Hey gang,
Today I noticed the right side of my front wheel had some splatter that radiated out from the hub. When I found it, I checked and the splatter was dry. I drove it home, did not notice any new material splattered.
Could it be just from a temperature change that some grease leaked out? I don't recall hitting anything hard, like a pothole (in Arlington? pshaw!) so I don't think I did anything to knock the wheel loose or anything. And from the signs, I don't think it is foreign debris I picked up. It appears it is most definitely coming from the hub.
Via email, I've already received the advice to jack up the front end and rotate the wheel slowly looking for rough spots, and to check for side-to-side movement. I *think* I have a way to jack it up so I can do this.
What happens should I not find any side-to-side movement or rough spots? If I DO find such I presume then that the wheel needs to come off, and I've never done anything like that. I can't imagine it is all THAT difficult, but then I'm a bit famous for underestimating some of these things! What else can I visually look for before thinking about removing the wheel?
Personally, if I found nothing that scared me upon inspection, I'd ride it and just check it again periodically, maybe at each oil change.
I am leaning towards the bearing. Pull the wheel off and rotate the inner race with your finger, if you feel anything other than silky smooth, replace em.
I highly discourage pressure washers in this area as well, they are strong enough to actually force water into the bearing and cause it to corrode and prematurely wear out.
Got some pics. Hopefully these are of help!
I'm thinking the first order of business is to clean the wheel and hub, then drive it a bit and see what I get. It will take 3-5 business days to receive parts once they are ordered, so either way I can't count on repairing anything until next week.
FWIW, the parts are not terribly expensive. The two seals are different for each side, and cost $6.59 apeice from D&S. The bearings, of which there are two, cost $23.59 apiece. That plus grease and taxes (a whole 'nuther kind of grease I guess!) should come in under $80, I think.
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I am glad you posted the pic's, that is classic bearing seal failure. It is not going to catastrophically destruct in the next few miles, but the bearing grease is exiting the bearing and it will be followed eventually by bearing failure. You need to go ahead and replace that bearing; in fact I'd replace both front bearings while I had it tore down.
Well I would try Dennis kirk they have a kit from ALLBALLS or there site which is here 31 bucks give or take for the whole kit!!
http://www.goallballs.com/Product_lookup_results_shop.asp?zipcode=77384
Yep, its toast! :lol:
Glad it gave you good warning though.
You can also depending where you are head over to Purvis Bearing and they will take care of you with a good quality bearing. I used them on my front bearing, steering bearing and races, etc.
Ok, with that webpage it looks like I can do a lot better on price than what D&S quoted (big shock), thanks very much for that! Now if any of those listed dealers actually HAS the kit, I can get it done even quicker!
So, if I understand everybody correctly, it's not as if the wheel is ready to come off or anything and I CAN ride it a bit but need to go ahead and plan on replacing the bearings and seals, yes? I'd like to meet up with a group for a Friday lunch ride.
How long should I plan on it taking? Friend-of-mine-with-the-jack says we should have the front wheel off in 10 minutes. I've no idea about the rest of it...
What do I need to get for grease? Anything special?
Yes, you can ride it for a while longer, since the seal just blew, but I'd get it done with-in the next few hundred miles. The entire job should only take around an hour, including one beverage break.
No longer than it takes to pull the front wheel, I would still do a quick bearing check. A bad bearing creates heat and that can thin and sling the grease out it will also ruin the seal which adds to letting the grease out. It would be worth the peace of mind to me to know for sure. Just my two cents worth..
I presume from the pictures I've seen that the bearings need to be packed, yes? Or do they come already packed? Also, any recommendations for grease? I think I've asked that before, and the place I'll be picking up my parts has Yamagrease, I figure that ought to work out ok? Doesn't look like it'll take very much...
Oh, also, any particular tools I need to insure I have on hand?
The bearings are sealed type and are not repackable but the whole set is cheap enough to just replace the seals and bearings!!
Hey gang...
Well, the bearing and seal replacement was a success tonight. Took us a little longer than expected, maybe 1.5 hours, but we were going a bit slow on purpose. Some things we encountered that I'd like some feedback on -
removing the old bearings, since they're in there VERY tight, what have you all used to successfully and most quickly remove them? We ended up running a punch through the hub and got them out but we were a little afraid of marring the surface where the axle would make contact.
putting the axle back in wasn't too bad, but we did have some fun trying to get things lined up. Any suggestions?
lastly, that little ring that the speedo uses...should one have come in the kit? It seems REALLY flimsy, and kinda seems like that should be another piece to replace while you're there.
I was VERY glad I had help. I could not imagine doing this single-handedly as trying to get the wheel lined and getting the axle in was chore enough for two!
The only other thing that happened was while trying to remove the old bearings we apparently dislodged the wheel weight. That kinda told us it was well on its way to coming off on its own because we didn't hit it that hard, and fortunately we found marks where it had been and got it reseated. The test drive did not reveal any shakes or shimmies so I think we got it in the right spot.
Oh, and once I get a garage, I am SO buying a motorcycle jack...
Congrats, now you won't have to wonder how long it would or would not last. Doing it your self beats worring about whether or not it was done right by someone else. Glad ya got it fixed..