Axle Bearing Help...please read

[tippie60]

Been posting about this for a while...got started on it couple days ago and i got most of it tore down....i took the right wheel and hub off and unscrewed the lock nut on the axle enough to get to the snap ring...undid that slid all that stuff off...then took off the skid plate that was in the way of the caliper and when i unscrewed the 2 bottom bolts water started dripping out from the right side...im guessing thats from my bearing case...anyways after that I slid the break rotor off and basically slid everthing off...then unscrewed the 4 screws at the bottom,, and loosened my chain enough to slip over the sprocket...then tapped the axle out to the left...so now im looking at the peice where u tighted or loosen your chain on the left side...and the spot where you mount the break caliper on the other side...the spot where u mount the caliper looked like it would come off but i tapped on it and it only slides a little ways then gets stuck...need some good advice here please help
thanks

[nojoke4stroke]

theres a big snap ring on the rotor side remove that and youre set

[tippie60]

so there are 3 snap rings involved total...cause i took 2 off already

[H_W]

As nojoke4stroke metioned, there is a snap ring holding the piece that the brake caliper mounts to (my manual calls it the caliper stay) on to the bearing carrier itself. Remove that and it should come off.

[nojoke4stroke]

from what i remember only 2,1 on the axle and on the carrier up against the caliper stay,its huge,like 3 inches you cant miss it if you got that 1 already then youre good just slam on it with a rubber mallet,it might help to remove the caliper stay but if thats the only way then you might need a new carrier,depends on how bad the bearings chewed it up.i had total bearing failure and had to re-form the end of the carrier with a hammer and chisel because it mushroomed the end of the carrier.

[tippie60]

Carrier is out...i just wasnt hitting it hard enough..the snap ring had been off a while ago...just wasnt hitting the caliper mount hard enough i guess.anyways....the carrier is sitting on my kitchen table...how do i take the bearings and things out and assess the damage...

[nojoke4stroke]

since youre replacing them just get a hammer and a punvh or screwdriver or related tool and beat them out.if theyre still in one piece then you havent hurt your carrier.

[nojoke4stroke]

forgot,remove the dust seals carefully first if you didnt get new ones.you'll need to reuse them if theyre in good shape

[nojoke4stroke]

also,before you begin installing new bearings and all that theres some things you need to clean and alot you need to grease and nice little tool to make getting the new bearings in a breeze.let me know when you get to that point

[tippie60]

trying to beat them out with no luck...i accidently tore the seal on the one side is that replaceable or not...its the seal right on the outter rim of the carrier....these are hard as **** to get outg

[nojoke4stroke]

yea you can get new seals thats no problem.as for the beating them out goes,hit em really hard but make sure to hit them even on 2 or 4 points.a little wd40 or other penetrating oil will help too.just be careful not to scratch your carrier too much or too deep,or at all if you can help it.

[tippie60]

Still trying to beat them out with no luck...i am trying to beat one side and push them out the other side...is this how they come out or what???

[nojoke4stroke]

still having trouble getting them out huh.you gotta make sure youre doing it even,sounds like yours are all crossed up and they will never come out like this.your best bet is to pound them all the way back in and start over with small even taps in 4 opposite places around the bearing.

[400MXer]

even if your seals do look like they are in good shape, i would still replace them. I had one go bad on my RPM carrier and it let water and dirt in and destroyed my bearings which ended up destroying my carrier. BUMMER.

[Hoggr9]

I know to those of us who know it seems second nature but to someone new the task of "beating the bearings out" can be tricky i noticed that nobody mentioned the fact that you have to go through the center from one side and drive the bearing and seal on the other side out then go to the other side and reach through and drive the other side out....
You cannot merely pick a side and drive the whole thing out one direction. Hope this doesn't confuse you.
If you need more help then let me know.
My advice is take your time a bigger hammer is not always better!!!

[tippie60]

i understand what you're saying...i tryed taking a long screwdriver and catching the lip and pounding it out the other way but i cant get enough bite on it...if you see what im saying....any other advice would be helpful.....im almost ready to just buy a new damn carrier and all
anybody know any great deals with carrier+all bearings ready to remount??

[shamisc]

HERE"S THE EASIEST WAY POSSIBLE!! I had an old timer(mechanic from the '70's) show me this trick and it worked great. Take a propane torch and heat the out side of the carrier where the bearing sits all the way around for about 3-5 minutes. This won't hurt a thing. After you heat, take the carrier and just bump it against the side of a wooden workbench or something that won't damage the carrier, and the bearings will fall right out! The reason this works is b/c the bearing race is steel and the carrier is aluminum. Aluminum expands and contracts at different temps than steel. The heat makes the carrier expand while the bearing is still at it's normal size, therefore the bearing will fall right out! The only time this didn't work for me is when I had a bearing go out on me about 7 miles from the campsite and had to ride it back down the mountain. This caused the bearing race to seize in the carrier. If that's your case, then you might as well throw the carrier away and order a billet double row carrier b/c you'll never get it out! Maybe you can get by without that, but if you rode on damaged bearings for a while, I doubt it! Hope this helps ya!;)

[DBL-D49]

I threw mine in the oven and heated it up for about fifteen min. Then slammed the carrier on a piece of wood and they fell out. Sort of along the same idea as shamisc. Before you install the new bearings, throw them in the freezer the night before, or for a few hours, not the carrier. It'll make it a little easier to put them in.