1. How much maintenance do bearings require?
2. What is the best way to maintain my bearings?
3. When should I replace my bearings?
4. How do I remove the bearings from my RC engine?
5. Should I remove the shields or seals from my engine bearings?
6. How do I remove my shields or seals?
7. What is an ABEC rating?
8. Where can I find technical engineering data about bearings?

A: Maintenance depends on the type of enclosures and lubricants your bearings have. Rubber sealed or Ultra sealed bearings require no maintenance and the lube is good for the life of the bearing. Metal shielded bearings that use either grease or oil should be constantly maintained and frequency level with vary depending on your application. Oil dissipates faster than grease, so typically shielded bearings using oil as lubrication wil require constant care. Developing a regular maintenance schedule will substantially add to the life of your bearing.

A: 1) Soak your bearings in mineral spirits or paint thinner to remove any grease or particulants. 2) Blow bearing out with compressed air. 3) Place a light drop of oil on the bearing. 3) Give the bearing a spin, if they still feel rough repeat steps 1-3. Please Note: Ultra-Sonic or other cleaning devices work well, but we find that the above steps are the best way to completely dissolve the dirt that gets under the retainer.

A: If you have gone through the cleaning steps outlined above and your bearings begin to feel gritty or notchie to the touch, they should be replaced. When bearings sit idle for a long time, they must be protected from any and all moisture. This is a common problem when storing small RC engines. If any moisture has gotten to the bearings, they will need to be replaced before using the engine again.

A: Place your engine housing in an oven at 325°-350° for 5 to 10 minutes. When you remove it from the oven your old bearings should fall right out, if not heat the engine a little longer. We also suggest you place your bearings inside a ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer overnight. Then slip the bearings into the engine while it is still slightly warm.

A: If your Front bearing has two rubber seals you should not remove them. These bearings have their own grease and can help stop oil leaks. If your bearing has two shields, we recommend you remove one of them. (For instructions on removing your shields, see the next section) Your Rear bearing should be open on both sides to allow as much fuel as possible to pass through and act as a lubricant. You may however want leave one shield on in the rear which would help to protect the rest of the engine from any foriegn matter getting through. This should not be done with one seal. If you find your engine is stingy in getting fuel to the rear, you should definitely leave the bearing open.

A: For fixed metal shields you should use an awl. Place the awl on the shield toward the outer race. Punch down lightly until you make a small hole. Then peel the shield back with the awl. Removeable metal shields are held in place with a retaining ring. Run a sewing needle along the inside of the outer race to pop out the retainer. Once the retainer is removed the shield should pop out with a light tap. To remove a rubber seal use a pen knife or sharp pointed object. In most cases the rubber cannot be re-used.

A: Precision ball bearings are manufactured to standards established by the Annular Bearing Engineers Committee (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The ABEC and ISO bearing standards are primarily concerned with bearing tolerances. The tolerance is the permissible deviation from a specified value of a structural dimension. The higher the ABEC rating the closer the part is to being dimensionally perfect. For more information about ABEC ratings see info.

A: Any bearing you search for on this site will display technical data about that item including: Bearing Material, Enclosure Type, RPM Data, Load Rating etc. If you need more detailed information about bearing characteristsics, bearing design or bearing life please see our Engineering Guide.