Since I have started to pay more attention to my motor bearings, I have found a number of motor cans that have bad bearing recesses. What I have found is that no matter how smooth a bearing is when out of the can (or in an endbell) it is really rough when inside these cans. It is not the bearing - I can take that same bearing and put in in another can and is very smooth. This is not an isloated case - I have a number of these bad cans.

I figure that the bearing recess is out of round or something and that is causing the roughness.

Simplest solution is to discard the can, but I am wondering if anyone has run into this and come up with a simple way to correct the problem.

you can buy a ream, to fix the recess the bearing fits in. try www.mcmaster.com and typr in 8803A54. Something like this should work fine. don't buy the .375 size as it will cut oversized because you going to be doin it by hand. get a ream slightly undersized like .373 or .374.

to add to what mike said make sure you get a straight flute reamer.. Some of them have LEAD in them you want one thats the same size all the way down since your not passing it through a hole..

Thanks, guys. I'll try that.

I think I have found a solution that doesn't involve spending $20 a piece for various size reamers to find out what size really works.

I had some .375 round steel bar stock. I cut a piece off about 4 inches long, flattened the end, and made the edges nice and square and tried pounding that in a bearing recess. It is kind of a combination swage and broach. The first can I did, I went all the way to the bottom of the bearing recess and then the bearing was loose. The next one, I hammered it in part way, and then out and tried the bearing. Wasn't perfect, so I went a little further each time, measuring how far in, until the bearing was smooth but the recess was still tight enough that the bearing needed to be pressed in. I've got a few more cans to try this on.