Topic: New wheel bearings, wheel spins freely, stuck when axle tightened.

[Dimitri13]

I just finished installing new wheel bearings. I'm 99% sure they're fully seated (retainer side in first, then the other side). I greased everything. Upon reassembly, I spun the wheel without putting the axle nut on (after adjusting chain slack and brake), and it spun very smoothly. When I hand tightened the nut, there was some drag, and when fully tightened, it completely froze. I can't think of what I did wrong.

In this picture, I'm pointing out a spacer that spins with the wheel, rather than the wheel around it. I don't know if it was like that before or not, but I thought I'd mention it.



Bike is a 550 K0.

[CycleRanger]

You must have the spacer stack assembled incorrectly.
Properly assembled the wheel will turn no matter how much you tighten the nut.

[HondaMan]

If the outer bearing race is not fully seated, the balls will bind sideways in the races when tightened. Usually, seating the bearing until it fully captures the spacer inside is adequate, so long as the spacer cannot easily move, nor the bearing drag when turned against the spacer(s).

[Dimitri13]

I believe I actually have the brake-side bearing in too far. The inner race feels like it's higher (further out) than the outer race. At first I thought it was just seated crooked, because the inner race spun, but dragged. Once I straightened it out, the inner race is immobile.

Will I damage (have to get a new one) the bearing if I try driving it out some? Is it even possible to drive them in too far?

[Dimitri13]

Bump.

[CycleRanger]

I believe I actually have the brake-side bearing in too far. The inner race feels like it's higher (further out) than the outer race. At first I thought it was just seated crooked, because the inner race spun, but dragged. Once I straightened it out, the inner race is immobile.

Will I damage (have to get a new one) the bearing if I try driving it out some? Is it even possible to drive them in too far?

If you carefully only drive on the outer race you should be able to move the bearing out.

[Tugboat]

4-page thread on this here:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=103291.0

In the end, turns out one of my bearings (cush drive side) was incorrectly seated. Good luck!

[Bodi]

Pull the axle out. If the floating bearing is too far in, the centre spacer will be locked in tight between the inner races. If it is really loose, the floating bearing is too far out. It should be in there with very little clearance, not tight but not rattling around.

[Dimitri13]

Which side is the floating bearing? Neither the manual I got from here or my Clymer made mention of which bearing to install first or that one doesn't seat all the way.

And I'll repeat one question I'm still unsure of: Does the collar on the sprocket side that goes through the oil seal on the sprocket plate spin with the wheel?

I believe I actually have the brake-side bearing in too far. The inner race feels like it's higher (further out) than the outer race. At first I thought it was just seated crooked, because the inner race spun, but dragged. Once I straightened it out, the inner race is immobile.

Will I damage (have to get a new one) the bearing if I try driving it out some? Is it even possible to drive them in too far?

If you carefully only drive on the outer race you should be able to move the bearing out.

How am I supposed to drive on the outer race?

[Bodi]

One bearing is retained with the threaded ring. This one locates the wheel on the axle so it doesn't move side-to-side.
The opposite bearing floats.
The axle nut tightens a sandwich of the swingarm and adjusters, outer spacers, bearing inner races, and the long inner spacer. None of these will turn on the axle, the hub alone turns with the bearing outer races. The spacer you show has an oil seal (should be greased) that will drag and turn it when the axle nut is loose.
Normally you install the retained bearing first, then install and stake the retaining ring. The long spacer goes in from the floating side. Then the floating bearing is installed to where it seats its inner face on the long spacer, doing this with the axle in place makes it much easier. You don't pound it in hard, the bore should be loose enough for it to slide with relatively gentle tapping. This bearing must be free enough in the bore to float side to side and find the spot where both bearings are aligned properly, this usually takes some riding before the wheel really spins freely.

[aperry]

I love this site.  Thanks for all this information.  Here's a question that I have about all of this (and I've read the other thread referenced by Tugboat below):

I've read that it doesn't matter how hard you tighten the axel nut, because there should be a continuous column of spacers, inner races, swingarm, and adjuster.  Seems like a good way to visualize this.  But I'm still a little confused about the long inner spacer between the two bearings in the hub.  When I removed my bearings this spacer was movable just enough so that I could user a drift to tap against the inner race of one of the hub bearings (inserting and tapping from the opposite side).  And I've read that it should not be tight against the two hub bearings during reassembly, rather they should just barely be touching.  But wouldn't it make sense that if you tighten the axle nuts too hard then the hub bearings will be driven into this center spacer such that it will be pressed tightly into the two bearings and become immovable?  Is this the way it's supposed to be?

Also, since I'm in the middle of this right now, quick question:  I think I made the mistake of not fully seating the retained bearing first, before inserting the spacer and tapping in the floating bearing.  This means my wheel isn't properly positioned and the disc (76F CB750) is a tiny bit uncentered in the caliper.  Is there a "safe" way to tap out the floating bearing just enough so that I can fully seat the retained bearing?  It seems like I only have access to the inner race of the floating bearing, and I'm worried that I'll ruin my shiny new sealed bearing if I tap it there.  I think it took quite a bit of force to seat my floating bearing, so pushing it the other way will involve some good hits.

Thanks,
Aaron

[Dimitri13]

Well after squinting really hard at the parts fiche, I found that the spacer I referred to in the first post was in backwards (the thicker part was outside of the sprocket plate, it should be in the inside, and the marks from the oil seal show it). I think I had the floating bearing relatively fine where it was (the inner race was tight enough to capture the inner spacer, and had slight drag when spun by hand), but I ended up tapping it in a bit more, which is where I really messed up.

I still don't know how to drive out the floating bearing's outer race.

[754]

 You dont.. get a block of wood about 1.5 x 1.5 inch, give the other bearing on the far side a quick sharp rap (hammer & wood punch).. hopefully loosens up a tad.. In your first pic spacer looked to big in dia.