How much "force"? - front wheel bearing removal

[StephenG80]

1954 G80s - OK, I have stripped out as per manual but how much "force" should I use to get the assembly out?

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I have put the nut back on the threaded end of the spindle and done a bit of persuading with a hard rubber mallet - but there is no movement.

Do I need a press set up or do I just need to thwack it a bit harder? (that always goes against instinct)

Also, in the unlikely event that the PO fitted an Andrews Eng replacement bearing cartridge, (it all looks standard though), would the same procedure apply?

Thanks in advance.

Stephen

[Mick D]

Hi

If you have stripped it as far as the grease seals off is there any point in going any further? You can flush the bearings out from there, blow through with a compressed air or a heat gun to dry things off and re-grease them. I wouldn't dis-assemble any further unless something needed replacing / further investigation.

Regards Mick

[StephenG80]

Hi

If you have stripped it as far as the grease seals off is there any point in going any further? You can flush the bearings out from there, blow through with a compressed air or a heat gun to dry things off and re-grease them. I wouldn't dis-assemble any further unless something needed replacing / further investigation.

Regards Mick

well no modern grease gun will fit on the nipple as it is right up beside hub and my old style grease gun will not pump. Plus with rumbling going on I would rather inspect.

So , have you ever dismantled the whole thing Mick and, if so, how much force did it take?

[1608]

If you have to remove the bearing then heat the hub up first. They can be stubborn and the whacking will probably damage the the bearing. So, I would,t recomend removing unless it really needs to be. It is quite acceptable to rub plenty of grease into the bearing from the outside. A grease gun is not recommended for the front bearings anyway as there is a chance of contaminating the brake shoes.

[Mick D]

Hi

No - mine wasn't giving any cause for concern so I just stripped out the grease seals, cleared out the old grease, replaced the grease seals and re-assembled / adjusted the hub.

Gunk / paraffin / petrol will dissolve the grease and loosen any debris - if you have a compressor you can blast it out.

Grease the bearings BEFORE re assembly of the seals by pumping grease directly onto them.

Adjust the bearing clearance and see how the rumble sounds then - you may be pleasantly surprised.

Beating the bearings out risks damage to the rollers, outer races and their housings in the hub - if you feel you must do it I'd heat the hub and use a press.

You can get modern grease nipples to fit the hub or you can use a needle nozzle to lube the original ones.

Regards Mick

[StephenG80]

thanks Mick and 1608 - OK - I'll try and just clean and re- pack as best I can from the outside - hopefully that will quite the rumble

[StephenG80]

just as mop up to this thread. Whilst my grease gun fitted the nipple no problem, the modern design of the hood around the nipple grabber was too broad to fit onto the nipple in situ due to the close proximity of the casting on the spindle side. So a work around was to find an old empty tin of 3 in 1 oil, cut off the nozzle (full length) screw the grease nipped into the wide end and cut a little off the smaller end to increase the hole and then jam that end into the hole in the hub where the grease nipple normally goes. That little nipple extension enable me to easily pump in loads of fresh grease which displaced all the old stuff which was first softened up a little bit a with paraffin. So, hub and bearing are now full of new grease. Whilst the grumble is still there its not going to run dry - so jobs a good'n (until AMC classic spares get a new set of bearing cassettes in next year )

[StephenG80]

Well that's the bearing all repacked and everything feels a lot smoother. On re-assembly I just want to check something as PO did leave a few odd legacies!

I cannot find any pictures in any of the manuals, I have, showing if this is correct. I am presuming the internal nut ((2) part number 017003) is just spun on as far as is required to space the brake backing plate to be flush with the hub when the external nut (3) is tightened to hold the backing plate tight between these two nuts on the spindle and it (2) is NOT tightened against the bearing seals etc.

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Thanks for advice in advance.

Stephen

[Mick D]

Hi

Yes, that's how I understand it, the plate bears on the inner nut and the outer one acts as a lock nut.

Regards Mick

[StephenG80]

thanks Mick - that is what my logic was telling me but when it comes to those two round things that keep you upright I wanted to make doubly sure