Having to wait 2 weeks for new bearings SUCKS when all of your bearings have turned responsive even after cleaning them and stripping them.
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I would try cleaning them again in the meantime. I could be that they aren’t completely clean or are over lubed.
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I can’t be the only one that heard Tom Petty in my head when reading this thread topic
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Serious answer though is clean them again. What are you using to clean them? Are you applying lube after? Could be using too much lube if so.
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I was hoping somebody would pick up on that
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Rubbing alcohol to strip then canned air. I might have overlubed but i don’t feel lube alone would cause a weird vibe
Playing it at work as we speak, it was stuck in my head soon as I read your topic lol
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Okay right there is your problem my man. Rubbing alcohol contains water and that’s gonna cause corrosion and rust over time even with the compressed air after. Best way to clean a bearing is lighter fluid, mineral spirits, anything that doesn’t evaporate fast or leave residue etc. I used to use acetone but even that can leave residue on the bearing because it evaporates too quick. And lube you need the ever so smallest drop. I use a pin to drop the lube onto before I drop it into the bearing so I know how much is going in. You’ll get the right amount down pat after a couple throws. But yeah no more rubbing alc. I’m 99.99% sure this is your issue
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Used lighter fluid just now and instant fix
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Happy to help!
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I let mine sit overnight in acetone. Spin them out in the morning with zero lubrication and you’re good to go.
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Do you feel like leaving them in there for that long sees a drastic difference in cleanliness, as oppose to someone like me who puts a bearing in the jar for maybe 25-30 seconds while swirling it around? I always feel like I’m not cleaning them enough but it always seems to do the trick just fine
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I do think it makes a difference. The acetone bath has more time to break down or free up larger particles that might be floating around. Maybe I’ve got the wrong idea of how acetone works but I do know that it saves from multiple washes and fussing with a stubborn bearing. Set it and forget it.
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Just saying it is amazing how much even just a quick dousing can do too. Literally when I spritzed my bearings with lighter fluid it was pretty much instantaneous in how quickly the problem i was having went away
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Next cleaning day I’ll leave them in there over night and see how much cr!p is sitting in the jar the next morning. Sounds weird but that’s the most satisfying thing about cleaning a bearing for me lol
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For some reason I cannot leave bearings in lighter fluid for long periods (even like an hour) of time. I have some bearings that have changed color and locked up.
Is acetone somehow different than lighter fluid when it comes to cleaning bearings for a long time?
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Use acetone if possible. It’s the best and leaves no residue. It also should only take a few minutes for it to do its job. And make sure you remove/throw away your dust covers and c clips before cleaning.
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When I used acetone in the past it left a little residue on the top of the bearing, was that because I just wasn’t drying it well enough? Haven’t had the same thing happen when I switched to lighter fluid though
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There are many possible reasons. But it’s still the best option for cleaning bearings.
I would think MEK would also work extremely well but it is not good for your health.
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