rear axle bearings to do or not to do

[Pat the one the only]

my banshees disc brake hub and sprocket hub move back and forth like a half of an inch which i find quite alarming. my outside facing axle nut is missing most of one side, im wondering if the problem is in the axle bearings or the nuts, i tried a 15 inch ajustable wrench and its still to small, so i dont have anything to check the tightness with. im thinking if i should buy axle wrenches or do the rear bearings, and if so how easy is a rear bearing job, ive heard horror stories about warrior bearings and they use the same kind of adjustment system. thanks for the help.

Edited July 7, 2010 by Pat the one the only

[Pat the one the only]

ive done wheel bearings on dirtbikes before but just never on quads, im not sure how confident i am about this, my friends say all the bearings theyve had to do they had to grind the outer bearing ring out because the bearings blew up. i also dont want to trash the bearing carrier.

[bonerific250]

Do you know if the carrier bearings have ever been serviced before? if not you might have a hard time getting axle out of the carrier I had that problem with mine, I left the carrier and axle on the bike and had to use a piece of steel pipe with a big enough i.d to get over the axle threads but a small enough o.d to be able to rest on the shoulder of the axle where the back hub stops on the axle and hammer away. You might also have a hard time getting the spacer off the axle. But bike was also neglected when I bought it. Even with it being a pain in the ass I was able to it with no special tools. I made sure I greased everything before it went back together so I don't have that problem again. Then tighten axle nuts to torque specs.

[Pat the one the only]

Do you know if the carrier bearings have ever been serviced before? if not you might have a hard time getting axle out of the carrier I had that problem with mine, I left the carrier and axle on the bike and had to use a piece of steel pipe with a big enough i.d to get over the axle threads but a small enough o.d to be able to rest on the shoulder of the axle where the back hub stops on the axle and hammer away. You might also have a hard time getting the spacer off the axle. But bike was also neglected when I bought it. Even with it being a pain in the ass I was able to it with no special tools. I made sure I greased everything before it went back together so I don't have that problem again. Then tighten axle nuts to torque specs.

 

the bearings dont actually have that much play but my sprocket and brake hubs are moving, so think theyre done. i think the bearings are original so this might be kinda challenging, but i really gotta get a set of axle wrenches, right now ive got nuthin.

[yfz350rider]

is the play on the hubs side to side or rotational? if its side to side you need to tighten the axle nuts, but if u get rotational thats the splines on the hubs/axle. As for the bearings if you take the axle off and grab the inner race and wiggle it and it has play you should replace them. Its easier to replace a bearing thats in one piece rather than one that is in many pieces throughout your carrier.

[Pat the one the only]

is the play on the hubs side to side or rotational? if its side to side you need to tighten the axle nuts, but if u get rotational thats the splines on the hubs/axle. As for the bearings if you take the axle off and grab the inner race and wiggle it and it has play you should replace them. Its easier to replace a bearing thats in one piece rather than one that is in many pieces throughout your carrier.

 

the play is rotational, does this mean my axle is bad and not the bearings, because i dont think theres that much play in the axle at all. btw my carrier is drilled and tapped for a grease fitting, so i dont think the bearings would have gone bad that easily, thanks.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Pat the one the only

[Pat the one the only]

you will either need a new axle or new hubs.

 

shit..... that sounds pricey, how in the hell do you even do that to an axle?

[Pat the one the only]

well usually the hubs will go first, and if they aint taken care of them will start to wear the axle as well, it is mainly just time. and i have a stock axle and a stock brake hub you can buy for a cheap price.

 

ill have to check out my axle first, but im hopen its the hubs, not the axle although that would kinda suck, cause they were powdercoated dark red and looked pretty sweet. after i take off the axle ill get back to you about the stock axle and hub, thanks zilla.

[pondtunes]

An 18" pipe wrench will take those nuts right off, keep in mind a pipe wrench will mar the flat surfaces of the nuts a bit when it bites in but it will remove them easily.

 

Method #1 if your bearings are intact:

1) Remove Rear Skid Plate if so equipped

2) lock your parking brake or have a helper hold the rear.

3) Place the pipe wrench on the outer nut, end of the wrench toward the motor. (they are both normal threads)

4) Tap down on the wrench with a ball peen hammer, the outside nut will come loose.

5) Once you remove the outside nut do the inside nut the same way

6) Jack up the quad, remove the wheels, remove the left wheel hub (side the shifter is on)

7) The axle nuts will now slide off, and the sprocket hub should slide off.

8) Release the parking brake

9) Remove Brake Caliper

10) Re-Install Left Wheel Hub

11) Re-Install Left Wheel Hub Crown Nut (don't reinstall the cotter pin)

12) Tape the appropriate socket over the crown nut to keep it held in place

13) Place a board over the socket and give it a few whacks with a BFH

 

If all goes well the axle should slide out of the spacer. You can now slide the brake hub off the axle and replace it.. If your bearings are good you can slap new hubs on and be done with it. Otherwise continue reading.

 

14) Use a 3/8" Drive extension long enough to reach through the carrier. Use a hammer to tap the bearing out from the inside out, once

you get one side free the spacer tube should come out.

15) Install a Grease Fitting in your carrier to prevent this bs from happening again. *recommend pulling the inner seal off of the bearing to allow the grease to get into the bearing.

 

Method #2 you let your bearings go too long and your banshee ate one or both, or the axle wont come out of the spacer tube.

Follow steps 1-12

Hopefully you have at least one bearing that isn't destroyed, if they're both destroyed you might not be getting that spacer tube off without some major surgery...

12) Remove axle carrier

13) Clean everything you can to get any ground in dirt out then soak the axle tube with pb blaster. Go take a break and come back in a few hours and soak it again. Then go drink some beer and come back tomorrow.

14) Get a big block of wood and place it on a flat level surface (get something thick, like a railroad tie or 6x6 block or bigger so you don't miss.

15) If the Right side (side with the kick starter) bearing is intact you're going to want to hold the carrier in your hand with the socket pointed down at the large block. Then pretty much pile drive the socket into the block of wood. With a little luck it will move a bit. Keep slamming the socket straight down into the block of wood and the spacer should eventually come off.

Your block of wood may look similar to this by the time your done.

 

 

If your bearings are trashed like these:

Then you've got a little more work ahead of you.

 

Once the axle is out you'll be left with the outer ring of the bearing that is an ultra bitch to get out.

The easiest way I found to do it is to use a die grinder to cut a groove in the bearing ring and weaken it. I didn't have a die grinder but I used my rotozip with a tile cutting bit and some cutting fluid and made a nice groove down the bearing. We're just trying to weaken the bearing here so it will break not cut all the way through it, so be sure to not go too deep or cut too fast with whatever you're using as you don't want to cut down into the carrier causing yourself more problems on re-assembly.

 

 

Then grab yourself a carriage bolt with a large head. Place the bolt inside the bearing or under it if you can get it there, then wedge the large side of a ball peen hammer inside with it. This will give the bolt something to pivot against. Be sure to put the head of the bolt near the groove you cut as that's currently the weak point of the bearing.

 

 

Now hold a little pressure on the hammer and bolt to keep it in place then whack the end of the bolt towards the handle of the ball peen hammer with your trusty BFH..

 

A few taps here should result in the bearing breaking near the groove we cut, the bearing will then come right out.

 

 

Clean everything up using a parts washer or some kerosene and a wire brush to get all the years of crap off all the components before re-assembly.

[Pat the one the only]

thanks for the help, im going to wait until the bearings get here to even take the axle out then im gonna see what exactly needs replacing, because im gonna do the bearings just to be safe. btw i already have the grease fitting mod.

[Pat the one the only]

hey zilla, i just took the left wheel and hub off, then removed the axle nuts with a pipe wrench and a blacksmith hammer, and i think i do need that axle and hub of yours, pm me with the price and details, thanks.

[bansheesandrider]

Most of the time if the splines are wore on either the hub or the axle, they are also wore on the other part. You can replace only one part but odds are that the repair will be short lived and then you will be doing it again and replacing both parts to get it fixed right. It does not pay to fix it halfassed. If you are buying used parts I would inspect the splines very carefully and make sure there is no play in the splines when you put it together. Having your quad breakdown on a riding trip is no fun and can even be dangerous, parts flying off can lead to crashes, towing a bike back is no fun, sitting in camp while the others go riding sucks and if you ride alone your bike can travel farther in 1/2 hour than you can walk ALL day.

[Pat the one the only]

thanks for the help guys, it was actually easier then dirt bike wheel bearings, which are sometimes fused to the hubs. i just took a piece of 1/2 in. thick copper rod, then used the bfh, and the bearings were out in about a half minute. the axle also just slid out which made my job so much easier, lol.