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Thread: 350x help

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
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    58

    350x help

    So I pulled the steering apart to install new all balls bearings. Probably could have saved and just tightened the spanner nut at the top of the tube as it was lose once I exposed it. Nope I had new bearings so they are going in. Now I get it all back together and take for a short ride. There is no wiggle to the forks only a slight clunking sound as I hit ruts in the grass. So I pulled it all apart again thinking it may not be together correctly. Questions:

    Is there a difference between bearings as in a top and a bottom?
    The recess for the bearing is deeper on the bottom of the head tube than the top and the top bearing outer race sticks up above the head tube about an 1/8th" is this normal?
    Could I have them reversed though the outer races look to be the same height.
    The bearing kit comes with two washers do they go between the bearing and the seal? The top bearing and seal sit flat and leave no room for the spanner nut to thread on. The lower bearing looks like it could use the washer as the bearing is set so deep but I'm committed and the bearing itself is already on the lower tree post. Could this be the cause of the clunking sound?
    Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks

    Trevor

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
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    58
    the All Balls kit I used was 22-1029.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Leander TX
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    2,219
    Yes - upper and lower are different.
    The ID is bigger on the lower bearing. You cannot put the upper bearing on the bottom of the triple.
    The OD and race are the same.

    It's been a while - I don't remember what I did with the washers. But in my thread (below), I put the washer on first, then the seal, then the lower bearing.

    Normal for the upper race to stick up.

    This is from my '85 350X rebuild thread.

    http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...97#post1112097

    Hard to believe that was more than 7 years ago. I still thrash that thing on 5-6 dune rides every year.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
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    58
    Great news on the differences being the inside diameter for the different journals on the steering post. Also good I don't have remove the races and about the top race. So I found it I think. I pulled it apart yesterday and it's the washers.The top require no washer but the bottom does and I put it on the post but between the tree and the seal, I know I'm an idiot and I don't know why I did it. So I gingerly tried to remove the lower bearing without wrecking the seal but then decided to just order another seal kit and install. I wasn't going to be comfortable using a bearing that has been beaten off, doesn't sound good. I think that with the way I set it up there was a gap between the seal and bearing and the washer underneath the seal and the gap was enough space to allow the thud sound I hear as the tire hits.
    It all went back together nice and it was a great short ride only to tear it down again, but I found it.
    thanks for the response, not always easy explaining a problem.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Ontario
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    811
    Any chance you took pics of the way it went all together? I’m in the process as well and I’d like to see this if possible.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
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    58
    I can. Mine is apart at the moment just waiting on the kit and will start it monday evening. It's simple but as the service manual says when opening the bearings may all come out and it happened for me. the old lower races came out fairly easy with one or two good smacks. I froze the new ones but by the time I started applying the got warm and the lower fought a little just make sure they are going in straight. After that it's easy, Yeah the idiot who is buying a second bearing kit say's it's easy. I'll take pics.

  7. #7
    Arky-X is offline Just Too Addicted Arm chair racerJust too addicted
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Arkansas
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    529
    Quote Originally Posted by trevorakm View Post
    After that it's easy, Yeah the idiot who is buying a second bearing kit say's it's easy.
    HA!
    Been there more than once on several things like repacking hub bearings on my boat trailer.
    I scratch my head on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and every time after wondering why was it so difficult the 1st time.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
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    58
    I rushed is what I did. I never looked closely at what I was taking off as it was greasy dirty and I thought I knew what I was doing. Dumb.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Edmond, KS
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    2,531
    My 1985 250Sx has a 200X front end. Last summer I installed an All Balls steering bearing kit in it. I think it took me about 1 1/2 hours to do from start to finish. There's a washer in the 200x kit that may or may not be used. That's all the instructions say. I didn't install it and had to take the front end back apart to install it. I froze my races too. That's as close as I can come to giving advice here.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
    --
    58
    Thanks sounds good and makes you think of possibilities going wrong. Now I've done it twice , pulling front end apart, It all turns nice and easy and goes together fast. Some hasn't been apart since manufacture on mine at least and that is a pain.
    Bearings showed today to work to do monday and hopefully a quiet ride.

    the instructions aren't the best but I get the generality of the kits but at least a little more detail for the washers. If I hadn't seen a video of a guy describing the potential problem from not applying the washer which to my brain should be called a shim, it's my own quirk.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Rhode Island
    --
    58
    Okay so back and finished. Sorry I didn't take pics as I wanted it done and that would have slowed the process. I will tell you my results.

    First I removed the new bearing from the post.
    I then looked at each bearing and identified the lower bearing. All I needed from the newest All balls bearing set was the inner race for the bottom of the head post and the seal. I still had the washers from my first set.
    I took the lower bearing inner race and the seal stuck them together and slid into bottom of head post to see how deep they sat. Then I tried the same but with the thin washer between the inner race and the seal. That all pressed into the bottom opening by hand and the seal sits flush to the bottom of the head post if not a hair slightly shy of the bottom edge. You could use either washer in between the inner race and the seal but you have to use one of them.
    I recommend you take a look at the under side of the head tube while still all together to see the clearance from factory. My head tube bottom doesn't make contact with the lower tree but is close and that's what I wanted.
    The top bearing I installed without a washer just seal as the seal sits flat on the inner race and installing the washer doesn't leave much thread exposed on the center post for the nut to grab.
    I then reassembled and took for a ride, still a slight thud as I ride, Damn?
    So today I took it apart and tightened the locking nut tighter, I had left loose for steering purposes but maybe too loose?
    Tighten it all up, stand on the pegs and rocked it, there's still a wiggle WTF? Kept wiggling and could feel it in the handlebars so starting looking there. They were tight in the top fork tree Hmmm.....
    Kept wiggling and realized they weren't loose but had play in and out/ left and right not at the bottom but higher up on the handle bars. It's the cross bar that is bolted to the handle bars. Tightened up the cross bar and got it Done/
    Lower bearing set up once race is seated in head post is: lower seal then washer and then inner bearing race. be careful to center seal when seating the inner race. Hope this helps.

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