Cleaning Bearings

[Gen Sk8]

This topic originally posted by mutant

---Bearing cleaning - How do you do it?
---What is everyones favorite method?
---What is best for the bearings?

I used to use WD-40 years ago and now if I do clean a bearing I'll use warm soapy water and use compressed air to dry it out and immediately put in some lube. Of course it's also much easier just to install a new set of bearings

[jimmyk]

I think we all have different ways of doing it. I disassemble, clean with solvent or deisel fuel, wipe or blow dry as much residue off as possible and then right in to alcohol that's very low or no water content. Wipe or blow dry again and lube IMMEDIATELY or they start rusting fast and then they're junk.

Personally, I've gone the disposable route. I've had the same set of Ninja 3's in for 2 years now and haven't touched them. I have Mini Logos in other wheels that just seem to go on forever. Something to think about is that the way bearings are made to run faster is to tighten the tolerances and thin the lube down. The slower bearings are a little looser with a thicker oil which is why they usually last longer. The bearing is your primary shock absorber - they feel every rough surface and imperfection the wheel does. They get pretty roughed up in these rock hard wheels nowadays which is one reason so many fast bearings die so quick.

[davidm]

Here you go, from Ron himself!

[mutant]

Thanks Dave. Quite interesting and informative.

I have mostly gone the disposable route as well but over lunch today MC and AZ were talking about bearing cleaning and wondered what is the best method to use.
I have never used the alcohol method but may try in the future. I bought the Pleasure tool cleaning kit but it doesn't do the job good enough with the citrus cleaner. I had better luck with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid. You would think water isn't a good thing to use but you can for a very short period of time. Even the alcohol has some water in it. Probably the best thing may be a low VOC solvent but you have to be so careful about the cage as a strong solvent can pit it or eat it away.

I have read and been told to never ever use WD-40. One reason is it will not allow another lube to bond with the bearing. You have to remove the WD-40 somehow to have the new lube work. I used to use it as my main lube as a kid and I would always have black stains everywhere coming out of the wheel. Didn't know any better Haha

[mutant]

WD-40 is basically kerosene. So it works good as a cleaner. You need to remove the WD-40 if you decide to go that route. I cleaned an old set of bearings recently and the dishwashing liquid didn't quite remove the crud. WD-40 cleaned off the stubborn grit on the bearings perfectly. I then removed as much as I could with paper towels then blew them out with compressed air. (Use goggles and don't breath it) Then used some ZEP allpurpose degreaser to remove the WD-40. Finished it by flushing it out with alcohol. Blew them out and immediately put some lubricant. The bearings are working really well for the last couple of months. Yeah its a bit more work but may be worth doing for the more expensive bearings out there. For the cheap bearings I wouldn't bother cleaning them. Just add a bit of lub to help them last longer.

So whats your method?

[britt]

what s LUB?

[mutant]

Jul 8, 2013 7:09:14 GMT -5 britt said:

what s LUB?

You know, Lubricant I accidentally left off the e in my previous post. Thanks for pointing that out

Now just what kind do people use? Liquid type or grease?

If you want a faster bearing use a liquid like a light oil. Grease isn't as fast but it's benefit is longevity and its capacity to keep foreign objects like dirt in suspension.

I always try and use a synthetic based thin grease as my lube of choice.

What do you guys use on those bearings ?

[britt]

cheetah lube so cal shop item

[britt]

but ya know in the 80 s gold gmn bearings I got from the old val surf I never cleaned at all I 12yrs of use ? !!!!