Front wheel bearings

[Guest gavin]

Just dropped the front wheel out to have the tyre changed and found one side wheel bearing is on the way out (maybe it wasn't the tyre causing the weird handling after all!!!).

The questions are what is the best method to get them out? And on the side with the pushed in spacer does the new bearing come with it or will I need to reuse it again (new bearings will be a couple of days)?

Thanks for any info.

Gavin

[RichMaund]

Block the wheel up on top of your bench so there's space under the hub. Place a hard wood block atop the spacer and whack with a mallet. That'll punch the bottom bearing right out the bottom. Then flip over and knock out the remaining bearing with spacer using a large wood or nylon dowel rod. I found mine to be a light press fit. Easy to remove and put the new ones in if need be.

 

*** Make note of which side of the wheel the spacer goes on! You don't want to reassemble your wheel so that when you reinstall it the spokes and tire and runing the wrong way!

[Guest gavin]

Thanks for the info, sounds nice and simple, will do it tonight.

[RichMaund]

The front wheel hub is MUCH easier to disassemble than the rear hub. That cush drive is a tight press fit with much more surface contact area than the bearings in the front hub have.

[jrt]

Hi Rich,

I thought I read somewhere that the rear drive on the sport didn't have a cush in it. Guess it's time to look in the manual...

 

Cheers,

Jason

[RichMaund]

I can guarntee you it does! I had to do a total disassembly on mine to get the wheels powdercoated!

[jrt]

You're right- I looked it up last night in the shop manual. I don't know what I was thinking...

Have you (or anyone) drilled the cush rubbers?

 

Cheers,

Jason

[RichMaund]

I have read notes on the MGCL from people who swear by drilling the rubber blocks.

I have just never seen the need to myself.

Many cush drives fail to rotate at all from lack of lubrication on their hubs. They effectively seize. Often, the factory never lubed them, so they rust right up w/i a year or so. Sometimes I wonder if all the glowing reports from the rubber drillers aren't based more on freeing up the hub so the cush drive can do it's job vice the effect of drilling holes in the rubber blocks!

I coated the rubber blocks in mine with a light coat of silicone grease so they won't stick or bind on the plate. I used #2 lithium grease to lube the hub. There is even a gracefully machine groove in their to help it hold the lube! I open them (cushdrive) up and re-lube and check them during each tire change. Do them that often, and they'll never bind up.