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Installing Bearings Without Damage

Installing bearings without damage is very easy to do. But as I was watching a Youtube video I found myself cringing as another “expert” beat on the outer race of a brand new bearing as he installed it on a shaft. I kept thinking that he was shortening the life of that new bearing. Sooner, rather than later he was going to have to replace those bearings because he doesn’t know how to properly install bearings without causing damage to them. Yet he was teaching others how to do it wrong and help to pass along his failure. Ok, ok I’m putting away the rant box.

The proper bearing installation technique is based on where the bearing is being installed. Is the bearing installed on a shaft or is the bearing installed in a housing? Both of these installations require a different technique so as not to damage the balls or rollers or embed any type of foreign particle into the races.

The perfect bearing installation

The perfect bearing installation would have your bearing pressed onto the shaft or housing. You would have a special bearing cup tool to press against the proper race(s) of the bearing. The shaft or housing would be clean of dirt and without any type of burr. But as DIYers its really not that way. The majority of us don’t have a press available to press the bearings into place.  We don’t own a special set of bearing cup tools. We don’t have a bearing oven, induction heater or oil bath to preheat the bearings prior to installation. But pre-armed with information we can provide the best installation for the bearings we do install.

Preparation for installation

Whether you have an AC motor bearing replacement or an alternator bearing replacement any ball bearing replacement still needs the same things done before actual installation. If the bearing is going onto a shaft or into a housing we can still clean the area of any potential contaminants. We can also check for and remove any burrs in that area.

The best practice is to keep the new bearing in it’s packaging until it is installed. This practice will lessen any chance of contaminants getting into or on the races.

A very light coat of oil on the shaft or housing to reduce the friction of installation is a good practice. Simply apply a small amount of oil to a paper towel and then rub the towel on the shaft/housing surface.

How to change bearings onto a shaft without a press

Installation of a bearing onto a shaft requires that the pushing force be applied to the race contacting the shaft. That race will always be the inner race. You want to apply the pushing force equally to the entire race. You don’t want to pull out a punch and start banging away at the race. So look for something that will push the entire race.

A deep socket, a short section of pipe, may work if the shaft is not too long. Just make sure that the socket or pipe is contacting the inner race and not just on the bearing seal. If the shaft is stepped down I have used the old bearing placed on top of the new bearing to extend a deep socket and moved the bearing onto the shaft. Just be careful that you don’t drive the old bearing too far onto the shaft. If the old bearing is pushed too far then it may get stuck and you’ll have a big problem trying to remove it. Don’t ask me how I know.

Don’t have a press? Use a mallet or the lightest hammer you own to provide the pushing force. The intent is to lessen the impact stress on the bearing during installation.

Installing a bearing into a housing without a press

Installation of a bearing into a housing requires that the pushing force be applied to the race contacting the housing. That race will always be the outer race. Again you want to apply the pushing force equally to the entire outer race without touching the inner race. So look for something that will push the entire outer race. Again, I’ve used the old bearing, a 2×4, a large PVC fitting, anything that spanned the entire bearing outer race.

Conclusion

So now you know how to get the longest possible life out of your bearing installations. You know about cleaning the area. You know about keeping the new bearings contamination free. Also, you know that a little lubrication is a good thing and most importantly you know about which bearing race to press for the type of installation you are working on. So the next time you have to replace some bearings you will be installing bearings without damage.

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