Bottom bearing inner race won't slide onto the steering stem

[Guest]

I'm replacing the steering stem bearings and can't get the inner race in place onto the steering shaft. I got it to 3/4 inch from the bottom fork clamp using a piece of a PVC pipe but it wouldn't go any further.

I've done this before a couple of times on other GSs and haven't had problems, so we can assume I know what I'm doing... lol, maybe not really...

What are my options?

The shaft seems clean, not rusted and I greased both parts. The bearing itself is the right size (the same as the old one I took off), The outer race sits well in the frame neck.

 

[Agemax]

are you sure it hasnt gone on crooked? maybe a peice of steel pipe would have better impact than a pvc pipe

 

[portdave]

Not sure if this will help but when I did mine I used some large nuts and washers on the top and bottom with a piece of all thread and just tightend it all up until they were seated. It drew it in nicely.

You also may want to put the races in the freezer until you are ready to try it again.

 

[Guest]

no i don't think it went crooked, at least i couldnt tell if it did.
i'll try using the steel pipe next time (though plastic pipe was fine the last two times) but i'm not convinced that would do it. 3/4 inch is looong way in this scenario

 

[Guest]

Not sure if this will help but when I did mine I used some large nuts and washers on the top and bottom with a piece of all thread and just tightend it all up until they were seated. It drew it in nicely.

You also may want to put the races in the freezer until you are ready to try it again.

the outer races went in fine. it's the bottom INNER race that's the prob. maybe i should try freezing the shaft and heating the race :?:

just dont fancy demolishing yet another bearing taking it off if it gets stuck like this one

 

[Agemax]

a bit of heat on the bearing woul help a lot, bung it in the oven for ten minutes and it would drop straight on. dont forget your gloves though! freezing the stem would also help.
if you heat the bearing make sure it is well lubricated again after it has cooled down

 

[Guest]

a bit of heat on the bearing woul help a lot, bung it in the oven for ten minutes and it would drop straight on. dont forget your gloves though! freezing the stem would also help.
if you heat the bearing make sure it is well lubricated again after it has cooled down

And duck when the missus finds out you've been heating bearings in HER oven . :lol:

Cast iron pots hurt .

Cheers , Simon .

 

[Agemax]

And duck when the missus finds out you've been heating bearings in HER oven . :lol:

Cast iron pots hurt .

Cheers , Simon .

haha, its my oven, i bought it, wife never uses it!

 

[bwringer]

no i don't think it went crooked, at least i couldnt tell if it did.
i'll try using the steel pipe next time (though plastic pipe was fine the last two times) but i'm not convinced that would do it. 3/4 inch is looong way in this scenario

FWIW, I've always had to use iron pipe. I can't see how PVC would hold up to the kind of pounding it usually takes to install these.

I like the oven/freezer idea.

 

[Agemax]

FWIW, I've always had to use iron pipe. I can't see how PVC would hold up to the kind of pounding it usually takes to install these.

I like the oven/freezer idea.

me neither, cant see a pvc pipe knocking on a press fit bearing? as long as the tube is a snug fit over the stem so you are not clouting the bearing rollers, just the inner race, it should be easy

 

[DanTheMan]

Put the bearing in a deep fat frier on high. It'll slip right on. Then make some chips!

 

[waterman]

Too much grease will make it hard to install. I had difficulty with races using more grease than a slight smear. I know it sounds crazy but wipe it clean and then just smear a little on surface, it will go one easier. Then you can grease the daylights out of it.

 

[hampshirehog]

They need a blo*dy good whack with a bit of steel tube. An old fork stanchion cut in half is just the right dimension (well that's what I use).

 

[Guest]

well, i chickened out on heating the bearing in the kitchen oven and went to the local engineering shop and they fit it on a press in like 3 seconds flat. just seeing how "easily" it went on was worth the 20 bucks i paid

i take your point though about using the steel pipe (next time)

thanks gsr

 

[portdave]

Glad you got it figured out. Sorry I was confused about which piece you were trying to fit...

Best of luck...

 

[Guest]

well, i chickened out on heating the bearing in the kitchen oven and went to the local engineering shop and they fit it on a press in like 3 seconds flat. just seeing how "easily" it went on was worth the 20 bucks i paid

i take your point though about using the steel pipe (next time)

thanks gsr

I go for heat rather than force . Works every time . The bearing will drop straight on . Don't forget to force heaps of grease through it no matter how you install it though .

Cheers , Simon .

 

[ChicagoBob]

Try a bigger hammer

Try a bigger hammer

I had the same problem. No amount of finesse with oven/freezer could make those parts fit (this was an All Balls tapered roller bearing on a '78 GS550), and once you have the bearing on a little bit, it's impossible to remove it again without damaging it. I finally used a length of 1.5" PVC drain pipe, a piece of plywood on my garage floor and a 10 lb sledge (one-handed). It took about 50 whacks, but the bearing eventually moved all the way down. It moved so incrementally, I couldn't even see progress, but perseverance paid off.

 

[Guest]

just a thought with regards to heating the bearing - there is a rubber/plastic seal on one side, so I guess this would complicate the matter a bit

 

[madjack57754]

If memory serves me correctly these are around a .004" interference fit

 

[Guest]

just a thought with regards to heating the bearing - there is a rubber/plastic seal on one side, so I guess this would complicate the matter a bit

I do a lot of bearings at work . We use an induction heater and warm the bearings to 110 C . Many of them have 2 rubber seals and aren't affected at this temp . SKF recommend not going higher than this .

Cheers , Simon .