Need some grease? CLICK THIS---- amzn.to/2Bm4uZV Click here for my website--- www.stevessmallenginesaloon.com/ Click here for my Parts and Tools Store---- www.amazon.com/shop/stevessmallenginesaloon
OK Steve, I have to say the ONLY time that I remove the bearing seal is on equipment that has a grease zerk ( mower deck spindles as an example ) so that I can continue to grease them on a regular preventive maintenance schedule. But to reuse a seized bearing, would have to be in Dire Straits. I couldn't stand behind a repair like that without being able to warranty to repair. This video surprised me, it's not your ordinary style?
I know this video is 3 yrs old, but im gonna throw in a helpful tip. I work in the swimming pool industry. Instead of replacing bearings in pump motors and such we typically just replace the motor. I recently decided to attempt rebuilding a few scrap motors and in doing so found a lubricant like no other. Its called Zero Lube. Its sold in the pool industry as an o-ring lubricant, but I use it for a lot of other things. Like rusty tools. Crescent wrench was seized. Put a few drops on it and let it sit for a day and it rolled like it was brand new. I used it on a seized 6202 bearing and it was amazing how freely that thing spun after. Motor worked like a champ and still is a month later. Quiet as a sleeping baby. Anyway, Zero Lube. Great stuff. Just thought I would recommend in case anyone is looking for a good all around lube.
I've just looked it up. It's spelled 'Zer0' not "Zero". I watched one vido to free a stuck plastic handle doodah on a water pump. Several people said they used washing up liquid and that worked, too. So I went from 'I'm definitely going to buy that!' to 'I probably won't buy that'. Need more convincing.
@@johncollins8304 Zer0 Lube is made by Lubegard and uses their patented LXE technology. The chief developer of LXE was Dr Phil Landis, former head of Exxon/Mobil Oil Applied Lubrication Research Group. Many of the Lubegard products are considered staples by industry technicians in the automotive world.
Great tip Steve, as always. What I do is drop the bearing into white vinegar which removes ALL the rust, even from the balls or needles. An hour or two in vinegar and they actually get shiny again. Then you can repack them after you rinse off the vinegar.
Phopshoric acid is also considered the best acid for stainless steel and removing rust and preventing further rust. Phosphoric acid and acetic acid vinegar both prevent further rusting by removing and dissolving the brown rust and turning into a hard black iron coating.
Thanks for the lesson. I watched it and the 10 minutes later my seized sander was working perfectly. I wasn’t too worried about the cost of the bearing. I was more worried about the time to get one and the missed deadline. You saved me both time and money.
Love your site and boy, have I learned a lot from you Steve... Thanks very much. This video on the restoration of seized ball bearings is interesting, however, bearings are the Achilles heel of the manual transmission world. Having been a licensed transmission technician since 1982 I (if I may) would like to inform you of the correct procedure to check a ball bearing. 1) Free up the seized unit with your choice of fluids. 2) Wash thoroughly the bearing in varsol or similar thinners. 3)Blow dry the bearing completely (do not spin the bearing with air) 4)Apply a few drops of light machine oil(I use ATF) 5)With your thumb through the center of the bearing to support it, roll the outer race around while applying significant pressure with your other hand. ANY roughness in either the outer or inner bearing will be felt. If it's rough AT ALL it's junk.
I learned the palming method back in the mid 60s from an old school mechanic friend of my dad. There is a slight variation. Keep palming the same spot until a good amount of grease oozes out the opposite side before moving to the next spot on the bearing. All the while, do not turn the inner race with respect to the outer race. Turning the races while palming will spread the grease without properly packing and filling the entire bearing. No need to palm the opposite side. When palming tapered roller bearings, force the grease into the larger end of the rollers until it oozes from the smaller end.
@8:07 don't flip the bearing over! If you flip the bering over, you're using new grease to trap in the old grease. Always go from one side ONLY and keep going until you see the old grease being forced out and the new grease shows up on the other side. You form a small seal with your hand that pushes a small amount in each time, just keep working it until you see nothing but clean grease. We were actually taught this in high school a LONG time ago.
I agree with Randy. You have to make certain you have removed ALL old contaminated grease before you start the repacking process. Otherwise you are just wasting you time and setting component for an eventual failure.
Excellent video, as always. I bought an old Craftsman LT2000 last year from a guy who was selling it for his aunt. Her husband owned the mower and had died. This old guy had kept up the maintenance on it very well and had even upgraded the motor from a 17.5 B&S to a Platinum series B&S 21hp motor. I noticed it was making some weird sounds every time I mowed. So, after watching some vids, I decided to take the floating deck off and do some maintenance. Your videos on greasing the bearings were the most informative and I thank you much for taking the time to post these. My bearings were very dry and nasty looking. I used Q-tips to get out the old, gunky grease and put new grease in them. Wow! 100% better! I can't believe I was putting my mower through that stress. Won't happen again. I'd like to get 10-15 more years out of this thing. I can't wait to mow this weekend, after I sharpen the blades and get the deck back on, lol. Btw, I also don't work on anything or mow on the weekends without a good beer or 8...always above 5%. Thanks, Steve!
Great instructions on greasing a sealed bearings. And for repacking multiple bearing at same time take a empty coffee can put enough grease in can to cover the top layer of bearings, heat grease until liquid, then put bearings in can making sure top bearings are covered, then let cool. I use a wire coat hanger with hook at end to make an extraction tool, then wipe off excess grease. Ready for use or storage.
"Palming" is called "field packing" where I grew up. It really gets the grease down in around the balls and pushes out the old grease. I've done it this way since the 60's. Thanks Steve, great tips as usual.
My first boss taught me the palming method, and I have been using that method for fifty years. It think it works better than my bearing packer I bought.
that was the way my father taught me to repack berrings , he was a merchant marine in WW2 had 4 ships shot out from under him ( 3 trop'ed & 1 bombed) started as an oiler on an iron boat plying lake michigan in his teens) Very proud of the old man. --Rick
Comment to Steve, to john t, and to Rick. First Rick -- thank the old man for his service for me. My dad was merchant marine too. To Rick, it's good to hear others repeat they've used this palming/packing method since the '60s. Me too. Finally, to Steve -- like the other guys say, this method of packing bearings has been around a while. I first saw this palming method of packing bearings in an old 1950s Motor's Manual. In the old days when you could take bearings completely apart, we used to remove the outer and inner races, inspect each ball, and replace those that weren't perfect. Then we would repack them using the palming method (as per Motor's Manual illustrations) and reinstall them by properly torquing them. You knew you had the right amount of torque when the shaft no longer would rock back and forth but the bearing would still spin freely. Then you'd tighten them about a 1/4 turn more.
@@rickcoona talk about not your time to go right there. Most don't make it through one sunk ship much less 4. Even if a life Raff was accessible it doesn't take long for people to be so far spread out search efforts will have almost nil success. And a lot of ww2 guys in the water became a shark buffet waiting to be rescued. Only takes a few drops of blood and every shark in a couple miles knows. With some real injuries several miles would be heading in. Frightening stuff. I know in the early first years of the war before america joined. The Germans were evacuating ships before torpedoing it. Crew would be unloaded in a neutral area. They didn't want to invoke neutral nation's into the war. Or be seen killing them. Once the war progressed basically any vessel from any country helping the enemy. With no warning,don't want your position radioed in exactly and be unloading a ship then your mission of search and destroy ends while you have to find safe harbor for said crew. Time and resources. Much respect to sailers of ww2
Exactly what I wanted to know. I am still making my grandfathers(RIP) work shop, my own. The last couple days I have been emptying out a couple deep drawers loaded with pulleys, bearings, etc.. I didn't realize how many bearings were in there. Some are in very good condition. I have had them sitting in oil and gas, and have been using a paint brush to clean out the old grease from exposed bearings; and to clean the outsides too....they have been in that drawer for at least 4 decades. I have a couple ideas needing bearings, although most of these are too big. I just did some searches to see if there were a way to clean and repack old sealed bearings. I have a bunch of tabs opened to explore my search results, and luck of the draw, got you Steve...a slightly younger you LOL Well I can close the other tabs, because you answered my questions. I wasn't even certain that all my bearings were the same type, as several had no seals, so looked very different. Of course I wondered if all the others looked just like them, but didn't know till just now. Once I am done with the initial cleaning, I am going to open them up for full restoration. This will safe a LOT of money, and now I can think about those projects requiring bearings. Thanks Steve. Decided to check with the other experts, and learned that it is wise to check and even repack a new bearing. They cheap out on the grease and use cheap stuff. FYI
We use to repack wheel bearings that way back in my Marine Corps days in the motor pool, yes we had bearing packers but palming was a more efficient method. Great Video as always.
down south we been calling the palm method hand packing the bearing ...only way to pack the bearing if you dont have the bearing press...Also don't turn it over and do the other side you only push out what you just pacled in ...keep palming/packing untill you see the grease coming out the other side ,once it comes out the other side put the seals back on and it's rdy to go ...Great Video Brother !
Greetings from Williams Lake, British Columbia! I do this all the time, but only if the balls look good. Just one pit or flat spot on one ball will lead to early failure, and that failure never happens at a good time. Ask me how I know. I use ordinary solvent or paint thinner with an old toothbrush to clean the bearing, then compressed air (step outside!) to remove all debris and solvent. NEVER let the compressed air spin the bearing, as that can cause damage. Only re-grease once the bearing is dry. Some folks swear by lithium grease, others swear by moly grease. I can't say I have a preference. Steve's technique here is great for most applications. But if the bearing is buried in a really difficult spot, replace it. Only try saving a bearing that is fairly easy to get at. Great videos, Steve!
Yo Steve, this saved me today. One of the bearing seized on my 17 year old mower drive axle. I took it apart, being a holiday the specialty shops are closed, and the auto shops didn't have a replacement. Finally I thought about what else I could do, and ran across your video. Popped the seals off, washed all the dirt/grease out with soap and water, dried it, and then packed it and reassembled. It's like brand new. Thank you for posting this!
This is only worth doing if you are stuck and can't get a new replacement bearing easily/quickly. Once the bearing surfaces are pitted by corrosion they are still on borrowed time even when unseized and relubed. However even most new bearings generally lack enough grease and/or use poor quality grease. You can dramatically increase the service life of new bearings by cleaning out the factory grease and then fully repacking them with a quality high pressure/high temperature grease.
True. I understand it that they fail (seize, dry out, or get wet and dirty) because the seals fail. So even if you clean and lube, the grease will be lost, the water will come in, just like before, and you still need to go with new bearings.
Get in there with a flashlight and a magnifying glass, and look for pits. If you find any, go ahead and repack it, but just know that it is not going to last for too long. Best thing you could do is when you're done repacking it, get on the internet and order new ones. Put your item back in service if you want , and run it until they get really noisy, and by then you've got your new bearings on the shelf hopefully.
@@acoustic4037 Given the right environmental conditions, they can build up moisture inside all by themselves. I know when the weather breaks around here, and it's colder inside my shop than outside and I open the shop door the whole place gets totally damp and wet. It looks like it almost rained inside.
Wow, learn something new everyday! Never knew you could disassemble a sealed bearing and repack it. Grew up on farm and repacked wheel bearings on all kinds of vehicles and farm equipment - Dad taught me the "palming" method. Thoroughly entertained and educated by your videos! Keep 'em coming Steve!
Many thanks, Steve! I used your technique today on my Craftsman deck idler bearing. It was so loud, rough, seizing then I remembered your tip. Popped the outer seal and washed the crud out with brake cleaner and compressed air. Carefully added wheel bearing grease, much to my surprise the bearing was as smooth as silk! Assembled in reverse order and was back in business in short order. Smooth, quiet and good as new!
Normally I like what Steve is doing, but not this. Bearings are cheap and widely stocked. Generally the time cost accessing any bearing greatly exceeds its value. Potentially you could do a lot more damage with a seized or even a rough bearing. Absolutely do this only when you are stuck!
My late father in law showed me the palming method a long time ago. It works great and I have always continued to use it. Thanks for sharing that tip Steve.
I finally got the motivation to drop the deck on my TB42, remove the spindles and grease those sealed bearings. Thanks to you I have a better understanding of "how to, why to and when to" do the maintenance. I sharpened the blades also and found out that the drive belt runs so much easier and faster because there's no more awful dragging, dry, screeching noise coming from the bearings. I appreciate this machine thanks to your videos.
I've watched a number of your videoes, and have found that you're spot-on accurate on what you post. Thank you for the help and knowkedge that you share!
very helpful video. I just repacked the bearings in my idler pulleys. They've been starting to squeal the last few days. Used this guide, cleaned and repacked them. Thanks for the help!
Another great tip. I have done this a few times. This method works if the bearing balls inside is not too badly pitted. Thank you for making the video.
Tip...use the ultrasonic cleaner to clean out the bearing like new. I recommend replacing any seized or lose bearing has a full time load or any weight on it. Wheels, blades, pulleys, etc. Just save some time and replace them. The clean and repair method is best left for things with partial to no continuous loads, like a mower deck side wheel, that only touches the ground occasionally. It would work just fine there. But an old repacked bearing won't last at speed with a full load for to long before your replacing it anyway. Take care. Great video. Jpol.
I've cleaned many sealed bearings in my day. I mainly use my parts washer to do it. I take off both seals, clean the bearing, inspect it, put one seal on, pack it full of grease, then put the other seal back on. I've done this on deck spindles for years and the bearings last for years as well. If you buy new sealed bearings, take off one seal, pack the bearing full, then put the seal back on. They put very little grease in them from the factory. They do wheel bearings the same way on autos and motorcycles.
Hi Steve, Bill from over the pond in England, great vids, clear, concise, no fancy terms, easy to understand. I'm a 70+ year old retired motor engineer, still working on engines of all shapes and sizes, but the smaller ones are easier as you get older, and best of all still learning. :-) Could I add a couple of points, as mentioned ultrasonics are great for bearings, carbs, intricate items etc, each possibly needing a different cleaning medium, to save having to keep emptying and changing solutions I now only have water in the tank, I have built up a selection of glass containers ( better than plastics for ultrasonics ) so I can quickly swap from cleaning a carb in say petrol to cleaning a bearing in engine cleaner / de-greaser, without having to drain and refill the tank with the next solution. For working on such as carbs or other small items I have a sheet of thick glass I place on my bench with a sheet of printer paper underneath, strip the dirty carb down on it, pop it in the cleaner, wipe the glass clean, you have instantly got a clean bright re-assembly area. Keep up the good work, draught Guinness or a good red wine is my standby when problems need a little thought.
I love my Ultrasonic Cleaner. I got the harbor fright model. I've just did a carburetor the other day for a briggs 49 v twin I got. I found a 50$ used briggs carb off ebay and it came out like new. I had the heads apart for porting, yup I ran em thru the ultrasonic too. Usually I'll use a mix of purple power and water, or plain old dish soap. They say on the package do not use solvents in the tank, but I've gotten around that. Take a jar filled with solvents and your parts, put em in the water tank.
Another good video Steve. Your Father in law showed you an “old school” way of packing bearings. Using the “meaty portion” of your palm like this, not only helps to pack grease into the bearings, but you can feel if there is any dirt or grit in the grease!
Great site steve. On palming the grease. I used to work at a local bus garage. Was taught this by an "old boy" but now it's me. But palm it all from one side only, until until you see it coming all the way through the bearing. Then just top up the other side. If done right the bearing should be stiff to turn, with the amount of grease on each surface. Keep it up Steve.. jeagermeister and red bull helps me..
Thanks Steve, We actually did this procedure on thousands of bearing from conveyors when I worked for the Edmonton Journal [ newspaper ] years ago. They can actually be repacked several times. Keep the good stuff coming.
It has been a long time since I saw someone else actually pack a bearing. Best way is a gob on your palm and just pack it in there until it comes out of the other side. Great video- you're one of a kind, Steve. Thanks!
Soak them in fuel works for me spinning them in the fuel.Just remember folks that this doesn’t fix pitting and any wear in the races or ball bearings currently there. Good video Steve on Band-Aiding a bearing.
I totally forgot about the palming method. My dad taught me that years ago with my first car an 89 Camaro. Thanks Steve I just subscribed as I'm about to do all my bearings on my John Deere mower.
Ahh now I see why my jobs haven't been going smoothly. I haven't been using the right tools. I will rectify it tonight and make sure the beer I use is over 5% alcohol not that lite beer that I've been using. Thanks for the tip..
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon Also works great to remove snapped head bolts. It even works well to unseaze Briggs and Stratton starters after the sit for 5 years outside. I have customers that bring me engines were the starter smokes and makes funny noises, the briggs starters do not appear to be water tight and the magnets start to fall off when you take then apart then. Along with that comes rust, and 1/4 can of pb blaster Lol.Thanks you for the reply!
TIMELY video! In need of doing that now to an old John Deere mower I acquired. Just did the zerk fitting greasing, thinking I had accomplished something. SHOCKED to see the PURPOSEFUL DESIGN FLAW by DEERE! I’m about to be one PALMING RASCAL!
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon you're most welcome! You are a most helpful and polite sort of fellow. Hurray for you! You don't see those qualities very much!!!
dipping and rotating the bearing in diesel works well too as the rotation action in the diesel will flush out the rust and crud. washing and re-greasing a bearing is only a stop gap measure that works on a slow turner (anything under 500RPM) but not a high speed application. just keep in mind that the bearing will have to be replaced no matter what, as the surfaces of the races and balls are pitted which is what makes the bearing growl or sound dry. the pitting leads to galling, which will begin as soon as the bearing re-enters service. depending on the load, the bearing might make it a few hours or even a day or two. just get the numbers it has on it and get a replacement coming. you will be needing it....
I opened, cleaned, and re-packed an idler bearing on my car and it ran for years with no issues. It had 11 ball bearings in it and 3 were broken in pieces. It ran perfectly on the remaining 8 with no noise or anything. The inner bearing surface was all galled up but it didnt care. Peugeot 505.
@@HolzMichel You brought up a good point. It used to be that we laughed at something like French quality in cars and parts. But then we so got used to China garbage that then Continental parts really seemed quite good in comparison and they were.
“Palming” is a good way to force grease through a bearing. What you want to do is force bit through from ONE SIDE. Push out the old grease with new clean grease ! (Same as with a bearing packer) good to go .
A REALLY GOOD EDUCATIONAL video cannot compete with current "entertainment influencer" vids. I just subscribed. I am looking for bicycle maintenance tips. I needed to refine my search to find your channel.
thanks! worked on my frozen spindle on old mtd riding mower. it is loose but works for my ditch mower ony 36". I blew it out with air before using brake fluid and then W, and then the grease. also since my press is at my father in laws, I just did it while on the shaft.
Nice and valuable presentation Steve. I would be far more persistent in cleaning that stuck bearing however. Now you are mixing new grease with remnants of old rust and grime. A small and cheap household ultrasonic cleaner filled with lamp oil (parafin) is ideal together with -after the wet cleaning- compressed air cleaning. Redo that process until rolling the bearing is completely smooth. Minimal method is a small bath with solvent (like acetone or brake cleaner to solve old grease) and a paint brush. Greetings Gerard, the Netherlands
The bearing with a metal plate on each side is called a shielded bearing and is not watertight. Don't spray carb cleaner on bare skin, even the non-chlorinated ones contain chemicals that are absorbed through skin and don't belong inside you. PB Blaster is great for loosening rust, works better than thinner solvents or WD40, which is a water displacer, not a penetrant. Acetone and ATF are great for removing grease and rust flakes.
Thought they could not be opened! Thank you. Have Kohler SV 740 twin (on a Husqvarna yth2754)that is totally seized. I saw smoke and a few sparks from the base of the engine. Is there a bearing I can service or is it engine replacement time? Thanks if you can answer. (Ps, plenty of oil inside the engine)
You can use Dot 3 brake fluid for a penetrating oil, use old Dot 3 that is old and save the new for your master cylinder. Started palming bearings in the '60s because I didn't have the fancy bearing packing tool to grease them. Start on one side, big glob of grease in your left hand, smack the bearing flat into the grease until the grease pops out the other side. Smack hard one section at a time rotating the outside of bearing around until all of the bearing is full all of the way. Still doing it the same way except that now I use gloves to keep the grease off of my hands. If you are doing more than one bearing try to get them all ready at the same time so that you can add grease and smack until you are done. Wheel bearings go really fast. For heavy use use a gray grease that has moly sulfide in it. NAPA has a grease with 3% moly content in it.
Thanks a lot for this video!!! Saved me a lot of money not replacing the bearings, but fixing them instead. Good call on the beer too! I went with an IPA, actually a whole 6 pack, but hey, fixed my problem! Thanks again! :)
back in the 50s and 60s before sealed wheel bearings, we used to have to clean and regrease our car wheel bearings Palming was a popular thing then, and anyone who worked on cars knew it.
Been searching videos half the morning. Finally found urs & one for disassembling a Mitsubishi alternator. Of all the ones on bearings urs was the ONLY one on unceazing . Thank u so much, hopefully this will delay buying a new alternator for awhile.
I install new brging and put used ones in 5 gallon bucket of diesel Check them again in couple of weeks Drill and tap housing and zert install Remove inside shells and drill two very small holes on bottom one for extra grease to excape under deck Merry Christmas
It would have been even better if you had gotten the bearing really, really clean before you "palmed" in the grease. I'm 72 and the only method I have ever known is the palm method. That's the method everyone used before the bearing grease press was invented. Everyone should be made aware of the fact that most light beer is only about 4.2%. No self-respecting mechanic would ever use something less than 5%. getdrunknotfat.com/alcohol-content-of-beer/
@@CALVINLNIKONT Ditto. I'm 69, my dad worked on model A's; so for about 100yrs we palmed from one side till the grease was pushed through. Thereby filling the ball/cavity area. Not just painting it on each side...Modern shops have a bearing greaser that pushes the grease through the bearing; pushing the old grease and dirt out; like my dad did on Model A's
Vitamin 'R', Ranier Beer. It was my beer of choice when I was attending Western Washington University. I grew up just south of Vancover Island on Whidbey Island Washington. I live in Houston Texas now and I miss my Vitamin 'R'.
I have always carefully picked the seals out of a new bearing like that and packed good quality grease in and put the seals back in, and have great results, bearings lasting longer. I feel the bearings are not packed without enough grease from factory.
I'm replacing my mowers wheel bushings with sealed bearings. Should I just remove the inner seal on the bearings since the wheels have grease zerks and just regrease them every season or should I just leave them sealed?
Steve, you should remake some of these videos in higher quality. I'd love to see this and some of your engine diagnostics videos in 4k. As always, thanks for the entertaining and informative content.
back when you could still repack wheel bearings on youre car that was the only way we knew to do bearings only we didnt flip the bearing because it traps air in the center of the bearing if you keep working it from one side the grease will push through to the other side thank you for the video Im sure there are a lot of younger folks that dont know you can do this
I would have used a sonic cleaner to clean all the dirt and grim out. Then use compressed air to blow out all of the loose dirt and grim out. Next pack the bearing like you said, the palm method works the best way. Your videos are really GREAT!
I have a John Deere x350 how many pumps of grease do I put in there so I know it's full where does it come out of to let me know it's full . Question number two how many pumps do you put in how often
Once you have gooped some grease into your palm, you can also smack the bearing into the grease several times and it will come right through the bearing to the other side.
How to grease spindle bearings properly. Can you pump and pump grease into that nipple on the spindle does that get any grease into the bearings. I was told 30 or so pumps will force it in.
Great video and awesome topic. I think this would even work in blender pitchers that have removable bearings. But my concern is that won’t the Carburetor cleaner continue to break down that grease over time. I would have chased it out with some WD40 or PB BLASTER. Or maybe something else. If you understand what I’m talking about. What could we all use to chase out the Carb spray if day we didn’t have an air compressor and couldn’t blow air through the bearing? Any help or comments regarding this would be appreciated. Thanks...
According to the great state of Kalifornia. you propbably contracted Kancer from all the solvent , petroleum product and grease on your hand. BUT Kalifornia didnt know that beer counter act all those Karcinogenic agent listed by Kalifornia . :)
I think that if you soak it in a shot-glass with white spirit or anything cheap overnight, it will work miracles. You just put a flat metallic surface upon it with something heavy on top(so it won' t get evaporated after all these hours) and in the morning you will see the solvent liquid full of ruins of ancient civilizations! I did this with my car' s spark plugs and it helped the rest of the cleaning process a lot.
Thank you Steve ! Success bearing is working again and not a moment to soon! I have pancreatitis so Beer is a no no for me.....please have a Bavarian brew for me!!
Hi I have a zero turn qravely 1944. I just got done replacing 3 of the triangular things( sorry I blanked) that hold the blades on. When I later needed to replace the seal on my front wheels. I noticed I was short of ball bearings on one. Where do you go to get new bbs and what size. Now the race is on the inside of the wheel. And the other race came out. How do you fix the wheel?
Haha thanks Steve. Enjoyed that. I very uncharacteristically grabbed a beer just before you advised one was needed for this operation. I must have known. Keep up the good work!
I use paint thinner to clean it out. It is safer than gasoline, which also works well, but dangerous. Blow out with air, and make sure you get it as clean as possible. Dirt is the most destructive thing you can leave in there. Don't completely fill with grease as that will cause it to overheat. Half full is just fine. Turn the races, to make sure the balls have grease everywhere. I use higher octane alcohol, but I wait until I am done and I can relax knowing I've done the best job possible.
Yup palm from one side, will definitely see corruption show on the other side, remove that and continue. Important on higher load/ important applications. Regardless great job. Nice to see a bearing saved, or a way to get something done in a pinch and that’s when it actually matters. Really like you stuff and have learned a lot Steve. Thanks again.
As someone who does this type of stuff alot I do recommend repacking bearing like he did but when the bearing are rusty and crusty its time for some new ones. Now when your talking wheel bearing in a dirt bike hub then what ever but if it's in a high speed application like a street bike it's not worth the aggravation to try and repack a rusty bearing. But if the bearing are still good but just needs some grease then what ever go ahead and repack it. Just my two cents worth
I came upon your channel about a week ago, and have been watching a bunch of your videos. I find most of them very informative and appreciate the information. My opinion is, that seized bearing should go right in the scrap bucket. You spent all that time, taking something apart, to get the bearing out, and put the old one, that's probably pitted, back in? If it's just starting to talk, grease it and go, but rusted up so it doesn't turn, junk it. Keep up the good work Steve-o
Great info and excellent Video. Thank you sir!! I never knew that a sealed bearing can be taken apart and greased. I will file this in my little bag of tricks😊😊😊
Porsche Boxter engines had factory installed sealed ball bearings on the internal cam drive counter shaft. This seems to be a planned failure. As the grease in the bearings dissipated, the seals prevented engine oil from properly lubricating the bearings. An aftermarket fix was to disassemble the engine and replace the bearings with open, unsealed, bearings that are lubricated by the splash of engine oil.
Open the bearing and wash the inside with kerosene and a soft brush. During reassemly pack it with bearing grease. If the bearing is fitted with a grease nipple, pump the grease into the bearing until the grease comes out clean. Then wipe off the dirty grease and excess. Clean the assembly finally.
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think i would go with Lucas tacky Red grease.... Project Farm tested the hell out of it...surprisingly good grease for cheap shit.
OK Steve, I have to say the ONLY time that I remove the bearing seal is on equipment that has a grease zerk ( mower deck spindles as an example ) so that I can continue to grease them on a regular preventive maintenance schedule. But to reuse a seized bearing, would have to be in Dire Straits. I couldn't stand behind a repair like that without being able to warranty to repair. This video surprised me, it's not your ordinary style?
I know this video is 3 yrs old, but im gonna throw in a helpful tip. I work in the swimming pool industry. Instead of replacing bearings in pump motors and such we typically just replace the motor. I recently decided to attempt rebuilding a few scrap motors and in doing so found a lubricant like no other. Its called Zero Lube. Its sold in the pool industry as an o-ring lubricant, but I use it for a lot of other things. Like rusty tools. Crescent wrench was seized. Put a few drops on it and let it sit for a day and it rolled like it was brand new. I used it on a seized 6202 bearing and it was amazing how freely that thing spun after. Motor worked like a champ and still is a month later. Quiet as a sleeping baby. Anyway, Zero Lube. Great stuff. Just thought I would recommend in case anyone is looking for a good all around lube.
I've just looked it up. It's spelled 'Zer0' not "Zero". I watched one vido to free a stuck plastic handle doodah on a water pump. Several people said they used washing up liquid and that worked, too. So I went from 'I'm definitely going to buy that!' to 'I probably won't buy that'. Need more convincing.
@@johncollins8304 Zer0 Lube is made by Lubegard and uses their patented LXE technology. The chief developer of LXE was Dr Phil Landis, former head of Exxon/Mobil Oil Applied Lubrication Research Group. Many of the Lubegard products are considered staples by industry technicians in the automotive world.
Thanks. I’m gonna give it a shot. Sounds like a good product, patented & proven.
great to see the 'old school' methods aren't going to die with my generation.
Right on....
I heard that ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻 my Brother
Great tip Steve, as always. What I do is drop the bearing into white vinegar which removes ALL the rust, even from the balls or needles. An hour or two in vinegar and they actually get shiny again. Then you can repack them after you rinse off the vinegar.
Right on Stevo...
I might try vinegar in a small jar. drop right into the ultrasonic cleaner..... might work?
That rust is just cushioning for old bearings
@@xredman002 Yeah, I wondered why he didn't use the u/s bath. In a glass not plastic jar like he showed us I another vido.
Phopshoric acid is also considered the best acid for stainless steel and removing rust and preventing further rust. Phosphoric acid and acetic acid vinegar both prevent further rusting by removing and dissolving the brown rust and turning into a hard black iron coating.
Thanks for the lesson. I watched it and the 10 minutes later my seized sander was working perfectly. I wasn’t too worried about the cost of the bearing. I was more worried about the time to get one and the missed deadline. You saved me both time and money.
Great to hear!
Love your site and boy, have I learned a lot from you Steve... Thanks very much.
This video on the restoration of seized ball bearings is interesting, however, bearings are the Achilles heel of the manual transmission world. Having been a licensed transmission technician since 1982 I (if I may) would like to inform you of the correct procedure to check a ball bearing.
1) Free up the seized unit with your choice of fluids.
2) Wash thoroughly the bearing in varsol or similar thinners.
3)Blow dry the bearing completely (do not spin the bearing with air)
4)Apply a few drops of light machine oil(I use ATF)
5)With your thumb through the center of the bearing to support it, roll the outer race around while applying significant pressure with your other hand. ANY roughness in either the outer or inner bearing will be felt. If it's rough AT ALL it's junk.
I learned the palming method back in the mid 60s from an old school mechanic friend of my dad. There is a slight variation. Keep palming the same spot until a good amount of grease oozes out the opposite side before moving to the next spot on the bearing. All the while, do not turn the inner race with respect to the outer race. Turning the races while palming will spread the grease without properly packing and filling the entire bearing. No need to palm the opposite side. When palming tapered roller bearings, force the grease into the larger end of the rollers until it oozes from the smaller end.
@8:07 don't flip the bearing over! If you flip the bering over, you're using new grease to trap in the old grease. Always go from one side ONLY and keep going until you see the old grease being forced out and the new grease shows up on the other side. You form a small seal with your hand that pushes a small amount in each time, just keep working it until you see nothing but clean grease. We were actually taught this in high school a LONG time ago.
Just clean the old grease out first. WD40 and air compressor. Then re grease any way you like
I agree with Randy. You have to make certain you have removed ALL old contaminated grease before you start the repacking process. Otherwise you are just wasting you time and setting component for an eventual failure.
Excellent video, as always. I bought an old Craftsman LT2000 last year from a guy who was selling it for his aunt. Her husband owned the mower and had died. This old guy had kept up the maintenance on it very well and had even upgraded the motor from a 17.5 B&S to a Platinum series B&S 21hp motor. I noticed it was making some weird sounds every time I mowed. So, after watching some vids, I decided to take the floating deck off and do some maintenance. Your videos on greasing the bearings were the most informative and I thank you much for taking the time to post these. My bearings were very dry and nasty looking. I used Q-tips to get out the old, gunky grease and put new grease in them. Wow! 100% better! I can't believe I was putting my mower through that stress. Won't happen again. I'd like to get 10-15 more years out of this thing. I can't wait to mow this weekend, after I sharpen the blades and get the deck back on, lol. Btw, I also don't work on anything or mow on the weekends without a good beer or 8...always above 5%. Thanks, Steve!
Great instructions on greasing a sealed bearings. And for repacking multiple bearing at same time take a empty coffee can put enough grease in can to cover the top layer of bearings, heat grease until liquid, then put bearings in can making sure top bearings are covered, then let cool. I use a wire coat hanger with hook at end to make an extraction tool, then wipe off excess grease. Ready for use or storage.
"Palming" is called "field packing" where I grew up. It really gets the grease down in around the balls and pushes out the old grease. I've done it this way since the 60's.
Thanks Steve, great tips as usual.
You are welcome. That's why I do this!
My first boss taught me the palming method, and I have been using that method for fifty years. It think it works better than my bearing packer I bought.
that was the way my father taught me to repack berrings , he was a merchant marine in WW2 had 4 ships shot out from under him ( 3 trop'ed & 1 bombed) started as an oiler on an iron boat plying lake michigan in his teens) Very proud of the old man.
--Rick
Comment to Steve, to john t, and to Rick. First Rick -- thank the old man for his service for me. My dad was merchant marine too. To Rick, it's good to hear others repeat they've used this palming/packing method since the '60s. Me too. Finally, to Steve -- like the other guys say, this method of packing bearings has been around a while. I first saw this palming method of packing bearings in an old 1950s Motor's Manual. In the old days when you could take bearings completely apart, we used to remove the outer and inner races, inspect each ball, and replace those that weren't perfect. Then we would repack them using the palming method (as per Motor's Manual illustrations) and reinstall them by properly torquing them. You knew you had the right amount of torque when the shaft no longer would rock back and forth but the bearing would still spin freely. Then you'd tighten them about a 1/4 turn more.
@@rickcoona talk about not your time to go right there. Most don't make it through one sunk ship much less 4. Even if a life Raff was accessible it doesn't take long for people to be so far spread out search efforts will have almost nil success. And a lot of ww2 guys in the water became a shark buffet waiting to be rescued. Only takes a few drops of blood and every shark in a couple miles knows. With some real injuries several miles would be heading in. Frightening stuff. I know in the early first years of the war before america joined. The Germans were evacuating ships before torpedoing it. Crew would be unloaded in a neutral area. They didn't want to invoke neutral nation's into the war. Or be seen killing them. Once the war progressed basically any vessel from any country helping the enemy. With no warning,don't want your position radioed in exactly and be unloading a ship then your mission of search and destroy ends while you have to find safe harbor for said crew. Time and resources. Much respect to sailers of ww2
Exactly what I wanted to know. I am still making my grandfathers(RIP) work shop, my own. The last couple days I have been emptying out a couple deep drawers loaded with pulleys, bearings, etc.. I didn't realize how many bearings were in there. Some are in very good condition. I have had them sitting in oil and gas, and have been using a paint brush to clean out the old grease from exposed bearings; and to clean the outsides too....they have been in that drawer for at least 4 decades.
I have a couple ideas needing bearings, although most of these are too big. I just did some searches to see if there were a way to clean and repack old sealed bearings. I have a bunch of tabs opened to explore my search results, and luck of the draw, got you Steve...a slightly younger you LOL
Well I can close the other tabs, because you answered my questions. I wasn't even certain that all my bearings were the same type, as several had no seals, so looked very different. Of course I wondered if all the others looked just like them, but didn't know till just now.
Once I am done with the initial cleaning, I am going to open them up for full restoration. This will safe a LOT of money, and now I can think about those projects requiring bearings.
Thanks Steve.
Decided to check with the other experts, and learned that it is wise to check and even repack a new bearing. They cheap out on the grease and use cheap stuff. FYI
We use to repack wheel bearings that way back in my Marine Corps days in the motor pool, yes we had bearing packers but palming was a more efficient method. Great Video as always.
Thank You...
down south we been calling the palm method hand packing the bearing ...only way to pack the bearing if you dont have the bearing press...Also don't turn it over and do the other side you only push out what you just pacled in ...keep palming/packing untill you see the grease coming out the other side ,once it comes out the other side put the seals back on and it's rdy to go ...Great Video Brother !
Greetings from Williams Lake, British Columbia! I do this all the time, but only if the balls look good. Just one pit or flat spot on one ball will lead to early failure, and that failure never happens at a good time. Ask me how I know.
I use ordinary solvent or paint thinner with an old toothbrush to clean the bearing, then compressed air (step outside!) to remove all debris and solvent. NEVER let the compressed air spin the bearing, as that can cause damage. Only re-grease once the bearing is dry. Some folks swear by lithium grease, others swear by moly grease. I can't say I have a preference.
Steve's technique here is great for most applications. But if the bearing is buried in a really difficult spot, replace it. Only try saving a bearing that is fairly easy to get at. Great videos, Steve!
Thank You...
Yo Steve, this saved me today. One of the bearing seized on my 17 year old mower drive axle. I took it apart, being a holiday the specialty shops are closed, and the auto shops didn't have a replacement. Finally I thought about what else I could do, and ran across your video. Popped the seals off, washed all the dirt/grease out with soap and water, dried it, and then packed it and reassembled. It's like brand new. Thank you for posting this!
Right on Aaron! You're Welcome...
Very clever. I would soak the seized bearing in vinegar to eat up the rust. Then blow it to get rid of all the gunk and then re-grease.
This is only worth doing if you are stuck and can't get a new replacement bearing easily/quickly. Once the bearing surfaces are pitted by corrosion they are still on borrowed time even when unseized and relubed.
However even most new bearings generally lack enough grease and/or use poor quality grease. You can dramatically increase the service life of new bearings by cleaning out the factory grease and then fully repacking them with a quality high pressure/high temperature grease.
Right on...
True. I understand it that they fail (seize, dry out, or get wet and dirty) because the seals fail. So even if you clean and lube, the grease will be lost, the water will come in, just like before, and you still need to go with new bearings.
Get in there with a flashlight and a magnifying glass, and look for pits.
If you find any, go ahead and repack it, but just know that it is not going to last for too long.
Best thing you could do is when you're done repacking it, get on the internet and order new ones.
Put your item back in service if you want , and run it until they get really noisy, and by then you've got your new bearings on the shelf hopefully.
@@acoustic4037
Given the right environmental conditions, they can build up moisture inside all by themselves. I know when the weather breaks around here, and it's colder inside my shop than outside and I open the shop door the whole place gets totally damp and wet.
It looks like it almost rained inside.
Wow, learn something new everyday! Never knew you could disassemble a sealed bearing and repack it. Grew up on farm and repacked wheel bearings on all kinds of vehicles and farm equipment - Dad taught me the "palming" method. Thoroughly entertained and educated by your videos! Keep 'em coming Steve!
Thank You...
Many thanks, Steve! I used your technique today on my Craftsman deck idler bearing. It was so loud, rough, seizing then I remembered your tip. Popped the outer seal and washed the crud out with brake cleaner and compressed air. Carefully added wheel bearing grease, much to my surprise the bearing was as smooth as silk! Assembled in reverse order and was back in business in short order. Smooth, quiet and good as new!
Right on buddy! Thank You...
Normally I like what Steve is doing, but not this. Bearings are cheap and widely stocked. Generally the time cost accessing any bearing greatly exceeds its value. Potentially you could do a lot more damage with a seized or even a rough bearing. Absolutely do this only when you are stuck!
My late father in law showed me the palming method a long time ago. It works great and I have always continued to use it. Thanks for sharing that tip Steve.
That's great!
I finally got the motivation to drop the deck on my TB42, remove the spindles and grease those sealed bearings. Thanks to you I have a better understanding of "how to, why to and when to" do the maintenance. I sharpened the blades also and found out that the drive belt runs so much easier and faster because there's no more awful dragging, dry, screeching noise coming from the bearings. I appreciate this machine thanks to your videos.
Excellent!
I've watched a number of your videoes, and have found that you're spot-on accurate on what you post. Thank you for the help and knowkedge that you share!
You're very welcome
very helpful video.
I just repacked the bearings in my idler pulleys. They've been starting to squeal the last few days. Used this guide, cleaned and repacked them.
Thanks for the help!
You're Welcome...
Another great tip. I have done this a few times. This method works if the bearing balls inside is not too badly pitted. Thank you for making the video.
You're Welcome...
Tip...use the ultrasonic cleaner to clean out the bearing like new. I recommend replacing any seized or lose bearing has a full time load or any weight on it. Wheels, blades, pulleys, etc. Just save some time and replace them. The clean and repair method is best left for things with partial to no continuous loads, like a mower deck side wheel, that only touches the ground occasionally. It would work just fine there. But an old repacked bearing won't last at speed with a full load for to long before your replacing it anyway. Take care. Great video. Jpol.
I've cleaned many sealed bearings in my day. I mainly use my parts washer to do it. I take off both seals, clean the bearing, inspect it, put one seal on, pack it full of grease, then put the other seal back on. I've done this on deck spindles for years and the bearings last for years as well. If you buy new sealed bearings, take off one seal, pack the bearing full, then put the seal back on. They put very little grease in them from the factory. They do wheel bearings the same way on autos and motorcycles.
Hi Steve, Bill from over the pond in England, great vids, clear, concise, no fancy terms, easy to understand. I'm a 70+ year old retired motor engineer, still working on engines of all shapes and sizes, but the smaller ones are easier as you get older, and best of all still learning. :-)
Could I add a couple of points, as mentioned ultrasonics are great for bearings, carbs, intricate items etc, each possibly needing a different cleaning medium, to save having to keep emptying and changing solutions I now only have water in the tank, I have built up a selection of glass containers ( better than plastics for ultrasonics ) so I can quickly swap from cleaning a carb in say petrol to cleaning a bearing in engine cleaner / de-greaser, without having to drain and refill the tank with the next solution.
For working on such as carbs or other small items I have a sheet of thick glass I place on my bench with a sheet of printer paper underneath, strip the dirty carb down on it, pop it in the cleaner, wipe the glass clean, you have instantly got a clean bright re-assembly area.
Keep up the good work, draught Guinness or a good red wine is my standby when problems need a little thought.
Do you mean that you can set a glass jar full of gasoline and a carb, into the water bath of the ultrasonic and it will work?
I love my Ultrasonic Cleaner.
I got the harbor fright model.
I've just did a carburetor the other day for a briggs 49 v twin I got.
I found a 50$ used briggs carb off ebay and it came out like new.
I had the heads apart for porting, yup I ran em thru the ultrasonic too.
Usually I'll use a mix of purple power and water, or plain old dish soap.
They say on the package do not use solvents in the tank, but I've gotten around that.
Take a jar filled with solvents and your parts, put em in the water tank.
Another good video Steve. Your Father in law showed you an “old school” way of packing bearings. Using the “meaty portion” of your palm like this, not only helps to pack grease into the bearings, but you can feel if there is any dirt or grit in the grease!
Thank You...
Great site steve.
On palming the grease. I used to work at a local bus garage. Was taught this by an "old boy" but now it's me.
But palm it all from one side only, until until you see it coming all the way through the bearing. Then just top up the other side. If done right the bearing should be stiff to turn, with the amount of grease on each surface.
Keep it up Steve.. jeagermeister and red bull helps me..
Thanks Steve, We actually did this procedure on thousands of bearing from conveyors when I worked for the Edmonton Journal [ newspaper ] years ago. They can actually be repacked several times. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thanks Buddy...
It has been a long time since I saw someone else actually pack a bearing. Best way is a gob on your palm and just pack it in there until it comes out of the other side. Great video- you're one of a kind, Steve. Thanks!
Thanks for the info!
Put some grease in a zipper bag, put bearing in, massage grease into bearing cavity by squeezing the bag, keeps hands and grease cleaner, can reuse.
Beer. Now I see why I couldn't free those bearings it's all clear to me now
Soak them in fuel works for me spinning them in the fuel.Just remember folks that this doesn’t fix pitting and any wear in the races or ball bearings currently there.
Good video Steve on Band-Aiding a bearing.
I totally forgot about the palming method. My dad taught me that years ago with my first car an 89 Camaro. Thanks Steve I just subscribed as I'm about to do all my bearings on my John Deere mower.
You're Welcome...and Thank You...
Ahh now I see why my jobs haven't been going smoothly. I haven't been using the right tools. I will rectify it tonight and make sure the beer I use is over 5% alcohol not that lite beer that I've been using. Thanks for the tip..
Rum and Coke also works for this job.....
also stay away from beer with GHT on the label
In a pinch, you can do this using a light beer, but you may have to crack a second can.
for a really badly stuck rusty ballbearing. 50% Smirnov vodka is the only way there is. believe me. it works like charm :-)
PB blaster works the best. I use it all the time on my customers engines, also works incredibly well for seized cylinders! Great video!
Thank you!
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon Also works great to remove snapped head bolts. It even works well to unseaze Briggs and Stratton starters after the sit for 5 years outside. I have customers that bring me engines were the starter smokes and makes funny noises, the briggs starters do not appear to be water tight and the magnets start to fall off when you take then apart then. Along with that comes rust, and 1/4 can of pb blaster Lol.Thanks you for the reply!
TIMELY video! In need of doing that now to an old John Deere mower I acquired. Just did the zerk fitting greasing, thinking I had accomplished something. SHOCKED to see the PURPOSEFUL DESIGN FLAW by DEERE! I’m about to be one PALMING RASCAL!
Old school is the new cool. In a throwaway world this is perfect. Great tutorial.
Steve, yes. Palming. That's how we'd re-pack front wheel bearing on our family car. Something I'd forgotten about. Great video.
Thank You...
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon you're most welcome! You are a most helpful and polite sort of fellow. Hurray for you! You don't see those qualities very much!!!
dipping and rotating the bearing in diesel works well too as the rotation action in the diesel will flush out the rust and crud. washing and re-greasing a bearing is only a stop gap measure that works on a slow turner (anything under 500RPM) but not a high speed application. just keep in mind that the bearing will have to be replaced no matter what, as the surfaces of the races and balls are pitted which is what makes the bearing growl or sound dry. the pitting leads to galling, which will begin as soon as the bearing re-enters service. depending on the load, the bearing might make it a few hours or even a day or two. just get the numbers it has on it and get a replacement coming. you will be needing it....
I opened, cleaned, and re-packed an idler bearing on my car and it ran for years with no issues. It had 11 ball bearings in it and 3 were broken in pieces. It ran perfectly on the remaining 8 with no noise or anything. The inner bearing surface was all galled up but it didnt care. Peugeot 505.
dipping in diesel - that is what I would usually do
@@cvcoco impressive! but i would hazard a guess that bearing wasn't made in china...lol
@@HolzMichel You brought up a good point. It used to be that we laughed at something like French quality in cars and parts. But then we so got used to China garbage that then Continental parts really seemed quite good in comparison and they were.
@@cvcoco roger that!!
Appreciate you man it help me out. 5 years after u posted this. Thank you
No problem 👍
I love your videos! There's a lot of great info for a full repair or preventative maintenance in a short time. Good job!
Thank You...
“Palming” is a good way to force grease through a bearing. What you want to do is force bit through from ONE SIDE. Push out the old grease with new clean grease !
(Same as with a bearing packer) good to go .
A REALLY GOOD EDUCATIONAL video cannot compete with current "entertainment influencer" vids. I just subscribed. I am looking for bicycle maintenance tips. I needed to refine my search to find your channel.
Welcome aboard!
thanks! worked on my frozen spindle on old mtd riding mower. it is loose but works for my ditch mower ony 36". I blew it out with air before using brake fluid and then W, and then the grease. also since my press is at my father in laws, I just did it while on the shaft.
Nice and valuable presentation Steve. I would be far more persistent in cleaning that stuck bearing however. Now you are mixing new grease with remnants of old rust and grime. A small and cheap household ultrasonic cleaner filled with lamp oil (parafin) is ideal together with -after the wet cleaning- compressed air cleaning. Redo that process until rolling the bearing is completely smooth. Minimal method is a small bath with solvent (like acetone or brake cleaner to solve old grease) and a paint brush. Greetings Gerard, the Netherlands
Steve where do u live? I'm gonna send u some beers. U just saved me a whole lotta money! 🍻💪😊
The bearing with a metal plate on each side is called a shielded bearing and is not watertight. Don't spray carb cleaner on bare skin, even the non-chlorinated ones contain chemicals that are absorbed through skin and don't belong inside you. PB Blaster is great for loosening rust, works better than thinner solvents or WD40, which is a water displacer, not a penetrant. Acetone and ATF are great for removing grease and rust flakes.
marvel mystery oil is great too for freeing up rust, and cheap.
Thought they could not be opened! Thank you. Have Kohler SV 740 twin (on a Husqvarna yth2754)that is totally seized. I saw smoke and a few sparks from the base of the engine. Is there a bearing I can service or is it engine replacement time? Thanks if you can answer. (Ps, plenty of oil inside the engine)
I was struggling with 688, 148 seized bearings for my spinning reel. Thank you for your great help
Glad to help
You can use Dot 3 brake fluid for a penetrating oil, use old Dot 3 that is old and save the new for your master cylinder.
Started palming bearings in the '60s because I didn't have the fancy bearing packing tool to grease them. Start on one side, big glob of grease in your left hand, smack the bearing flat into the grease until the grease pops out the other side. Smack hard one section at a time rotating the outside of bearing around until all of the bearing is full all of the way. Still doing it the same way except that now I use gloves to keep the grease off of my hands. If you are doing more than one bearing try to get them all ready at the same time so that you can add grease and smack until you are done. Wheel bearings go really fast.
For heavy use use a gray grease that has moly sulfide in it. NAPA has a grease with 3% moly content in it.
Thanks a lot for this video!!! Saved me a lot of money not replacing the bearings, but fixing them instead. Good call on the beer too! I went with an IPA, actually a whole 6 pack, but hey, fixed my problem! Thanks again! :)
Glad to help
back in the 50s and 60s before sealed wheel bearings, we used to have to clean and regrease our car wheel bearings Palming was a popular thing then, and anyone who worked on cars knew it.
Been searching videos half the morning. Finally found urs & one for disassembling a Mitsubishi alternator. Of all the ones on bearings urs was the ONLY one on unceazing . Thank u so much, hopefully this will delay buying a new alternator for awhile.
You're Welcome...
I install new brging and put used ones in 5 gallon bucket of diesel
Check them again in couple of weeks
Drill and tap housing and zert install
Remove inside shells and drill two very small holes on bottom one for extra grease to excape under deck
Merry Christmas
I work slowly and am not very mechanically experienced so I need at least 2 beers and sometimes 3 or 4.
Love the straight face on the Rainier beer recommendation. He says it like its an integral part to fixing the bearings. So funny. 😅🤣😂
Right on
"palming" was the method I was taught when I was a kid in the 60's and 70's. Works rather well as you saw for yourself.
"Palm" from one side only, then wipe the dirty grease from the other side.
Yeah, better way. Thanks
It would have been even better if you had gotten the bearing really, really clean before you "palmed" in the grease. I'm 72 and the only method I have ever known is the palm method. That's the method everyone used before the bearing grease press was invented.
Everyone should be made aware of the fact that most light beer is only about 4.2%. No self-respecting mechanic would ever use something less than 5%.
getdrunknotfat.com/alcohol-content-of-beer/
@@CALVINLNIKONT Ditto. I'm 69, my dad worked on model A's; so for about 100yrs we palmed from one side till the grease was pushed through. Thereby filling the ball/cavity area. Not just painting it on each side...Modern shops have a bearing greaser that pushes the grease through the bearing; pushing the old grease and dirt out; like my dad did on Model A's
@Sean Ware that's what we called it. Packing bearings. Done loads of them.
Exactly how I learned this 40 years ago. Thanks for the reminder!
Vitamin 'R', Ranier Beer. It was my beer of choice when I was attending Western Washington University. I grew up just south of Vancover Island on Whidbey Island Washington. I live in Houston Texas now and I miss my Vitamin 'R'.
I have always carefully picked the seals out of a new bearing like that and packed good quality grease in and put the seals back in, and have great results, bearings lasting longer. I feel the bearings are not packed without enough grease from factory.
I'm replacing my mowers wheel bushings with sealed bearings. Should I just remove the inner seal on the bearings since the wheels have grease zerks and just regrease them every season or should I just leave them sealed?
Steve, you should remake some of these videos in higher quality. I'd love to see this and some of your engine diagnostics videos in 4k. As always, thanks for the entertaining and informative content.
Great idea! Thank You...
back when you could still repack wheel bearings on youre car that was the only way we knew to do bearings only we didnt flip the bearing because it traps air in the center of the bearing if you keep working it from one side the grease will push through to the other side thank you for the video Im sure there are a lot of younger folks that dont know you can do this
Funny thing. You are the only other person I have ever seen "palm" your bearings to repack them. I learned it from my father-in-law too. Cheers!
Very cool
I would have used a sonic cleaner to clean all the dirt and grim out.
Then use compressed air to blow out all of the loose dirt and grim out.
Next pack the bearing like you said, the palm method works the best way.
Your videos are really GREAT!
Great tip!
I have a John Deere x350 how many pumps of grease do I put in there so I know it's full where does it come out of to let me know it's full . Question number two how many pumps do you put in how often
I'd use the Ballistol spray to drive the rust and dirt out. Works perfectly on stuck rusty drill chucks too.
Hey my Beer only got 4,8%alcohol wich is much more common here in Germany. Am I still able to do this right?
I've been doing the old palm smoosh since I was a wee lad. Tried and true method.
Once you have gooped some grease into your palm, you can also smack the bearing into the grease several times and it will come right through the bearing to the other side.
I'm gonna go look for as many bearings as I can find right away...need to quench my thirst!
lol right on
Feed the need!
Corona extra ! It is excellent aching back lube also :- )
How to grease spindle bearings properly. Can you pump and pump grease into that nipple on the spindle does that get any grease into the bearings. I was told 30 or so pumps will force it in.
Thanks again Steve. You and Buckin, are my favorite Canadian friends. 👍😄
Great video and awesome topic. I think this would even work in blender pitchers that have removable bearings. But my concern is that won’t the Carburetor cleaner continue to break down that grease over time. I would have chased it out with some WD40 or PB BLASTER. Or maybe something else. If you understand what I’m talking about. What could we all use to chase out the Carb spray if day we didn’t have an air compressor and couldn’t blow air through the bearing? Any help or comments regarding this would be appreciated. Thanks...
According to the great state of Kalifornia. you propbably contracted Kancer from all the solvent , petroleum product and grease on your hand.
BUT Kalifornia didnt know that beer counter act all those Karcinogenic agent listed by Kalifornia .
:)
Sofjan Mustopoh - Lol! We’ve got a running joke that says all these products cause cancer but ONLY if you’re using them in California. 😂
Brad Roon - Yep, Steve will be alright, he’s way north of the danger zone! 🤣😂
I think that if you soak it in a shot-glass with white spirit or anything cheap overnight, it will work miracles. You just put a flat metallic surface upon it with something heavy on top(so it won' t get evaporated after all these hours) and in the morning you will see the solvent liquid full of ruins of ancient civilizations! I did this with my car' s spark plugs and it helped the rest of the cleaning process a lot.
Thank you Steve! I never knew that was doable. Your videos are so very helpful.
You are so welcome!
Thank you Steve ! Success bearing is working again and not a moment to soon! I have pancreatitis so Beer is a no no for me.....please have a Bavarian brew for me!!
Good to hear
The palm trick was worth the price of admission. Liked & Subscribed.
Thank You...
Hi I have a zero turn qravely 1944. I just got done replacing 3 of the triangular things( sorry I blanked) that hold the blades on. When I later needed to replace the seal on my front wheels. I noticed I was short of ball bearings on one. Where do you go to get new bbs and what size. Now the race is on the inside of the wheel. And the other race came out. How do you fix the wheel?
I've never seen grown man having so much fun spinning a seized ball bearing :)
Haha thanks Steve. Enjoyed that. I very uncharacteristically grabbed a beer just before you advised one was needed for this operation. I must have known. Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks Steven your broadcasts are really helping me!
You're Welcome...
I use paint thinner to clean it out. It is safer than gasoline, which also works well, but dangerous. Blow out with air, and make sure you get it as clean as possible. Dirt is the most destructive thing you can leave in there. Don't completely fill with grease as that will cause it to overheat. Half full is just fine. Turn the races, to make sure the balls have grease everywhere. I use higher octane alcohol, but I wait until I am done and I can relax knowing I've done the best job possible.
Yup palm from one side, will definitely see corruption show on the other side, remove that and continue.
Important on higher load/ important applications.
Regardless great job. Nice to see a bearing saved, or a way to get something done in a pinch and that’s when it actually matters.
Really like you stuff and have learned a lot Steve.
Thanks again.
Awesome!
As someone who does this type of stuff alot I do recommend repacking bearing like he did but when the bearing are rusty and crusty its time for some new ones. Now when your talking wheel bearing in a dirt bike hub then what ever but if it's in a high speed application like a street bike it's not worth the aggravation to try and repack a rusty bearing. But if the bearing are still good but just needs some grease then what ever go ahead and repack it. Just my two cents worth
Great job Steve, your personality sure works well. Keep the videos coming I don’t want to miss any.
Thank You...
Is this a a/c clutch pulley aka bearing?
I came upon your channel about a week ago, and have been watching a bunch of your videos. I find most of them very informative and appreciate the information. My opinion is, that seized bearing should go right in the scrap bucket. You spent all that time, taking something apart, to get the bearing out, and put the old one, that's probably pitted, back in? If it's just starting to talk, grease it and go, but rusted up so it doesn't turn, junk it.
Keep up the good work Steve-o
Smoosh!! Highly Technical Term. Love it!
Right on
A king literally a king
Thank you for the video. I fixed the jammed tiny bearing in the vacuum cleaner turbo head. Not having grease, to lubricate I used car engine oil.
Nice work!
Great info and excellent Video. Thank you sir!! I never knew that a sealed bearing can be taken apart and greased. I will file this in my little bag of tricks😊😊😊
Glad to help
Porsche Boxter engines had factory installed sealed ball bearings on the internal cam drive counter shaft. This seems to be a planned failure. As the grease in the bearings dissipated, the seals prevented engine oil from properly lubricating the bearings. An aftermarket fix was to disassemble the engine and replace the bearings with open, unsealed, bearings that are lubricated by the splash of engine oil.
Ya 5% plus IS absolutely critical for proper knuckle busting repairs😆😆😆great video
Right on Chuck! Thank You...
Open the bearing and wash the inside with kerosene and a soft brush. During reassemly pack it with bearing grease. If the bearing is fitted with a grease nipple, pump the grease into the bearing until the grease comes out clean. Then wipe off the dirty grease and excess. Clean the assembly finally.
Don't forget to smooch the cover back on the container of grease to keep the dirt out..
Good video...