Is this the correct tool for rear wheel bearings?

[suecanada]

I own a 1983 R65L and would like to grease my rear, tapered roller bearings before any longish trips this summer. Is this the right tool to use even though it says not for R65LS? Thanks!

http://www.cycleworks.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_33_53&products_id=48

It is my understanding that the front wheel bearings are ball bearings and are sealed for life on a R65LS. The rear wheel has greaseable tapered bearings. Oh why do we have to be so different!! :-?

[Barry]

Sue,

 There is no picture of the cycleworks tool but assuming it's one of these it  has been discussed on another thread here http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1365803194/7#7

There has been some debate recently on the airheads list about how well these tools work and whether or not they really push the old grease out of the bearing. Here's a diagram of what is supposed to happen or not as the case may be.  http://s1000.photobucket.com/user/sitzbank/media/Greaser_zpsc6c0c5ef.jpg.html  

Personally if there is no known history of the bearing being maintained I would remove the seals to clean and re-grease the bearings.

[montmil]

I don't know if the rear wheel bearings on the R65LS are any different than on the 'standard' R65 but it's not difficult to remove the bearings, clean and inspect, re-grease and re-fit.

You should fit new seals. Wipe the outer races in the wheel hub and inspect for wear. The races should show no scuffing or brinneled areas.

Clean out the old grease and re-grease using a big glob of grease in your palm while 'wiping' the bearing until grease oozes out the other side. Refit and call it good to go.

Your hands will be nice n' soft after the grease work.

[Air4Life]

All this time... It appears that this heating for removal is not necessary on our '83 wheels.  This was the main reason why I shy'd away from the task in the first place.   I had read his website way back when and got freaked.   Thought I'd wait till I had a proper shop to do it.  

Thanks.

Anyone from Brooklyn NY here?

[Bob_Roller]

That procedure for heating the wheel, etc. for bearing removal, is not applicable to the R65 series bikes, of any year .

[Air4Life]

is not applicable to the R65 series bikes

Now you tell me. [smiley=wall.gif]

[Mike V]

Sue,

My personal opinion would be to go to any Auto Parts Supply, they have numerous inexpensive grease packing  tools that you can adequately grease your bearings with.  To do the job thoroughly you should remove, clean with solvent and closely inspect your existing bearings as Barry suggests - if no damage by overheating or brinelling is obvious pack them with a good quality high temp disc brake bearing grease.  Make sure clean, fresh grease gets packed thoroughly in the clean and dry bearing cages.  And, replace your wheel grease seals annually.  Seals are inexpensive and pivotal in keeping your bearings protected from water and grime.

-Mike V. / San Diego

[Air4Life]

Sue, if you are anywhere near Brooklyn NY you can come by and I'll do it for you, or I'll show you how.  

[Barry]

I think Mike V's picture of a syringe is a good idea as it's otherwise  a messy job trying to be sure the grease fills the inside of the bearing. Wish I'd thought of it.

To be clear, the debate about heating the hub is irrelevant if the bearings are just being cleaned and re-greased as the question of to heat or not only arises if the outer race is being removed.

The reason heat is not suggested is because on an R65 the outer race sits in a steel liner sleeve so there is no differential expansion to take advantage of. This is not the case for other airheads where in some cases the outer race sits directly in the alloy hub.

Using new seals every time is the usual mantra and of course it's the correct thing to do if you have them on hand.  However I maintain that if you can develop a correct removal technique such that they are not damaged then they can be re-used without problems. On the other hand if it's a struggle to get them out new ones are probably going to be needed. The seals function on the outer surface of the top hat spacers not the axle surface so you should inspect the spacer surface finish. The spacers should then be lubricated and inserted in the seal before the seal is installed. They should be installed level with the hub surface and no deeper which although it wouldn't cause an operational problem would make them harder to remove next time.

[suecanada]

All the replies are just so appreciated and have taken my anxiety level down to quite tolerable! I can't thank you enough everyone!

[suecanada]

So taking the old seals out and putting in the new ones I just received from Bob's BMW is not difficult? Are you saying I can just take the rear wheel off, the top hat spacers will fall off, then I reach a finger into the axle hole or the hole in the old seal and pull it out, both left one and right one?? And then the bearings, left and right, will just fall out or again can be easily pulled out by the crook of my finger???

This sounds too good to be true. :-?

When all this happens, I'll be taking the brake actuating arm out (arm  that goes through the final drive with those o-rings on it) and inspecting that rod for "square" grooves and putting new o-rings on it...I expect that only two of the grooves will have a square profile but Snowbum says I might be surprised as they were many different configurations over the years.

[Barry]

The top hat spacer will not just fall off. It will pull out through the seal easily enough with your finger. No way is the seal itself likely to be removed that way. You will have to lever it out. With the seal out, the bearing inner race will just fall out and the outer race will remain in place.  That's not a problem if the bearing is sound and you just need to do a clean and re-lube. Watch out for the wedding band behind the inner race as that will also just fall out and you will not want to lose it.

As I mentioned above the top hat spacer and seal are replaced as a unit. You push the spacer through the seal from behind before tapping the seal back into place. The reasoning here is that although you can re-insert the top hat spacer with the seal in place there is a possibility that the seal would be damaged by the "brim of the hat" in doing so. Many will have removed and replaced top hat spacers without observing this precaution but as you are using new seals you might as well do it right.

You may find a normal screwdriver a rather crude and inefficient tool for removing the seal as the fulcrum tends to be in the wrong place for good leverage especially on front wheels where the disc gets in the way. There are a number of special tools of different designs and they all rely on putting the fulcrum much closer to the point of pressure.  I found that an open ended spanner of the correct size is an excellent substitute for the proper tool.

[Mike V]

Sue,

As usual Barry gives good advice.  Let's try to zero in on the seals and top hat spacers to give you some comfort.  The seals shouldn't be too difficult to remove.  I carefully wedge a flat screwdriver blade in-between the lip or "brim" of the top hat spacer and the outer face of the bearing cage, or inner race.  You can do this by feel, just be careful not to mar of nick the wheel's outer bore.  You would have to be quite agressive to harm the bearing cage, so just work assertively - not overly agressive. Then twist (prying) the screwdriver slightly moving around the clock of the seal.  It should start to move outward.  Sometimes the top hat spacer will come  out through the seal - not to worry - we're replacing the seals anyway.  Yes? I would suggest organizing and marking your parts "left" and "right".  Inspect the surface of the top hat spacer where the seal wipers make contact - if you see deep pitting and/or grooves you should replace them with the same sized top hats.

Inspect and clean your bearings closely.  If you don't see any discoloration or brinelling (technical term for wear and pitting) pack with clean fresh grease.

The preferred assembly is the brim or lip of the top hat to be inside the seal, or in-between the bearing and grease seal.  So after your bearing inspection and service insert the lightly oiled top hat (brim on the inside portion of the wheel) into the new seal and find a socket with the same diameter as the outer portion of the seal but just less than the diameter of the wheel bore and carefully tap the seal and top hat spacer squarely into position.  Depth isn't all that critical, flush with the wheel or a couple of mm's inset.

Here's a picture link of mine for you to review. Not the same wheel but go to page 3 of the folder and you will see some close-ups of the seal and top hat assembly.  And a socket I use to re-insert the seals.

Lots of folks here to help.

http://tinyurl.com/d82by93

-Mike V.

[Air4Life]

Mike:  You've got some great pictures there.  If only allowed one the  following one is worth tagging:

Thanks

[Mike V]

Air,

FYI & keep in mind...

That is the bearing stack of my 1978 R100/7 all aluminum drum rear snowflake.  The Take-Up collar (or spacer) for preload measurement is shown in the upper left of the photo. This fitment requires heat for removal and insertion of the bearing stack.

And, since this photo was taken I have ammended my procedure and STOPPED using the "shim" shown next to the wedding band.  I now have a complete set of different sized wedding bands when and if needed.  My personal opinion is the 0.05mm shims are too easily overlooked if someone servicing the stack is not aware of them and lost, overlooked, or misplaced.

Thanks Air, glad my photos are helpful.

-Mike V.