It may be obvious, but after removing the entire front brake assemblies should I COMPLETELY degrease bearings, dust cover, etc and regrease? Everything looks pretty clean as is but I intend to fully clean the bearings.
i guess it depends. if you did it yourself and are happy with it, i would think it would be fine. if its new to you i would do it again to be safe. who knows what the last guy did or how old it is
What is this, April fools? This just reminded me how I always seem to drop the bearing on the dirtiest part of the floor
Now that you've heard from the jokesters, I'll see if I can help you out. Hopefully you have a parts washer because the job would be a hell of a lot easier. If not brake cleaner will work. Soak the parts, this doesn't have to be for long just enough to get and keep them wet. Take a parts brush and clean/scrub the parts real good. After you clean the parts rinse the parts off with hot water then take a blow gun and blow them completely dry. I know it will be tempting but don't allow the bearings to spin at a high speed with the air. Things could get real fugly! After the parts are completely clean and dry inspect your bearings and races. If you see any discoloring or pitting on the rollers or the race what so ever, throw that bearing and its matching race out. The rest is just a matter of packing the bearing with the proper grease and reassemble.
This could be a dangerous situation if you don't. Losing a bearing at speed or at any time for that matter can ruin your day to say the least. Do it correctly, clean it and do just as Waddaycare suggests. This is nothing to joke about (unless you offer some actual advice) or to do half-ass. Spinning the dry bearing with air damages the surface of the bearing. This creates a small ding (you may not be able to see it) in the surface where spot of rust which will wear and will eventually cause it to come apart. Getting it completely dry prevents that spot of rust from forming and it will in a matter of minutes. These details are the difference between a pro and an amature.
2 schools of thought about cleaning bearings. 1 is to just regrease because if you clean them in solvent some solvent residue could remain and raise hell with the new grease. Problem is that you can never really inspect the bearings for damage, pitting, etc. IMO the best way to do it is to clean the bearings in solvent and then completely dry them out. An old school mechanic used to rinse them in gasoline after cleaning and inspecting the bearings because the gasoline would evaporate without leaving anything behind to break down the new grease. Don't know if cleaning parts in gasoline was ever a good idea and I have no idea if the new crap they pass off as gas now a days would dry completely or not. I always clean the bearings in solvent and completely dry them unless the bearings are obviously in good shape but then again it could be easy to miss a problem even with a supposedly not that old bearing. Just my .02 worth.
Got chewed out by one of the other seasoned mechanics when I was working at the local Cadillac dealer right out of school for spinning bearings with the air nozzle! He said the same thing about ruining them, and told me to just hold them so they wouldn't spin while drying them off. They sure did go round fast though!
I'm not a "JOKESTER" The question was should it be done, not how. Of course the answer is YES. If he wanted a lesson in how to do it I"m sure he would ask.
He didn't mean "Gotcha" as in "I fooled you"...he meant to say "Got it" as in "I understand". Don't be too hard on dasboot3...he's new and trying to learn as he goes. Better to give him the info straight up, so he doesn't hurt his car and more importantly, himself. For those who haven't taken a look at his profile, this car sat for 26 years. Makes a difference in the answers we give him. Yes, dasboot3...totally degrease the bearings and parts, then blow them out with compressed air. If you don't have a compressor, just let them dry overnight. Best to use kerosene for the major cleaning, then spray liberally with carb cleaner, and there won't be any residue. Then regrease.
Like the others said...yes I like to soak them overnight in lacquer thinner or kerosene then with a small brush clean the rollers for close inspection to see if any of them are grooved or chipped. If things look ok I continue to clean as much old grease out that may be left after soaking then repack Cleaning and repacking is a great way to also purge the bearing of any dirt or metal that may have worked its way in
Clean everything - dust cap , nut , bearings , inside of hub , anything else in there , replace the cotter pin and seal . There are numerous grease compounds most if not all of which are incompatible and can chemically react with each other is the main reason . Even if you personally packed the bearings the last time and still have the same grease , who knows what contaminant seeped in during use ? Having a wheel bearing seize while in motion is No Fun , ask me how I know .
Thanks for your input guys. And thankyou Rickybop for very insightful post. I'm new to this but I've been very lucky with limited knowledge working on DASBOOT and my 81 shovelhead. If I ask something you guys consider stupid it's because I;ve never been taught anything about mechanics so please bear with me ok. I play amean blues guitar though!!!! Thanks!
Clean out whatever grease you can with solvent (I use mineral spirits) and a old toothbrush or cheap paintbrush (I cut the bristles in half) then blast da hell out of the bearing with brake cleaner or carb spray, using the straw in the can to clean out the old grease between the rollers. I use ONLY Berryman's or C-R-C, the cheap brands just don't get it done for me. Slip your hand inside a plastic bread bag or a large baggie when you go to repack - you KNOW the phone is just going to ring when your hands are full of grease!!! Take your time, pack as much grease as you can between the rollers, then a liberal coating outside the bearing and inside the races. I go so far as dabbing a 1/4" dam of grease between the grease seal and inner bearing, the same inside the edge of the the dust cap. If you have new cotter keys, USE 'EM! Good Luck, Tim
You might consider a device they sell at many parts stores that goes on a grease gun that forces grease into the bearing. After the bearing has been cleaned as described in the previous posts you could re-grease them with this tool to insure they are full of lubricant. The bearing goes between two plastic discs and the grease is pumped into the bearing. I have had one of these devices and used it countless times over the years. Next time you visit your parts store take a look. Good luck with your project Lisle part#:65250
It's all according. If you are doing a brake job and the hub has not been serviced in years, now is the time to clean, inspect, repack the bearings AND replace the grease seal. Done properly, your brakes and bearings should be good for 30,000 - 40,000 miles if you do not drive in heavy traffic. Heavy traffic or hilly country will wear out brakes faster. If you just did all this last year and you have the drum off to inspect the brakes, you shouldn't have to do it again so soon.
No problem buddy! I'm a straight arrow guy and a NY smartass so any attempts at humour will be quite evident to all here. I'm really about learning from you guys and getting help. Like I said, I never had anyone teach me about wrenching, so what ever I can do mechanically is because of a lot of help, some common sense and taking chances. You guys have been a huge help already!m Thanks!
When I did the brakes on the Lincoln I went ahead and just replaced the bearings too, they didn't cost that much and were a trusted brand, if they dont cost a lot and you don't know their history, they are cheap insurance, I cleaned and repacked the old ones and threw them in the trunk for an emergency, The worst problem I had was no one I talked to knew what kind of grease to use, I finally found some at Nappa for Disc and drum brakes,when I opened it up it looked exactly like Duaralith ,which I have used for years and years at work,even smelled like it, could have just used some of that instead of buying it
I just walked into PepBoys and picked a can of Valvoline All-Purpose Grease off the shelf. That should be OK right?
There are no stupid questions! There are always those who think that because this is mechanics 101 that it deserves a stupid answer. You have to learn and learn correctly. Stupid comments are of no help especially when this simple task is so important. My dad was a stupid answer guy and I learned very little from him sometimes because he figured he knew it so somehow I should have known too. This is the epitome of "stupid" Back to the subject.... I use brake cleaner to rinse out the cleaned bearing as it leaves zero residue. Just be sure it's dry, which doesn't take but a minute. If your bearings are old (as it appears yours are) just get new ones w/races and seals. Some mfgs dont include races w/bearings so be sure to check. It's cheaper than a funeral. Please do ask anything you need to. Ignore the dumbasses who will take the time to make stupid comments but not offer any sort of help for the new guy (which we ALL were once). Get a good quality grease. Cheap grease can emulsify if you get any water in it. If you ever use it with disk brakes you want a high temp grease, so just spring for it now.
it depends on if it's disc or drum disc brakes need a grease rated for the high temps plus the lithium grease is better at avoiding being washed out
go to Nappa and get a tub of the premium performance grease, it will work for disc or drum,drum brake pivot pins,chassis grease,pretty much anything, I had to go look and see what I had got, I haven't had any issues
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