Wheel Bearing Removal

Hi guys, i know this is on here about 1000 times and i have been sifting through the post but i need a few answers on the removal of wheel bearings front and back 1972 CB350.
I'm probably going to buy the retaining tool to remove the retainer from the rear wheel, but after i do that, do i use a blind bearing puller to get the bearings out? or drive them out etc.... ? are there any other retaining clips??
The shop manual doesnt offer much help, just says "remove bearings"
Any tutorials anywhere that show the actual steps, not finding much on youtube either. this is my second build but my first bike was a 350Four, so im running into some differences, plus i havent removed the bearings before even on that bike.. can ya help a brother out? thanks!

Go to lowes and get yourself a large expending concrete anchor.
Put its through the bearing and expand it. Then go to the back side with a drift and a knock it out.

Rinse and repeat

It also helps to heat the hub with a torch.

SONIC. said:

Rinse and repeat

Click to expand...

Nice!!

Slide hammer works good too if you're buying a tool... When I want a tool anyways and I'm stuck on something, that is always a good time to tell the wife "I need to buy this tool to do _____, or I can't finish". Hahaha.

+1 on heat
the thermal expansion rate of aluminum is 2x that of steel/iron, double in other words

I've found that the aluminum absorbs the heat so effectively, that I can torch a painted or powdercoated hub with no ill effect to the finish.

AlphaDogChoppers said:

I've found that the aluminum absorbs the heat so effectively, that I can torch a painted or powdercoated hub with no ill effect to the finish.

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Torch with?
Propane? I can see that.

On my CB350 rear hub, there is a threaded bearing retainer on the sprocket side of the hub that is "staked" after it is threaded on by the factory. If you have the same hub, drill out the stakes - I used a 3/16 drill - and then use a drift (blunt headed punch) to tap it loose. A long drift can usually pick up a bearing edge if you wiggle the inside hub spacer around a bit and you can pound the bearing out from the opposite side. Restake the retainer afterwards at new locations approximately midway between the old stake holes.
My CB's hubs had the original bearings in them from 1971. I used a heat gun (a heavy duty hair dryer) and heated the hub - like the guys said, heat really helps. I also sprayed in WD40, don't know if it helped or not but that's what I did.
I typically put the new wheel bearings in the freezer and warm up the hub until it is hot to the touch (130F?) before installing the new bearings. I recently did the rear hub from the baby tracker and the bearing dropped into the recess - but shortly thereafter, a nice interference fit.
I know someone already told you this, but no pounding on the center of the new bearing - just around the perimeter if you have to. I usually bust the center out of the old bearing I removed and keep the old outer race as a bearing installation tool - my bearing install tool doesn't have all the sizes I need. I also "caveman" it when I have to and use a large diameter socket that contacts the outer bearing race only, put a block of wood on it and tap away...
Same deal with the seal(s); nice and slow, force only around the perimeter. A block of wood works well for this.
Hope this helps.
Pat

Heat helps tremendously--probably more than a dedicated puller tool. A hot plate or a heat gun will probably work. A crème brûlée torch will not. I purchased a propane torch recently, and it has been very handy in removing stubborn hardware of all kinds.

http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-TS4000-Trigger-Start-Torch/dp/B00008ZA09/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385497812&sr=8-1&keywords=propane+torch

http://www.amazon.com/CRL-Standard-Propane-Fuel-Cylinder/dp/B002DVN7OU/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/BLIND-INTERNAL-BEARING-PULLER-HAMMER/dp/B00G35GDAM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385497883&sr=8-4&keywords=blind+hole+bearing+puller

yes heat is your friend as the aluminum grows at 2x the rate of steel
an old truckers trick on large bearing cups In truck wheel hubs (tapererd bearing cup)is to just weld a bead around the inside of the cup,turn the hub upside down and as it cools the bearing cup will just fall out on its own from shrinkage

Thanks for all the help on this, i got them out. Heat def. helps.

xb33bsa said:

will just fall out on its own from shrinkage

Click to expand...

I hate it when that happens.

;D ;D ;D

I cheated and bought a blind hole puller. Use that thing constantly.

Kanticoy said:

I cheated and bought a blind hole puller. Use that thing constantly.

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Did you get a good one or the HF? I've been eyeing it.

Re: Re: Wheel Bearing Removal

SONIC. said:

Did you get a good one or the HF? I've been eyeing it.

Click to expand...

The HF of course! Never had a single problem with it and it has removed over 100 bearings with no issues.

Kanticoy said:

I cheated and bought a blind hole puller. Use that thing constantly.

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Bullshit. That's not cheating, that's just being smart.

I wish I was that smart. I never got around to picking one up. One of these days, I'll see it in HF, and I'll say, "Son of a bitch! I'm gonna buy that today!"

Re: Re: Wheel Bearing Removal

AlphaDogChoppers said:

Bullshit. That's not cheating, that's just being smart.

I wish I was that smart. I never got around to picking one up. One of these days, I'll see it in HF, and I'll say, "Son of a bitch! I'm gonna buy that today!"

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Haha, you're right. Its saved me lots of heartache and headache over the years. With a 20% of coupon they're cheap. Like sub $50 cheap. I can see not buying it when you're going to use it once maybe, but I do tons of bearings every year and it was well worth it. Then I got into working on BMWs and was bummed when I realized that there is only doing those the hard way.

AlphaDogChoppers said:

Bullshit. That's not cheating, that's just being smart.

I wish I was that smart. I never got around to picking one up. One of these days, I'll see it in HF, and I'll say, "Son of a bitch! I'm gonna buy that today!"

Click to expand...

I do that every time I am in there. But then I say I don't do enough bearings to justify the 75 bucks. And then I pull a bearing with a concrete anchor and say "you stupid son of a bitch why didn't you just buy the damn puller"