Front Wheel Bearing

[eddiev]

I think my front wheel bearings are making a noise. It sounded at first like a binding speedo cable. I oiled up both the tach and speedo cables but it didn't help. I just spent the past week on the road. 2200 miles. The tach cable crapped out during the trip but the noise never changed. I started worrying when I noticed everytime I'd hit a little bump the noise would stop or change for that split second and it would tend to change going uphill or downhill. During the trip someone took a look at my front wheel and said there was no sign of losseness or wobble but that the front wheel didn't freewheel that well.
Any suggestions? I've never done any work to the wheels except get the tires changed and that was always done at the shop. The brakes were good during last months inspection.
Thanks.
Eddie V

[BassCliff]

Pressing business

Mr. eddiev,

The wheel bearing themselves are pretty cheap. The hard part is removing the old ones and pressing in the new ones. It's not a difficult job, you just need the right tools. Do you know someone with a press?

Taking your front wheel off is pretty easy too. Just don't forget to use some kind of wire or twine to suspend the brake calipers so that they aren't hanging by the brake lines. Remember which way the spacers go on the front axle. I put one of mine on backwards one time and couldn't reinstall the brake caliper because the forks were slightly pinched together.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[fgh]

Normally the brakes will drag a little preventing the front wheel from spinning freely. If the bearings are starting to go bad you may not be able to detect the abnormalities with the wheel mounted. If you think its the bearings then it would be wise to pull the wheel and turn the inner race by hand. If you feel any rough spots while turning it its time for new bearings.

[chef1366]

You don't need a press to fit in the new bearings. I used the old one to pound in the new one.
To get them out I used a large flat heat screwdriver . But it in the axle hole at an angle and catch the edge of the opposite bearing and pound away. Rotate the end of the screwdriver around the bearing to make it come out even.
Very easy job. Think about your boss or enemy while pounding out the bearing. It can be therapeutic. :-D

[tomm]

Agreed. Not a difficult job. I used an old socket extender to hammer out the old bearings, and a suitably sized socket to force the new ones back in. Use the back side of a socket just a tiny bit smaller than the bearing, and insert your extender into the socket backwards. Then just hammer away (carefully) on the extender. On the other hand, a tool for this is available at just about any auto parts store for about 20 or 30 bucks.

BTW, you may distort the metal a bit on the end of the extender that you hammer on, making it useless as a socket extender from that point forward. But if you have an extra one that keeps getting lost at the bottom of your toolbox . . .

[robertbarr]

These work so well it seems almost shameful:

http://www.pitposse.com/whbereset.html

[SqDancerLynn1]

Once you get them out Check with local bearing supply house they can cross the part #