MYBAD79
Moderator
How important is "packing" wheel bearings ? I just installed new bearings and greased them without a packing tool.... .... ????????
I pack mine the good old fashion way....grease in the palm.
Me too, just did a bunch yesterday. It's a messy job and takes longer than with the tool but you'll know it's done right.
Karsten, just putting grease in the cavity won't do, you have to physically force the grease between the rollers. You do this by putting grease in a cupped hand and then pulling the bearing through on it's side so the grease gets under the cage, do this all round and roll it, the grease will go in and you can add more. Do this until you're satisfied that you packed them properly.
If you do not do this the bearings may run too dry and thay will burn up.
Too much grease will blow out the bearing seals!
Yes, when the grease reaches it's drop point the gel liqiufies. This means it also expands.
if you pack your grease cavity full of grease it will blow past the seal, compromisig the seal. In a drum brake application you also will get grease on the brake shoes, having disastrous effect on braking.
The liqiufied grease will not slump down, it slings to the bearings and the spinning shaft and will get thrown around violently. It will most certainly not settle when the wheel is turning.
BTW, just did a search, common drop point is around 180*C
I pack mine the good old fashion way....grease in the palm.
Yes, when the grease reaches it's drop point the gel liqiufies. This means it also expands.
if you pack your grease cavity full of grease it will blow past the seal, compromisig the seal. In a drum brake application you also will get grease on the brake shoes, having disastrous effect on braking.
The liqiufied grease will not slump down, it slings to the bearings and the spinning shaft and will get thrown around violently. It will most certainly not settle when the wheel is turning.
BTW, just did a search, common drop point is around 180*C
i pack it almost full there are a few small air pockets. Its actually the air that expands and forces the grease into the outer bearing. Grease does not expand that much. I see it as insurance if a bearing fails there will be enough grease in there to prevent a catastrophic failure such as a broken or twisted off spindle.
The point is the grease will liquify and sling into the bearing. When you come to a stop it will slump and "pack" itself into the bearing if you have enough grease in there. Too little grease and this process will not happen. Most failures are because of too little grease or dried out grease.
a lot of c3ers will never get their rotors up to 180 C 356 F certainly not on the way to the show n' shine.
grease heat expands considerably, some have higher thermal expansion coefficients than air (at the same temp)
Did you look up that premature bearing failure report for electric motors in nuclear control rod installations?
But as always, there's no convincing you so there's no need to bother trying to.
The point i keep trying to make over and over is we can accept the standard line on things and move on without thinking about it or we can examine WHY. Its much more fun to do the latter and i would think what this forum is about.