Packing the bearings?

[dannmarr]

How do you clean out the old grease and repack the rear bearings? I've read that you need to replace the manufactures grease with high temp grease. Auto stores and mechanics tell me you don't do that on our bearings. Any info on this subject?

[DarknessofDeath]

as far as i have read in this forum and from people i have talked to , you would. supposedly the grease in the bearings are just to keep them for better shelf life.

i have bearings (subaru) in my car/ all for corners, replaced less than a year ago without being repacked. i think they are gone already.

[subru92svx]

How do you clean out the old grease and repack the rear bearings? I've read that you need to replace the manufactures grease with high temp grease. Auto stores and mechanics tell me you don't do that on our bearings. Any info on this subject?

Are you thinking of repacking them as a fix for a noisey bearing or just because you heard you need to replace the manufactures grease with high temp grease? If you have a bad one just get new ones that already come prelubed. Any bearing you get that comes prelubed should already have high temp wheel bearing grease in it. I Don't see a reason why a manufacturer of wheel bearing would use anything else. I asked my local Subaru dealer if they had any advice about the installation when I bought my new wheel bearings. They just told me to be very careful, replace inner and outer seals, and that the bearings are sealed bearings and you do not do anything to them besides install. Hope this helped a little.

[$ gest24 $]

I repacked mine by hand. First I soaked them in a solvent to get rid of all the original "shipping grease". Let them air dry, then either use a bearing greasing tool or do it by hand the old fashioned way.

You take a glob of grease put it in your palm, then take the bearing and hit it against your hand into the glob of grease. This will force the left over solvent and old grease out. Do this until the new grease starts coming out from the other side.

This way of doing it took me about an hour and my hands were nice and sore after. Your best bet is to buy a packing tool from an auto parts store. They're not that expensive.

[dannmarr]

I have already replaced my bearings twice within 40K miles with the original packed grease. If you read the 'how to' about bearings, they say to replace the grease. This is why I ask if repacking them would be better.

[dannmarr]

Another question; why does the axle nut have bent in it as if someone banged it? Is this to prevent it from loosening? It looks as if a key belongs in there, am I mistaken?

[subru92svx]

Did you replace wheel bearings yourself or did you have a shop do them? What brand did you go with? The nut is suppose to be like that. You stake it in place to keep it from loosening like you had thought.

[Myetball]

Originally Posted by dannmarr

I have already replaced my bearings twice within 40K miles with the original packed grease. If you read the 'how to' about bearings, they say to replace the grease. This is why I ask if repacking them would be better.

The grease that comes with the bearings is only a light shipping grease to keep the bearings from rusting while they're shipped and sit on the shelf. I wouldn't even use that crappy grease on my bicycle. Anyone that says not to repack the bearings doesn't know what they're talking about. Now, there are some types of wheel bearings that are sealed and there is no way to regrease but ours are not that type.

A good way to ensure the bearings are clean is use brake cleaner, you'll need at least one can per bearing, and spray out the old grease. Using the little red tube really helps blast out all that shipping grease.

Repack with a good grade of hi-temp grease. It's also very important to torque the axle nut properly. The dent in the end of the axle nut is there to keep the nut from working itself off. These are not crimp nuts nor castle nuts with cotter pins so the only thing securing them in place, besides the torque, is the dent in the end of the nut.

[SVX10]

My only caution against brake cleaner would be for whichever race it is that has plastic parts (inner race, I think). I wouldn't use brake cleaner on any plastic parts. I used electronic equipment degreaser from radio shack. It worked great. Then, on the outer race that's all metal the brake cleaner is great.

Make sure to get all the old grease cleaned off otherwise it'll just mix in with the new stuff and compromise its capabilities. The solvent also needs some time to air dry or it'll do the same.

[dannmarr]

Thanks for the replies! I had the work done by a shop and they did not replace the grease, that is why I prefer to do the work myself.

[Myetball]

No worries about the brake cleaner on the plastic parts. It had no effect. Brake cleaner is some pretty nasty stuff but I can't recall any plastic or rubber I've ever used it on it has softened/disolved.

[Suby Fan]

Originally Posted by dannmarr

Another question; why does the axle nut have bent in it as if someone banged it? Is this to prevent it from loosening? It looks as if a key belongs in there, am I mistaken?

yes you are exactly right... and if your going to loosen it by hand you need a punch to unstake it... i just impact them off

[dannmarr]

Do you regrease only after market bearings, or does it also apply to the Subaru's bearings?

[Speedklix]

Originally Posted by SVX10

My only caution against brake cleaner would be for whichever race it is that has plastic parts (inner race, I think). I wouldn't use brake cleaner on any plastic parts. I used electronic equipment degreaser from radio shack. It worked great. Then, on the outer race that's all metal the brake cleaner is great.

Make sure to get all the old grease cleaned off otherwise it'll just mix in with the new stuff and compromise its capabilities. The solvent also needs some time to air dry or it'll do the same.

The only plastic that really matters is actually between the races. It is all that stays in the bearing when complete, I think it is black and spaces out the rollers.

the qd electrical terminal cleaner stuff should be fine.

[Earthworm]

Originally Posted by dannmarr

Do you regrease only after market bearings, or does it also apply to the Subaru's bearings?

Even if you think the OEM bearings may have appropriate grease, why not repack anyway and remove all doubt?