Installing Your Own Wheel Bearings- Are We Doing it Wrong?

[h0gr1der]

For those that do this chore yourself, please feel free to chime in. I must say, until I read the Can Am Spyder Service Manual I had been doing it wrong for many years.

Look at YouTube, and almost every video on hub wheel bearings has a guy whipping the bearings in with a driver or socket and extension. Same here, that’s the way it was done. Never thought much about it. Until now. Wonder why these bearings fail so often? Let’s look at something in the Service Manual. By the way, the 2018 RT/RTL service manual shows a 2 piece rear wheel in the “Drive System” section. Very confusing to us first timers! The 2019 manual corrects that to the single piece hub.

So for you guys like me that do this occasionally, and tend to forget it until next time, the procedure goes something like this (abbreviated for brevity). Remove bearings with a blind bearing puller. Install the right side (disc brake) wheel bearing first (to the bottom of the bore) using an appropriate driver or press. Note, since there is no opposing bearing or spacer, a big socket will work on this side. Flip the wheel and install an appropriate support. Understand that is says the driver and support must remain in contact with both inner and outer races at all times (a little more on this later). Drive or press the left (drive hub) bearing using the correct tool. Now this is where I missed it for all those years. If you don’t support the inner and outer races WITH PRECISION, as soon as the drive pulley side inner race hits the hub spacer, all your axial clearance vanishes (see last picture). The radial clearance for these bearings is 5-20 microns (this relates closely to axial clearance), or .000196” to .000787”. Very small tolerances. Smash it all out and there is no room for grease to circulate well. The drive pulley side bearing has a shoulder, but it may or may not make it all the way down due to the hub spacer. This bearing stops in the bearing bore at whatever depth the hub spacer dictates. By supporting all bearing races at both sides, the inner races don’t have a chance to force outward, and the balls don’t get crunched against the races.

So, excerpts from the manual. Let’s cuss and discuss!


The Tool


The Warning


The Procedure


The Reason

 

[AeroPilot]

Makes sense and great detail and diagrams to show how the bearings come to rest with the inner race on the spacer... I do have a set of replacement bearings on the shelf, but so far haven't had to replace any with 76, 44, 50, and 45,000 on the 3 RTs and F3 that we have owned so far. Now I probably jinxed myself.

 

[jcthorne]

If you would rather not buy the single use BRP tool for $45, you can buy a complete set for every size bearing you could ever need to install for about $70

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q5DXK2N

But the instructions are correct, its important to support the inner and outer race when driving them or you will destroy the races and the bearings will have a very short life.

 

[h0gr1der]

I wonder how many bearings I shortened the life of doing it the way I was shown? I was taught that when the tone of the hit changed you were seated. Never even thought about supporting the bottom bearing while driving! Doesn't matter if you're smashing it in with a hammer or professionally easing it in with the press, unsupported is bad. Like I say, you don't know until you know. I'm posting this stuff to help people like me on the learning curve.

 

[h0gr1der]

If you would rather not buy the single use BRP tool for $45, you can buy a complete set for every size bearing you could ever need to install for about $70

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q5DXK2N

But the instructions are correct, its important to support the inner and outer race when driving them or you will destroy the races and the bearings will have a very short life.

The one thing I like about the Can Am tool is the centering pilot. It keeps the driver centered when rolling it to the bottom side while using it as the support. I have a full set of drivers, but chose not to use them on the support side as they did not have the centering pilot, and if they get off just a smidgen it can deform the bearing bore step, making bearing changes even more fun.

 

[jcthorne]

The one thing I like about the Can Am tool is the centering pilot. It keeps the driver centered when rolling it to the bottom side while using it as the support. I have a full set of drivers, but chose not to use them on the support side as they did not have the centering pilot, and if they get off just a smidgen it can deform the bearing bore step, making bearing changes even more fun.

The set I pointed to allows you to choose 2 plates and stack them on the tool or the support pin. thus you choose both outer and inner diameter sizes for the driver. You do have the pilot to center the driver and support. You use the plates in single form for setting seals.

 

[h0gr1der]

The set I pointed to allows you to choose 2 plates and stack them on the tool or the support pin. thus you choose both outer and inner diameter sizes for the driver. You do have the pilot to center the driver and support. You use the plates in single form for setting seals.

Darn, another tool I have to have!

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

You’ve done an excellent job of describing the potential problem. It’s not only a one piece hub issue. Some folks with earlier models may wonder why this procedure, and the special bearing pushers, differs from what's in their Service Manual. Well, BRP changed the procedure in Service Bulletin 2012-06. It should be used for earlier models of Spyders as well, and was supposed to have been used since then. Originally written for the two-piece hub, but the potential problem applies to both designs of hubs. Both hubs have the center spacer. Some Service Manuals, like the Green Manual, may have this towards the back of the manual. Otherwise, you all are welcome to it here.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NwQm7eIdvRdYlpTPwecEArzsGKiZYism

 

[h0gr1der]

As crazy as it seems, that is the procedure in the 2018 service manual. They finally fixed it for the 2019 manual. Didn't the Spyder go to a one piece rim in around 2015 or so?

 

[Navydad]

I put the bearings in the freezer and heat the wheels. Been working well for years and no hammer involved. It does help if you have a place to heat the wheels.

 

[h0gr1der]

I did exactly that. Used my deep freeze and a propane torch to spot heat the rim. still had to tap them in. I used a slide hammer blind bearing puller to get them out, even heated the outside of the bearing bore, almost a no go. They were tight.

 

[h0gr1der]

So as an addendum to this thread, after some outstanding counseling from Mr. Navydad, I made a bearing pusher for the 6205 bearings in the rear wheel.


I purchased a used set of OEM bearing pushers P.N. 529 036 246, and had the machine shop bore a hole fitted for 1/2" threaded rod. Worked like a champ. As Mr. Navydad suggested, pulling or pushing beats beating a bearing in. I now agree once I've done it.

Since I beat the last set in, I decided to replace them with a set that had been installed correctly.