Needle greasing of Idlers will this work?

[yamadoo]

I am pulling my skid soon and will replace some definately bad idlers and am thinking about a trick I saw on a previous thread for the high mile but good idlers.

Here is the plan. I am going to take a high mile idler but still good and drill a portion of the plastic bearing seal nearly all the way through, then push the needle through the last bit and fill with grease. Then seal the hole, with either Jb weld or black finger nail polish(will test these on a toast idler and see what adheres the best)

Anybody have any thoughts on these idlers where we can't replace the bearings and we know they have high miles and can't last forever. My sled has 7300 miles and some bad small idlers for sure need to check the large ones on the rear axle.


Yamadoo

 

[APEX 06]

I do it every time i pull the skid. I have a 2006 APEX RTX with 8900 miles on it and all wheels work like new yet.

 

[yamadoo]

Thanks I will try it Yamadoo

 

[saskattakman]

heres what i do....i use an oring pick and remove the seals totally then wash out the bearing in solvent and blow dry, then i pack one side with amsoil sythetic water resistant grease install one seal then add a bit more grease to the other side and install seal, i do all my skid bearings every spring before i put the sled away this way i get all the moisture out before it sits all summer to rust...i wouldnt drill a hole no way to really seal it up...also when you just add grease there is no way to get the moisture out which will eventually pit the races and balls and lead to failure....i can do all my skid bearings and driveshaft bearing in about an hour....cheap compared to the cost of one idler wheel...

 

[yamadoo]

I don't have the skid out now to look at these idlers where you can not change the bearing. If I can just remove and replace the seal I will do that as I have in the past. I thought I read you couldn't do it with these hope I heard/read wrong.

Yamadoo

 

[jkenosh]

i pull the wheel off and take the plastic seal off with a pick and grease it and put the little plastic cover back on, they seem to keep lasting

 

[big guy]

I don't have the skid out now to look at these idlers where you can not change the bearing. If I can just remove and replace the seal I will do that as I have in the past. I thought I read you couldn't do it with these hope I heard/read wrong.

Yamadoo

On my 06 RTX all wheels can be greased by removing the seal as noted above. Only exception is the 2 rear outer wheels. They have steel circle pieces pressed over the seal. They cannot be taken apart to grease.

 

[Tkat]

Needle

I have been using a syringe I pick up at a farm store with an 18gauge needle. I filled it with low temp grease and the I slide it under the lip of the seal were it meets the inner race and place it inside the bearing. I feel for a gap between the bal bearings. Then I give it some grease. I might do this three times at different points in the bearing. It has worked great. Depending on the location of the bearing you don't have to take it out of the sled. I use low temp grease since it flows through the needle easier. Be careful not to tear the lip.

 

[00sxr600]

the seals are pretty easy to get off. i would do it that way so you dont put any holes in the seal so water might get in there and ruin it anyway.

 

[CaptCaper]

I peeled the seals off as well. Cleaned them with WD then packed new grease. I can't see how a needle grease fitting can pack grease all around the bearings as well as hand packing.