Topic: Wheel bearing removal how to

[nk140]

I have been having a lot of trouble trying to remove the wheel bearings from my cb350f.  

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the blind bearing removal tool so I went to Lowes to find something that would do the trick instead.  I stumbled across some anchor bolts in the hardware section.  These are the type that are used to secure stuff to concrete floors.  I picked out the 1/2" for the front bearings and the 5/8" for the rear bearings.  Too drive the bearings out I bought a 10" galvanized spike.  The total of these parts was $3.50.

All you have to do is insert them in just past the bearings and tighten the bolt to spread the tines and lock the anchor in place.  Turn the hub over and use the 10" spike to drive the anchor and bearing out the other side with a few hard whacks.  I didn't heat the hub at all during this process.  After one side is out you can just use the spike to drive out the opposite bearing.  Hope this was helpful.  If you have any questions post them up.

[Bluesoul]

Tried your method today and it worked like a charm. Thanks a lot!

[nk140]

Tried your method today and it worked like a charm. Thanks a lot!

Glad I could help.  I did this because blind bearing pullers are expensive.

[nhodges]

Thanks for the idea.

Will be giving it a try very soon.

[MCRider]

Generally, they should tap out from the opposite side fairly easily.  Sometimes they put up a fight.

[nk140]

Generally, they should tap out from the opposite side fairly easily.  Sometimes they put up a fight.

I thought so too but with the spacers in there it is really hard to get good shot on the bearings

[MCRider]

Generally, they should tap out from the opposite side fairly easily.  Sometimes they put up a fight.

I thought so too but with the spacers in there it is really hard to get good shot on the bearings

Generally (there's that word again) you can muscle the spacer off the side just enough that you can catch a bit of the bearing with your drift. If the spacer is too tight to allow this, then its either corrosion or the bearings are too tight together.  This should work 95% of the time.

But I have read here of those for whom it would not work. In which case you have to do something like what you've done.

[luceja]

unfortunately for my 400f hub, neither the drift (bearing is tight enough that it's just destroying the tool and bearing lip) nor the 1/2" anchor bolt (just slides when hit hard; if it were ~1mm thicker it'd be tight enough to grab hard enough) method are working, with pb blaster and a trip to the oven. Nothing productive to add to the discussion other than wheel bearings can be huge pain.

[rheilman]

Luceja, Im in the same boat...  I was pumped to try it with the anchor bolts cause they seemed like a simple yet effective solution, but mine are just sliding out as well.  Must be some really tight bearings.  Anyone got other clever ideas of how to remove a stubborn wheel bearing without a blind bearing extractor?

[MCRider]

Heat the aluminum hub with a heat gun or torch. It should expand faster than the bearing and release it. I've always used the punch from the other side method.

Prior soaking with a penetrant would help. Strongest is a 50/50 solution of ATF and acetone. The acetone will carry the ATF in then evaporate. Make sure it has evaporated before torching it. A soak of several hours would be good.

[flybox1]

Luceja, Im in the same boat...  I was pumped to try it with the anchor bolts cause they seemed like a simple yet effective solution, but mine are just sliding out as well.  Must be some really tight bearings.  Anyone got other clever ideas of how to remove a stubborn wheel bearing without a blind bearing extractor?

yep, struggled with the same thing.  that anchor bolt is just a hair too small.
thinking about 2-3 small sheetmetal slivers up inside of the anchor sleeve to give it some extra grip. 
soaking old bearings in acetone/atf since last night too. hope it loostens. i'll post tonite.

[climbingaz]

Good ideas...gotta work on mine here soon.

[luceja]

as MC rider recommended, heat was the solution. I had used heat, I just needed much more. I didn't end up using a torch, just a longer session in the oven did the trick. Woo hoo!

On an unrelated note, I built some wonderful new wheels with polished hubs just to discover that the frame is a little twisted, but that's a whole different thread somewhere.

[rheilman]

Hey, got mine too!  I ended up finding a punch with a better tip, and let everything soak for a while with some good penetrant.  Between the two of those I was able to coax the suckers out of there!

Maybe everything was fighting me because it was Friday the 13th! 

[flybox1]

My rear bearings came out no problem with the anchor bolt.  no heat or penetrant soak needed.  all buttoned back up and and on the bike.
the fronts, now thats another story.  even with an overnight soak, and a new anchor bolt, they still wont budge. it just slips thru.  i dont have a torch or a good enough heat source, so my wheel is loaded in the car and i'll stop by the local MC shop and pay one of their monkeys to pull one out for me 

[pitpig]

blind bearing tool from HF works well, though at $49, not as cheap.  Held up OK, think I can use it more than once.

[geigeb]

Just a little tid bit on the bearing removal. I tried the concrete anchor bolt method and it worked great for the rear wheel. i used the 5/8'' bolt and with a few taps then tighten the bolt and pounded it out the opposite direction, it worked great. The 1/2' bolt however just didn't have enough grip on the front bearings and it would always slip out. I then put the front hub in the oven at 300F for about 45 min and the bearings practically fell out. I used the opportunity while the hub was still hot to install my new bearings (directly from the freezer) in the hub. I could almost push the new bearings in by hand! Be careful though, that hub is Hot! Tip of the day: HEAT UP YOUR HUBS FOR BEARING REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT!

[fredvb]

The good thing about applying heat is that by doing so chances on damage to the bearing seat is minimal as well!

[rbrownkendal]

Just had an epic battle removing my CB750 K2 rear wheel bearings. Bought a very expensive German expanding internal bearing puller only to find it not man enough for the job. Kept slipping out. In desperation read the forum and bought a M12 x 80 mm Shoulder Bolt (conveniently designed for 20 mm concrete holes). Screwfix p/n 19992. I expanded this inside the spacer as hard as possible using vice-grips to stop it rotating. A few good clouts with a big copper mallet and a drift had the bearings out!


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[Gearhead 63]

I tried using a hammer and punch on my CB750 K3 and didn't have any luck. 

If you have an AUTO ZONE parts store nearby they have a blind bearing puller set that makes this job a breeze.  [OEM Blind Hole Puller Set #27128]  My local store lets you borrow tools for free --- so it cost nothing to use this set and get those bearings out.  Probably available for loan at other auto parts stores as well??

[ph0010421]

I have been having a lot of trouble trying to remove the wheel bearings from my cb350f. 

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the blind bearing removal tool so I went to Lowes to find something that would do the trick instead.  I stumbled across some anchor bolts in the hardware section.  These are the type that are used to secure stuff to concrete floors.  I picked out the 1/2" for the front bearings and the 5/8" for the rear bearings.  Too drive the bearings out I bought a 10" galvanized spike.  The total of these parts was $3.50.

All you have to do is insert them in just past the bearings and tighten the bolt to spread the tines and lock the anchor in place.  Turn the hub over and use the 10" spike to drive the anchor and bearing out the other side with a few hard whacks.  I didn't heat the hub at all during this process.  After one side is out you can just use the spike to drive out the opposite bearing.  Hope this was helpful.  If you have any questions post them up.

You can't argue with results! Cheers