So long story short, bought dm II a year ago, haven’t used for over half a year because of disability issues. Recently picked it up again worked great, then started to die on me periodically, so did a clean/lube procedure worked like a charm again, then the problem returned, the bearing becomes stuck/ stalled periodically and i can do a clean and it goes back to normal (no shields on bearing), and the yoyo becomes responsive and really slow.( just fyi im not a begginer or intermediate) Know my way around bearings and the anatomy of the yoyo, but can’t get a single straw to grasp at the problem with the bearing, any suggestions/ideas/remedies would help, don’t think the bearing would be rusty from sitting in the yoyo for half a year without use (Key word think) thanks for any and all contributions!
Make sure the seat itself is clean from any debris
See I found out it isn’t the yoyo or anything from it, i can take the bearing out and give it a flick spin, and it’ll spin horribly for like half a second as if there was like a rock in it, but then i can like blow into it or spin it long enough to spin through that for lack of a better word stuckiness, then it’ll spin on the fingers or in the yoyo normally…for about 10-30 mins, and goes back to as if there was something in the bearing and i have to unscrew the throw, flick clear, and screw it together again, and then it returns, repeat all day and night… but thanks for the idea, i thought that was the problem as well at first, but it’s 100% the bearing that i know.
I would just buy a new bearing honestly
It’s what im kinda leaning towards now, but at this point in life my funds are pretty tight for leisure expenses, plus it would take like 2-5 weeks for a bearing to come plus shipping costs would more likely be more expensive then the actual bearing… but great idea haha
You could always try to clean it before you buy a new one.
Get a CTX and move on with your life. The DMII design already isn’t the longest sleeper ever. It’s great fun and very capable, don’t get me wrong. But YYJ’s bearings are the equivalent of a fixed axle IMO, I’ve never had a good one, clean or otherwise.
Well I’d personally like to disagree, not from a hating standpoint or anything if it comes off like that, but i’ve thrown the dm I and II and they both served me well. 4-5 min sleepers isn’t bad in my opinion, or anyones for that matter i’d like to think, but my newer dm II’s bearing ran into well the problem the post’s about, i’ve been “investigating” this issue yesterday and through all today’s night and now morning and i think i’ve nailed it down to it being a problem with the ball track, i think there might be a string hair in the top track of the bearing from one of many strings i’ve worn out with it in the few weeks i’ve been playing, so now the question comes down to how do i clean that top track of the bearing without ripping out the ball/cage safely and carefully…
I guess my experience differs from yours quite a bit.
Depending on where you live you may be able to buy an equivalent bearing locally. If you have a hobby shop near by check them out. They usually have a selection of bearings in the RC car/helicopter area.
Sadly that was my first thought on the matter of buying a new bearing but i live in calgary, alberta (canada), and this city is dead for the yo factor, if you catch my drift… i also have now isolated the problem through trial and error and test of patience and feel that the issue is in fact in the ball bearing race(track), and it’s the bottom race not the top one as i mentioned above as the bearing when spun in the fingers by a flick you ( in this case I, lol) can feel the balls of the bearing jump/bump over something so i have now concluded my testing to believe there is in fact something like maybe a residue buildup or a hair from a string or my cat or dog that is stuck in the track which would explain that sometimes the bearing acts normal and at other times gets really wonky… sorry for such a long reply
Hobby stores and yoyos don’t ordinarily go hand in hand. The bearings they stock are for the cars and helicopters, but the sizes are common to what is used in yoyos. They are generally good quality, generic bearings.
To try clean the existing bearing remove the shields, that way debris is more readily removed. Let it soak in solvent a good bit - 10-15 minutes, swish it around a bit. With the shields off you can inspect for junk in the races and probably pick it out. Then use compressed are to blow it out. The kind that comes in a can at computer stores works fine, no compressor needed.
Ok thanks for the tip sir, I will now try and look around my area to find a store like, I don’t know for sure but maybe a nearby Toy’s R Us has something I could use for a bearing at least until i can get a real good bearing from online? Any thoughts on that perhaps or “experience”?
Just google “calgary alberta hobby shop”. That gives about 7 hobby shops in Calgary. Skip toy-r-us, it’s a toy sore not a hobby shop.
If you got metal polish you can try and polish the inside of the bearing, it can help remove gulling, and smooth out the inner race.
However if you don’t have polish it will likely cost more then buying a new bearing.
Look on the inside of the bearing. you will see a thing holding the balls in. This is called a cage, your cage may be bent. If it is, get a needle and straiten it out a bit. This has worked for me in the past.
There is another method of working on bearings called the paper method. you basically use small pieces of paper too clean out the bearing. This method is a more through cleaning and should be done in conjunction with regular cleaning.
If you still have that darkmagic I, the bearings are the same and you can swap them.
I have a feeling if none of these work for you, you will need to buy a new bearing. Bearings are cheap you will likely spend more money driving around town or taking the bus trying to find one for sale in the area.
Thanks for the pointers, I will try the cage idea right now actually, and ok I will skip toys r us as well then.
and I also have done the paper clean a few times now on this bearing, but sadly to no avail, and also i do not have my dm 1 as well ended up breaking it because a car ran a red light and i was crossing the sidewalk as it did and the yoyo got r3kt, lol.
If you didn’t live in Canada I would send you a free bearing. Anybody in canada want to throw this guy a bearing?
Oh man, if only, if only, but thanks anyways for the words of kindness… :
Believe me I would love to, but I have one bearing for 6 yoyos at the moment.
I ended up i think just about fixing the bearing, by adjusting the bearing cage like someone said earlier
but im now considering on buying a new bearing any ideas towards what’s a good yoyo bearing?
Centering:
Konkave
CT(X)
YYR DS
Crucial
Budha Whipple
Flat:
OD 10 Ball
YYE Bearing
Terrapin X