Wheel bearing fails

[user 8909]

I replaced these bearings two years ago when I painted my rims. I didn't notice any noise at all until I had new tires mounted. My dealer who has always done my tire changes, I bring the wheels and tires in and they were also the ones who put the new bearings in.

So, I'm wondering, could they have caused anything to damage this bearing?

I RR the wheels and torqued the axel to 52ftlbs. The noise started right after they were mounted.

New bearings should be here tomorrow and I'm back to the dealer to discuss this with them.

Any thoughts?

Bearing came from AllBalls.

 

[RadioHowie]

Hey, sometimes, **** happens.

 

[FJRay]

Hey, sometimes, **** happens.

You sure are a big help. NOT

 

[RadioHowie]

I serve a purpose!

 

[FJRay]

I serve a purpose!

And that would be what??? A bad example. :lol:

 

[RadioHowie]

It's my lot in life.

 

[FJRay]

It's my lot in life.

And sets an example for the rest to look up to.

 

[Jetpilot5]

No first hand experience, but All Balls bearings have a poor reputation. I've read several posts on ADV and STN of riders getting short service life out of them. All Balls bearings are made in China, try to get either US or Japanese made bearings for the replacements and see if they last longer. I'd be inclined to just get OEM replacements.

 

[Constant Mesh]

Must have happened when they immersed the wheel and new tire in a water bath to check for leaks.

 

[huckstr]

I have had very good luck with CBR bearings company-they have a web site. They are also very helpful when you call them and can often offer up-graded bearings. They also have the proper seals which you will need as well to do the job right. Wheel bearings are very easy to install yourself, no need to pay a dealership to do it. A flat block of wood and hammer are the specialized installation tools. A long nail set or even a long heavy screw driver is the removal tool.

Generally, one puts the bearings into the freezer for a few hours before installation.

They should last longer than two years unless you put on unusually long milage in the wet. The usual reasons for early demise of bearings are crap bearings, or more often then not, using high pressure to wash the bike. High pressure water will drive the lube out of the bearings. You say that there is noise. Is there any play in the wheel. If the wheel is elevated can you cause it to wobble from side to side and actually feel loose bearings? the noise could be other then the bearings.

I once road a Honda ST1100 from Eureka CA to Portland, OR on a wobbling front wheel bearing. I discovered it Sunday morning, and would have had to wait until Tuesday to get to a Bike shop and hope they would actually be able to find a bearing and would fix it quickly... Bearings are standard and you can often find them in an Auto parts store, but a dealer might be unwilling to do that and insist on waiting for the OEM part. I might have been in Eureka for ever. So I rode home and did the replacement myself. The point is that even a loose wheel bearing will not collapse they will just wobble a bit, for a very long time.

 

[TomInPA]

does anyone have SKF or Timken part numbers for the wheels?

 

[FJR Flyer]

+1 on CBR Bearings in CA. I think I talked to Charlie when I got bearings for my FJ. Charged me around a buck and a half for shipping, and a good price on japanese bearings. Compare that to a couple bucks for chinese bearing that they charge you $10 to ship.

 

[user 8909]

They should last longer than two years unless you put on unusually long milage in the wet. The usual reasons for early demise of bearings are crap bearings, or more often then not, using high pressure to wash the bike. High pressure water will drive the lube out of the bearings. You say that there is noise. Is there any play in the wheel. If the wheel is elevated can you cause it to wobble from side to side and actually feel loose bearings? the noise could be other then the bearings.

I never use high water pressure on my bikes, always hand wash. There was no wheel play or wobble. I backed the torque off the axel and the noise quietened up for a little while but came back.

I removed the wheel and felt both bearings, both were not smooth turning, dry and one was very notching/rough.

The noise was obvious that it wasn't tire noise and the only other item I changed was the brake pads. After putting 600 miles on it I ruled that out and removed the wheel to find my assumption was true.

Unfortunately the dealer ordered AllBalls for my replacement so I will be contacting them. My guess is it's cheap China bearings unless they put them in a bind when balancing.

I'll try and shop around today for some Timken's or something else.

I have installed bearings in the past as you described but I never liked driving them in using a block of wood and hammer. My dealer has a press and factory removal tools.

 

[Intech]

They should last longer than two years unless you put on unusually long milage in the wet. The usual reasons for early demise of bearings are crap bearings, or more often then not, using high pressure to wash the bike. High pressure water will drive the lube out of the bearings. You say that there is noise. Is there any play in the wheel. If the wheel is elevated can you cause it to wobble from side to side and actually feel loose bearings? the noise could be other then the bearings.

I never use high water pressure on my bikes, always hand wash. There was no wheel play or wobble. I backed the torque off the axel and the noise quietened up for a little while but came back.

I removed the wheel and felt both bearings, both were not smooth turning, dry and one was very notching/rough.

The noise was obvious that it wasn't tire noise and the only other item I changed was the brake pads. After putting 600 miles on it I ruled that out and removed the wheel to find my assumption was true.

Unfortunately the dealer ordered AllBalls for my replacement so I will be contacting them. My guess is it's cheap China bearings unless they put them in a bind when balancing.

I'll try and shop around today for some Timken's or something else.

I have installed bearings in the past as you described but I never liked driving them in using a block of wood and hammer. My dealer has a press and factory removal tools.

Dry would be my first concern. Grease those bad boys!

 

[user 8909]

Dry would be my first concern. Grease those bad boys!

Sealed bearings from KML is what All-Balls sent me, a rather large Chinese company with locations in Canada and PA.

60/22 RD part# if anyone has access to a cross reference.

 

[LAF]

When I blew my front rim and had to replace it I used OEM Yamaha bearings. I see no reason to do otherwise as I see no reports of them going south in a abnormal amount of time. Why reinvent the bearing?

It also goes for brake pads as well IMHO.

 

[user 8909]

Took my wheel to the shop at work and removed the bearings, L/H side appeared to me that something had crushed the seal around the bearing itself and bent the retainer of the bearings.

Not sure if a wheel balancer could have done this but I can't explain it and I didn't bother talking to the dealer about it.

New bearings and seals installed and I'm back on the road, which really is all that matters . At least until the next tire change.

BTW, these Pilot Powers feel great. I like them better than the PR2's. :clapping:

 

[RadioHowie]

BTW, these Pilot Powers feel great. I like them better than the PR2's. :clapping:

Report back how long they last....expecting the "end-of-life" report mid-May.

 

[Alex]

appeared to me that something had crushed the seal around the bearing itself and bent the retainer of the bearings.

Thanks for taking the time to figure out what caused the failure. I installed the same bearings 10k ago and was hoping you would find a good reason for the premature failure.