bearing removal

floating doc · February 29, 2012, 02:15:28 PM

I'm working on a Penn 970 that I bought recently. I'm trying to remove the spool bearings. The adjustable bearing from the left side popped right out after cleaning with some carb cleaner, but the right side has been another story. The photos are of the bearing cup with the bearing in it, and my modified paint can opening tool which I am trying to use as a bearing puller.

Suggestions? Is there a shield holding it it?

floating doc · February 29, 2012, 02:17:26 PM

alantani · February 29, 2012, 03:21:47 PM

sorry, it has to pull straight out. a stainless steel welding rod might work better. $:-\$

Nessie Hunter · March 01, 2012, 05:23:17 PM

Try some Heating & Cooling of the metal..
Expansion & contraction may just break the connection.
After Soaking in penetrating oil....

floating doc · March 02, 2012, 01:47:57 AM

I tried several days in carb cleaner. The liquid got amber colored, but the bearing didn't budge. I filed the tool some more so that I could almost pull directly straight out. No luck.

I'm going to try something that I learned years ago for stuck fasteners: wintergreen alcohol. I've tried several others, from WD40, to Liquid Wrench to PB Blaster. The wintergreen alcohol works better than any of them. While I'm on here, I'll pass along my experience with it.

I have a friend that did several Coat Guard tours in Alaska. This is the story he related:

While he was on Kodiak Island, he helped someone put a new front end in a WWII era jeep (with a horribly rusted undercarriage). The owner of the jeep pulled off all of the nuts on the front end, soaked it down in the wintergreen alcohol and left it overnight. The next day they got together to try to pry the parts apart. The owner popped the middle of one of the hubs one time with a 5 lb hammer; all of the front end parts fell in a pile under the jeep.

I was impressed with that story, so I had to try it. I had bought a bicycle at a police sale, and it had sat out in the weather for who knows how long. The seat post and the frame had become permanently affixed, and I couldn't ride it without raising the seat about 5 inches. I tried all of the above solvents, plus one or two others over a two week period before Chuck told me the story.

I bought a bottle of Wintergreen alcohol and poured some on. The instructions were to wait overnight, but I couldn't resist; I set down the bottle, put one foot in the frame, grabbed the seat and put all I had into it (as I had been doing for weeks).

I almost fell over backwards with the seat/post in my hands. I came out so easily that I almost got hurt.

It hasn't always been that dramatic since, but it's pretty reliable stuff, and cheap, relatively non-toxic and easy to obtain.

broadway · March 02, 2012, 05:04:17 AM

What's up, Doc?!

My recommendation is, if you have a few bucks to part with you should look into Aaron's (Reelspeed) bearing pullers. I have been very successful with them... I've actually gotten every bearing I needed to out of their respective caps.
I'll have to check out that wintergreen alcohol if it works, but the bearing pullers definitely work!
Dom

RWS · March 02, 2012, 12:13:48 PM

try your air hose, works for me, unless it is rusted in then soak wd 40 for the night and try again.

floating doc · March 05, 2012, 03:28:00 AM

I haven't tried the wintergreen alcohol yet. I sent an email to Aaron to order a bearing puller.

ebnash · March 05, 2012, 04:00:40 AM

If you have a grease gun, use a coned fitting and pump grease into the center of that bearing and use the hydraulic force to push it out.

Bryan Young · March 05, 2012, 05:52:17 AM

First of all, what to do you intend to do with the bearing? Pack it with grease? Is the bearing still got? On some 6/0 reels that we knew the reels were going to be used for trolling, and possible some bottom fishing, we checked the bearings to see if they were good by putting a little pressure on the inner race and twist. If it's smooth, we would force corrosion X in through the center of the bearing forcing the bearing to be completely filled with corrosionX, and that was that. Some bearings are pressed in and sometimes you need a different type of extractor to get that bearing out, which I don't have.

Good luck.

floating doc · March 07, 2012, 02:16:41 PM

Quote from: Bryan Young on March 05, 2012, 05:52:17 AM
First of all, what to do you intend to do with the bearing? Pack it with grease? Is the bearing still got? On some 6/0 reels that we knew the reels were going to be used for trolling, and possible some bottom fishing, we checked the bearings to see if they were good by putting a little pressure on the inner race and twist. If it's smooth, we would force corrosion X in through the center of the bearing forcing the bearing to be completely filled with corrosionX, and that was that. Some bearings are pressed in and sometimes you need a different type of extractor to get that bearing out, which I don't have.

Good luck.

The bearing is soaking in some wintergreen alcohol now. We'll see what happens.

I'm going to use the reel for casting, trying to get good distance. I'm planning to use corrosion X, no grease. It seems to spin ok. I guess that if I can't get the bearing out, I'll spray some of the Corrosion X in the bearing like you describe, and then put it back together and give it a go.

Bryan Young · March 08, 2012, 03:31:41 PM

Sorry, I missed what reel this came out of. Na duh

ReelSpeed · March 09, 2012, 03:30:00 PM

It is a bit barbaric, but when i get to the point that these wont come out, I screw the cap back in the side plate..then take the side plate with the cap installed and put it between your feet and use your puller to try and get it out. This usually gives you enough leverage to put some real force on it... otherwise just trying to take it out of the cup, you can't apply much force by holding the cup in your hands..

This seems to be my routine for newells on a daily basis. Hopefully I can get around to a small project I planned..to start making the newell and penn bearing cups/caps out of titanium so the bearings don't rust in. one of these days...

Keta · March 09, 2012, 04:08:52 PM

Titanium and SS don't play together well when exposed to saltwater.

floating doc · March 11, 2012, 01:59:36 AM

Quote from: ReelSpeed on March 09, 2012, 03:30:00 PM
It is a bit barbaric, but when i get to the point that these wont come out, I screw the cap back in the side plate..then take the side plate with the cap installed and put it between your feet and use your puller to try and get it out. This usually gives you enough leverage to put some real force on it... otherwise just trying to take it out of the cup, you can't apply much force by holding the cup in your hands..

This seems to be my routine for newells on a daily basis. Hopefully I can get around to a small project I planned..to start making the newell and penn bearing cups/caps out of titanium so the bearings don't rust in. one of these days...

Maybe that's my problem. I've been trying to pry out the bearing while holding the bearing cup in my fingers. I didn't think I could get much power that way, but I sure don't want to be trying to replace a side plate on a reel that's been out of production for at least a decade. Is there any chance of breaking something doing it the way you describe?