-flatten the slight warp made by removal and greased the seal edge before reinstall to ease the refitting. I already posted this a few weeks back but the grease I put in there was Dupont Krytox, a grease I had had considerable success with in an aerospace pushbutton display application. I'm in hopes it, though expensive, will help give those red seal bearings a long life. | ||
| Towpro |
should I use a Synthetic water resistant lithium grease which is made for boat trailer bearings? These bearings (as installed by HD) also have an inner seal correct? I plan on buying "aftermarket" which will have both sides sealed, and I planned on leaving them that way. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I wonder if a sealed, pre-lubed bearing could be found that fits. One for a boat trailer. (Message edited by panhead_dan on November 13, 2009) | ||
| Jphish |
Who tows boat trailers @ 120mph ?? It would probably work but I think most 100% syn greases are pretty waterproof...as well as good for high speed rotational forces.  | ||
| Jomartijr |
Here's some info I found at bobistheoilguy website from a bearing engineer- "The best wheel bearing grease is Exxon Infinitec, blue in color. It's specifically made by Mobil for wheel bearings. It's what I use, all my colleagues use it, and it's used for all rotating bearings in our shop. The problem is that I don't know where you can get it over the counter. Over the counter I vote for Mobil 1 synthetic, red in color. We sell our long-life heavy truck bearings charged with this grease. Most any modern grease that is NLGI2, resistant to elevated temperatures, and has EP additive, should work fine for wheel bearings." Hope I haven't transgressed posting this quote from another website but I thought this would be appreciated since it seems to be from a qualified source. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I aint a qualified source but this thread was in a drift toward bearings using water compatible grease. For cheap. Hopefully. | ||
| Xbimmer |
I used this regreasing my NTN orange wheel bearings until 50+K:  Even after two seals went bad it would only turn brown and tacky. | ||
| Methed |
I've had extraordinarily good experiences with Lucas oil treatment and am a believer. After seeing that grease on the shelf and noting everyone's favorite ingredient, anti-seize, is a part of the mix, I've been wondering if anyone else had tried that stuff. Thanks for sharing, XBim! | ||
| Richsm2 |
It is not the road speed but wheel rpm that is considered, this little wheels are really turning at 75-80 mph,3703rpm vs the 180rear at 3174 rpm at 75mph and a bit lighter load (heat). |
