Front wheel bearings for upgraded hubs?

[magnusfeuer]

Does anyone know if I can source the wheel bearings for the upgraded front hubs?

The Caterham online parts store doesn't specify if the front wheel bearings are the same for the standard and upgraded hubs, although they do look different.

I could not find anything on blatchat about this.

The hub upgrade kit I have installed:

http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=155

The pre 2003 wheel bearings (I have a 2002):

http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=620

The post 2003 wheel bearings that actually look like those in the hub kit.

http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=355

/Magnus F.

[moosetestbestanden]

The old and new bearings are quite different. The old ones use felt!

I'm dead sure the bearings you note in the 2003-on link are the right ones. Get them from CC. From memory (such as it is, hic!) shipping won't be too much and they'll arrive in a couple of days.

Fun part will be getting the old ones out. Why do you need to do this? They are re-packable.

[Doug Liedblad]

Magnus

There should be a bearing part number on the edge of the race. A local bearing house may be able to find the equivalent.

Doug

[magnusfeuer]

Moose: I have a pesky play that I cannot get rid off by tightening up the bearings. I'll start off with disassembling it and look for grooves, etc.

/Magnus F.

[Doug Liedblad]

Are the new bearings sealed ball bearings or are they tapered roller bearings like the Pre 2003 type?

I've not done the upgrade so have not seen the new ones up close.

If they are ball bearings they will not come apart and there is no adjustment. Any excess play means they need to be replaced.

[moosetestbestanden]

Are the new bearings sealed ball bearings or are they tapered roller bearings like the Pre 2003 type?

I've not done the upgrade so have not seen the new ones up close.

If they are ball bearings they will not come apart and there is no adjustment. Any excess play means they need to be replaced.

They're sealed-ish. ISTR that I had to pack mine before putting them in the hubs, and they were roller bearings, not balls. I think.

For safety reasons it's a good upgrade to do, for sure.

[magnusfeuer]

I finally had time to get the hub off. The bearings are NTN 4T-L44643 .

Tapered roller bearings. The seals were damaged on the wheel that had some play, most likely since I don't have a grease cap for the 13" Caterham wheels. The (replaceable) racers in the hub had no signs of damage, though.

I also realized that packing the bearings with molybdenum grease when assembling them was probably not the smartest idea. The grease was all caked up. I have original, British wheel bearing grease for the next time around.

Four new bearings ordered at www.finditparts.com for a total of $40.

/Magnus F.

[Doug Liedblad]

Are you replacing the complete bearing and race?

[magnusfeuer]

Just the bearing. The racers are completely unmarked.

[Doug Liedblad]

I recommend replacing the races too, for what you can't see or feel.

Are you sure the bearings you ordered don't come with the races?

In any case assuming they are pressed in there is a trick way to get them out that works like a charm.

Have someone carefully put a bead of weld on the inner part of the race, it makes them shrink and they practically fall out.

I can do it if you don't have a source.

Doug

[magnusfeuer]

It looks like races are included.

The races should be easy to get out since they are not press fit, and there is a groove in the hub where you can fit a tool to catch the rear edge of them. If that does not work, I'll do the weld thing.

I assume that the races and bearings are compressed into zero play when you lightly tighten the wheel nut. On the other hand, the loose races may also be the source of my wheel play. I'll check the other hub as well to see how tight they are fitted there.

/Magnus F.

[Doug Liedblad]

You don't want Zero play, but a very small amount as measured with the wheel and tire on. Try to wiggle it top and bottom.

Tighten to zero play and then back off a bit. Try turning the wheel while you do this just till it drags or stops turning easily then back off. You should be able to do this by by hand, maybe a socket on the nut and finger tight. Don't use a big lever.

Too tight and the bearings overheat. Too loose is bad too. I've always done it by feel.

Doug

[moosetestbestanden]

You don't want Zero play, but a very small amount as measured with the wheel and tire on. Try to wiggle it top and bottom.

Tighten to zero play and then back off a bit. Try turning the wheel while you do this just till it drags or stops turning easily then back off. You should be able to do this by by hand, maybe a socket on the nut and finger tight. Don't use a big lever.

Too tight and the bearings overheat. Too loose is bad too. I've always done it by feel.

Doug

The castellated nuts do just that. I tightened mine up and then *had* to back them off in order to get the cotter pin through.

I used Valvoline Semi-synthetic bearing grease. I sure hope it's still working! Guess I'd better look :-O

Sourcing the bearings from CC would have set you back about $44.00. I'm just sayin.

[magnusfeuer]

I installed the new bearings, and realized afterwards that they did not have the grease seal (or races for that matter). I cannot find a local source for the complete kit here in the US, so I'll just order them from the lovely chaps over in the UK.

/Magnus F.

[slomove]

If you don't like the coarse setting of regular castle nuts, you can use a retainer like in the pic below with a regular (slim) nut. It has 12 positions of the hex and 8 positions of the cotter pin. I have one and it allows for pretty fine setting of the wheel bearing.