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eddieseve

Well Known Member
Hi Guys,

My RV7 is coming up for its 3rd annual in 3 months time.

I have the Cleveland wheels and brakes combo from Vans.

As part of the process of removing the wheels to inspect the bearings and then repack with grease before re-installing.

How do I actually tell if the bearings are in good condition and safe to reuse for another year?

Cheers
 
wheel bearings

If they are not pitted, rusty and the chrome looks good repak and go. Hopfully they are good because they are expensive little bearings.
 
This may end up being a very long thread.

1. How well does the aircraft roll back and forth? No noise and smooth, bearings may be good.
2. How well does the tire spin on the axle when jacked up? Smooth with little drag, bearings may be good.
3. Bearing removed from wheel, cleaned (or not cleaned) are there any visible spots or damage? If 1, 2, and 3 are all good, bearing is ready to be re-greased and reused.

In other words, check the wheel bearing the same way you would any car. Here is the link to For Dummies wheel bearing check.

Here is the link to the Cleveland Techincan's Service Guide. Not much in it on checking wheel bearings.
 
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Thanks for the replies Gary and Dan,

I'll disassemle and inspect throughly, I seem to remember from my last inspection that the bearings seem quite loose in the race when cleaned before re packing with grease, is this normal?

Cheers
 
Yes, it is normal for the bearings to be loose in the "CAGE" that holds them in a circle before they are placed between the races.
 
flynwest said:
If they are not pitted, rusty and the chrome looks good repak and go. Hopfully they are good because they are expensive little bearings.
Click to expand...

Here's a data point for you: I'll see 4,000 hours next month and am still running on the original bearings. Regular maintenance and new grease goes a long ways. No pits in the bearing or race and you are good-to-go :) Rosie
 
eddieseve said:
Hi Guys,

My RV7 is coming up for its 3rd annual in 3 months time.

I have the Cleveland wheels and brakes combo from Vans.

As part of the process of removing the wheels to inspect the bearings and then repack with grease before re-installing.

How do I actually tell if the bearings are in good condition and safe to reuse for another year?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Wow....three annuals in three months...time must be flying!! :D

My RV-6 has been in service sixteen years on the original wheel bearings. They get repacked every couple of years whether they need it or not.
 
Rotate Under Pressure

After cleaning and inspecting both parts I rotate the cone against the race while putting as much pressure as I can with my fingers. You're looking for a nice, smooth rotation. If you feel a gritty or inconsistent rotation, clean and try again. I have discarded numerous bearings that showed no sign of pitting or corrosion but didn't feel right. You can also temporarily install the tire assembly without greasing the bearing and spin the tire. A bad bearing makes a nasty sound.
 
My plane sets in a heated hangar and has seen little rain or wet conditions but I was surprised to find that the outer bearings and cups on both wheels had badly pitted and rusted since my last inspection. The inner on both wheels looked like new. I'm not sure if the angle of the axel contributes to moisture collecting in the outer or not. I buy them from NAPA for $27.00 for bearing and race.
 
johnfurey said:
My plane sets in a heated hangar and has seen little rain or wet conditions but I was surprised to find that the outer bearings and cups on both wheels had badly pitted and rusted since my last inspection. The inner on both wheels looked like new. I'm not sure if the angle of the axel contributes to moisture collecting in the outer or not. I buy them from NAPA for $27.00 for bearing and race.
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If this occurred since your last inspection, and they where fine prior to that, they must have been inadequately greased or had residual solvent from cleaning that broke down the grease.
Although I hangar, I taxi through wet grass, land on wet runways, and occasionally fly in the rain living here in the northwest. Lots of water get's sprayed up into the wheel pants. I have found absolutely no corrosion in 640 hours and 7 years of operation.
I follow Sam's rules, and repack every other year, as he says, whether I need it or not..... I do not clean with solvent. I wipe off the old grease with a clean rag as best I can, inspect, and force new grease into the bearing.
 
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IMO, to inspect it you really need to clean with solvent. The most likely place to find pitting in my experience will be on the race inside the bearing cage (smaller contact patch, higher loading) and that area often gets missed. To clean and inspect that area is a bit of a challenge but once clean you can look down between the rollers and see it.

Tim
 
tim2542 said:
IMO, to inspect it you really need to clean with solvent. The most likely place to find pitting in my experience will be on the race inside the bearing cage (smaller contact patch, higher loading) and that area often gets missed. To clean and inspect that area is a bit of a challenge but once clean you can look down between the rollers and see it.
Tim
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I am not sure I can see past the roller with any amount of light and magnification. Must take some practice.

If you have pitting on the inner race, it will show on the roller. Typically it shows as a discolored, dull, band across the roller. This will show long before the bearing fails unless the machine sat for long periods of time and was in a bad way. If you find pitting through inspection of the inner race, or through evidence on the roller, doesn't matter, your going to replace the bearing and race regardless. The bearing isn't going to just all of the sudden fail unless it was seriously neglected.

However, you are following the bearing manufacturers recommendations. Can't argue that and I am not arguing against your opinion.

For the solvent users, make sure it is 100% cleaned out. It does not take much solvent to destroy the grease...Then you will have a problem that can develop very quickly.

After several years of using solvent, and after consults with some RV folks wiser than I, I quit dunking mine. But that is just me and what I do on my own machines that I know very well.
 
JonJay said:
<snip>....For the solvent users, make sure it is 100% cleaned out. It does not take much solvent to destroy the grease...Then you will have a problem that can develop very quickly...<snip>
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I clean and repack my bearings at least once a year at Annual time and again if I ever change a tire and/or tube. I use solvent to clean the bearings, and once I'm sure I have all the solvent out, I will then spray (more like 'flood') the bearings with Brake Cleaner as this stuff 'flashes' off in the time it takes to spray them. I then repack with fresh grease...no issues in 14 years :) Rosie
 
eddieseve said:
...
How do I actually tell if the bearings are in good condition and safe to reuse for another year?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Eddie if you see something like this please address immediately. :)





Due to the nature of my flying and outside parking I inspect the main wheel bearings at least two times a year and nose wheel three or more times a year.






 
Rosie said:
Here's a data point for you: I'll see 4,000 hours next month and am still running on the original bearings. Regular maintenance and new grease goes a long ways. No pits in the bearing or race and you are good-to-go :) Rosie
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4000 Hours:eek:
That's gotta be some kind of record for a 6A . Are you still running that Lasar system Rosie?
 
Vlad said:
Eddie if you see something like this please address immediately. :)





Due to the nature of my flying and outside parking I inspect the main wheel bearings at least two times a year and nose wheel three or more times a year.






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Question... isn't the piece on top of the nose fork installed incorrectly (backwards)??
 
Rosie said:
I clean and repack my bearings at least once a year at Annual time and again if I ever change a tire and/or tube. I use solvent to clean the bearings, and once I'm sure I have all the solvent out, I will then spray (more like 'flood') the bearings with Brake Cleaner as this stuff 'flashes' off in the time it takes to spray them. I then repack with fresh grease...no issues in 14 years :) Rosie
Click to expand...

Most of us don't fly 500 hours a year Rosie! Amazing.....
JJ
 
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