350x rear axle bearings

[Liquid-Darkness]

My dad suprised me with a set of bearings and seals for my X today. He said it was for all my hard work around the house lately. Just another part I wont have to buy and my bike needs em BAD. So sweet of him to treat me like that. He knows how I love to work on these things ..

Now I haven't changed a set of rear axle bearings in like 6 years so I am a little rusty. Things to watch out for?? Should I use red loctite on the axle nut that tightens the axle to the swing?? Any and all tips please, thanks.

[wonderboy]

There are some tips out there for getting the bearings out, primarily involving heating. If you heat up the entire carrier, and then holding it with thick gloves (oven mitts) smack it down hard and square on a block of wood, you can get the bearing on one side to pop out. Repeat for the other side, or with the one bearing out now, just drive the other out from the backside.

I like to take a different approach. I start on one side by knocking out the cage holding the balls evenly spaced around the bearing. This is easy to do with a small punch. With the cage out of the way, the balls can all be scooted together on one side of the bearing. This will let you easily remove the inner race. Now you can pull out the spacer tube from between the bearings, and drive out the bearing that is on the other side (which is still intact). Now the only thing left is the outer race of the first bearing, which you can now get to from the other side.

I wouldn't use red loctite on the axle nut. Just try using blue. Clean the threads up and torque it per the manual. Do you have the ATV axle nut wrenches?

[Liquid-Darkness]

I will try the blue loctite.. No last time I did an axle I used a pair of pipe wrenches lol. Not real good for the nuts but it did the trick..

[wonderboy]

If you have a torque wrench, one trick that I've done to get the axle nuts torqued to spec is to put the torque wrench on the hub nut to hold the axle while you tighten the big axle nut with the pipe wrench. I can't exactly remember, but I think it will work on only one of the two parts due to the direction you have to tighten.

[Liquid-Darkness]

Thanks for the tip. I will get it done.. Git it ragg!!!

[Liquid-Darkness]

Ah man I am way outa shape. I just spent the last 5 hours crawling around on the ground replacing my rear bearings + seals on my 85 350X. Was fun but harder then I remember from last time. The old bearings were dryed up, rusty and falling apart as I took em out. They shattered into a million pieces and man, my axle was almost locked up from them I just noticed. My bike really needed them new bearings. Im so glad the weather is so nice out today, I think it only hit like 82 and the breeze blew a bit. I got her done though. Feeling exhausted, time for the tube.