cleaning wheel bearings
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
cleaning wheel bearings
So I figured while I am working on the hydroboost and O ring calipers I might as well do something about the 38 year old wheel bearings. New AC Delco bearings and races ready to go in but one quick question. Should I clean the roller bearings first before I pack them. brake cleaner? simple green, thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
So I figured while I am working on the hydroboost and O ring calipers I might as well do something about the 38 year old wheel bearings. New AC Delco bearings and races ready to go in but one quick question. Should I clean the roller bearings first before I pack them. brake cleaner? simple green, thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 5
From: Japan
If you absolutely MUST clean your new bearings (to get that ten-year old scuzz off of them from the packaging) I would spray them down real good with Simple Green in your CLEAN hands, work it in real good and the rinse them thoroughly with water, blow them dry with compressed air and spray them with WD40 before packing them with grease. The main thing is to get them absolutely clean without introducing any grit or debris, and then getting ALL the rinse water out of there...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 3,050
Likes: 124
From: Wichita KS
No "spin" and have CLEAN hands.Also replace bearings as SETS - replace both the bearing and race - you DO NOT want a new bearing paired with an old race.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,117
From: Crossville TN
New bearings are already packed in preservative grease and can be installed "as is". Unless they have been stored in a hot environment and the grease has leaked out, there's no real need. Now, if you prefer to put modern synthetic grease into new bearings...just because you want to...then you need to use a volatile cleaner to disolve the existing grease, then repack them with synthetic stuff.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
New bearings are already packed in preservative grease and can be installed "as is". Unless they have been stored in a hot environment and the grease has leaked out, there's no real need. Now, if you prefer to put modern synthetic grease into new bearings...just because you want to...then you need to use a volatile cleaner to disolve the existing grease, then repack them with synthetic stuff.
