How do I remove this small bearing? And the one behind it.

I recall seeing somewhere - possibly on the SKF site - a bearing puller that has thin legs with shaped ends that are designed to fit between the balls and then twist to lock into the inner and outer races. More than likely horribly expensive, but an interesting idea.

Rob

Heat is usually the answer for bearings in aluminium housings. Get the housing good and hot (a heat gun should do) and the bearings may well drop out. If not, try again with a piece of wood wedged into each inner race in turn so you can give them a bit of help. If the wood won't grip enough then make an expanding mandrel. Roy

I'm with Alan for a couple of small holes. The bearings are likely to be cheap to replace so damaging the old ones won't matter much. Try heat first, you might be lucky.

Trouble is that I will probably not have to do it again and it will be very expensive.

Heat always worked with model helicopter/aircraft engines so will try that first, then rawlbolt.

I think trying to knock two bearings out together from the back might be a tad tricky.

Removing bearings with the proper tools is normally a one way process, they should be replaced with new ones fitted properly so as not to damage them.

These sets are available all over the place: LINK for well under £30

you are right on both counts. i got one had it years hardly ever used it

If you heat that aluminium housing to 200 C those bearings should fall out with a firm banging of the housing on the bench. Either use an oven or a propane torch, using the old "spit sizzling hot = 100 C" method then carry on heating for about as long again. Or 100 C may well be hot enough to drop them out if you give it a try.

Those expanding commercial pullers will work in a blind hole with two bearings. The puller centre boss has a very small lip on the end and the bearing inner races have a large radius on the ID that the lip fits into.

Heating is the less destructive method as cold pressing/pulling can loosen up the hole in aluminium by pushing a pressure wave of aluminium down the bore ahead of the steel bearing outer race. But usually takes a few bearing changes to do this. You can get away with it once.

You can get away with it once.

And even afterwards with loctite ‘bearing fit’.🙂

If you do not have a lathe then grind the head of an 8mm bolt down to use my method.

Unless Loctited in , that bearing will nearly fall out.

Obviously removing the bearings with no harm to the housing is the most desirable outcome but all is not lost with a damaged housing, bearing fit can compensate for a loose fit and if the housing is damaged beyond that then boring and fitting a tolerance ring can save the day. A correctly fitted bearing should not be excessively tight in its housing or the designed clearance of the races can be compromised, corrosion can sometimes make a bearing more difficult to remove. As an apprentice I was caught out by a wire circlip that I hadn’t spotted hiding in the grease, the hydraulic puller was struggling until I got some rag and had a wipe round to see what was going on. Lesson learned I have never been caught out since.

Mike

Try turning down the end of some threaded rod (10mm or above.) to a couple of thou under 8mm. Clean out any oil or grease from the hole in the bearing. Loctite the end of the threaded rod into the bearing and leave it for a day or so to set. Use a suitable length of tube and thick washer to draw the beating out. (I can't remember which grade of loctite is the strongest.) You can remove the threaded rod from the bearing using heat, Repeat the process for the second bearing.

Les.

Edited By Les Jones 1 on 10/04/2021 10:59:37

+1

I like Les's suggestion.

Rob

Me too

The grade of loctite that I have used in the past is 638.

Les.

After a couple of evenings of patient messing, I have both the bearings out. The first was reasonably easy, the second took longer. Heat obviously helped but it was still awkward without proper tools.

I used a 6mm rawlbolt, 10mm diameter. I had to modify both ends but it worked in the end.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I hope the 2 new bearings go in fairly tightly and the Al. casting has been damaged.

Those are made from socket head bolts. I have a surface grinder which made it easy to make.

Is one enough? I'm not sure how they work?