Bearing failures

Larry you can buy a bearing packer in most auto parts stores (autozone, pep
boys etc). It is simply two disks a little larger than the bearins with a
nut and bolt thru he center to tighten them to the bearing. their is a
grease fitting on one side so that when grease is forced in it has to go
thru the bearing. very simple and effective.

I pack the bearings the old fashioned way, put a small amount of grease in
the palm of my hand and push it into each bearing until they are all full.
Once you see it done it is easy.

If you have the cinnabar bearings I would be comfortable with only visually
checking the hubs and knuckles. Run your fingers over the hub and check for
any roughness. the hub should not be discolored or blue which could indicate
a previous seized bearings. Same with the inside of the knuckle.

I have an electronic caliper that I use and it is accurate enough for this job.

>I have my new Cinnabar bearings / seals in the box in the garage. Also the
>Thoma tool and video which I have watched several times. I have all the
>manuals, and tools except micrometers, etc to check the hubs and knuckles. I
>will go with Mobil 1. Am I correct in assuming that the grease we "install"
>with the bearings, is all that they ever get until tear down time? I realize
>this may be a stupid guestion, but this will be my first fwd tear down. Also,
>does anyone know how to make a bearing grease "packer" that Ken refers to in
>his video? Thanks in advance for all of the help, as usual. Larry Nelson, PB
>75, springfield, MO
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach
 
>
> I have my new Cinnabar bearings / seals in the box in the garage.
> Also the Thoma tool and video which I have watched several times. I
> have all the manuals, and tools except micrometers, etc to check the
> hubs and knuckles.

Find a local machine shop and have them check the tolerances for you.
Don't trust your eyes on this one. I did and I was wrong. Luckily it
became obvious when I pulled the knuckle onto the bearings. It fell
right on. When you take it apart and then pull everything together with
the impact wrench, it should take some effort for the tool to do its
job. If it goes too easy, then you're obviously out of tolerance. (Ken
makes a comment about that in the video when he pushes the bearings out
of the knuckle - it comes out too easy.) That's just a hint though, have
a machinist check the hub and knuckle for you.

> I will go with Mobil 1. Am I correct in assuming that the grease we
> "install" with the bearings, is all that they ever get until tear
> down time?

Yep - pack 'em good and fill in between the bearings under the spacer
also.

> I realize this may be a stupid guestion, but this will be my first
> fwd tear down.

There are no stupid questions - only stupid answers.

> Also, does anyone know how to make a bearing grease "packer" that Ken
> refers to in his video?

Buy the one at pep boys that uses a grease gun. Two white cones with a
hollow screw between them. Less messy than Ken's method or hand
packing, but not by much.

> Thanks in advance for all of the help, as usual. Larry Nelson, PB
> 75, springfield, MO

You're welcome. Good luck and take your time and it will all come
together - no sweat!

Patrick
- --
Patrick Flowers
Mailto:patri63

The GMC Motorhome Page
http://www.gmcmotorhome.com
 
Lanier:
Bobby was talking about Bostik's grease Never-seez line. Their web site
URL is: http://www.bostik.com/bostikusa.html, scroll down to the bottom
and click on the Automotive/Industrial button. Next scroll to the
bottom again and click on the Construction/Distribution button. Now
scroll down and look for the Never-seez label in the left column and
click on the picture of the wrench. At this point, notice that you need
Acrobat Reader to view their product literature. If you don't have it
already, you can download it from them (there isn't any cost involved).
Once you are ready, scroll down and click on the highlighted selection
titled Lubricants to view the Never-seez product information sheet.

I don't have their 800 number with me now, though.

A number of months ago, August I believe, I called Bostik and talked to
their grease product manager, specifically about drip points. He faxed
me some articles on greases he wrote, primarily for equipment.

He said for the GMC application that we don't need the EP (extreme
pressure) greases and they had a base composition that is not in our
best interests. When we talked about drip points, he indicated that we
didn't need to be concerned with that either, that the DP number results
from a test that's done at either O or 32 deg F. I don't recall which.

At the time I didn't comprehend all that he was telling me so I need to
get back to him and refresh my understanding. I've been on the go since
I talked to him and haven't had the time to devote to further discussion
yet. I'll try to do that next week and report the results to everyone.

I'm sure this is going to go against the grain of the lubricant experts
on the GMCnet and there will be many contrasting comments. However, be
patient and bear with me until I can get back to the Bostik expert and
get a better understanding.

From: HLBF [mailto:HLBF]
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 1998 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: Bearing failures

In a message dated 98-11-12 13:57:03 EST, you write:

s that supposed to be 1000 deg. grease? IIRC, Mobil1's drop point is
600 deg. and Redline CV-2 is supposedly 900 deg. Anything above 500
deg. may be irrelevant as steel begins to lose strength at that point.

I haven't yet had a chance to dig up my notes from Lake Lanier re:
Toll-free 800 # for grease recommended by Bobby Moore, but Redline
sounds close. Ken Thoma says anything above 400 dp is ok, and that he
found some Quaker State @ Walmart the other day claiming 500 degrees dp.
I'll report my findings.

Lanier
 
>"... I'm sure this is going to go against the grain of the lubricant experts on the GMCnet..."

Which generates discussion of different opinions and We all gain.
Wonderful!

Tim Timothy
73 Glacier
NW FL
 
Tom Warner wrote about bearing clearances on November 12.

He said we need .095 for unassembled axial bearing clearance. I've also seen
this number on several different postings. Do you really mean .095 or should it
be .0095? .095 is about 3/32nds - almost an eight of an inch. I can't imaging
having that much clearance in a front wheel bearing.

Are we dropping a decimal here? Or am I missing the point?

Clark
78 Kingsley
Mid-Michigan
 
It is .0095" of unassembled axial clearance clark. If I dropped a decimal I
apologize.

>Tom Warner wrote about bearing clearances on November 12.
>
>He said we need .095 for unassembled axial bearing clearance. I've also seen
>this number on several different postings. Do you really mean .095 or
should it
>be .0095? .095 is about 3/32nds - almost an eight of an inch. I can't imaging
>having that much clearance in a front wheel bearing.
>
>Are we dropping a decimal here? Or am I missing the point?
>
>Clark
>78 Kingsley
>Mid-Michigan
>
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach