I would like to remove the the bearing seals for cleaning then reinstall the seals. I have the stock associated steel sealed bearings and cant seem to figure out how to get the seals out. Or do I even need to remove the seals its just that there brand new and id like to wash the grease out of them. Also are there any other speed tips you guys have in general.

Thanks

Best thing you can do is get ceramic bearings.In my opinion,Murdocks are the best.Ceramics are far better then any steel bearings out there.

Honestly for the price difference,and virtually no performance difference,I have gone back to steel and keep fresh bearings.Get a little ultra sonic jewelry cleaner from K-mart and run them in that for 10-20 mins in denatured alcohol,they will be as clean and grease free as your going to get them,then lube with blue lightning bearing lube or your favorite lube.

if they are for the diff i like to leav ethe stock greas in them and only clean the front bearings and axle bearings just my .02

well its hard to tell from your post but did you say you do or dont know how to remove the shield from the bearing? if you dont thats ok. its not hard it just takes a bit of a steady hand and some time. on the outside race of a bearing there is a retainer clip. to get this clip off you need to pull one side off with a hobby knife then once you get one side off and on top of the bearing race. be carefull and gently pull the rest of the clip out being very carefull to not lose the clip (carefull it is gona want to spring acrost the room, or in your eye! lol i made that up but be carefull none the less) next i soak mine for a day or so in denatured alcohol shaking every so often. this breaks down any grease or oil that is inside the bearing. next go get a rpm bearing blaster and spray out each bearing. then put them on a hobby knife or on the end of some tweezers. and spin them. they shoud spin very freely and If they do not as a last resort you can put some dawn in they and spin em over but that bearing realy does need to be replaced. if the bearing does come back after the dawn treatment then repeat the first 2 steps and lube. then after all your bearings a squeeky clean pick out your favorite oil. (remember thinner oils are going to need to be replaced more often and dont offer as much protection) I realy like niftech's syn bearing oil. The red kind. its realy thin and it has an addicting smell to it. :tongue: put a drop on each bearing. put your shields and retainers back in and go race

HOPE THIS HELPS
Sean Scott

Honestly for the price difference,and virtually no performance difference,I have gone back to steel and keep fresh bearings.Get a little ultra sonic jewelry cleaner from K-mart and run them in that for 10-20 mins in denatured alcohol,they will be as clean and grease free as your going to get them,then lube with blue lightning bearing lube or your favorite lube.

I've found this to be true too.

Ceramic bearings are lighter but not much of a weight savings.

Also, found that ceramic bearings tend to wear out faster then steel. You just need to check for play if you run them.

Only running ceramic in the rear axle carriers. Went back to steel in the diff and up front.

Ya i was just wondering how to get the seal out or if i even need to. But by the sounds of it i dont need to. Why dont you wash out the diff bearings. Also has anyone tryed a dry bearing lube like graphite or should i stick with an oil.
One other thing, what brand of shocks do u guys like.

thanks

With a ultra sonic cleaner you don't need to remove the seals,yes you clean the diff bearings the same as the others,it's just that diff bearings especially the outer hub get replaced more often than the axle bearings,and with steel beaings being so cheap now it's easy to keep fresh bearings in the hub for that ultra smooth diff.

Im right there with ya... I was untill this year using all ceramics... But I bought a bulk pack of steel bearings and found it easier and much cheaper to just replace them more often.. the diff is just as smooth and the weight... well the ceramic might be .0001 oz lighter but I would speculate that you add/remove more weight by cutting your battery tape longer/shorter..

Ceramic bearings are not all created equal... I've ordered sets from 3 different mail orders, and bought sets from a couple hobby shops. The set i bought from RC for less was a quality bearing I put in the car last year this time. They are still my smoothest, fastest spinning bearings of all my cars. Bearings I bought from another mail order Co. were rough out of the bag and wore out after 4 race nights. There is a BIG difference in ceramic bearings, if you dont feel they are giving you a performance edge you need to try a GOOD set of ceranics and thank me later.

I have a friend who is an engineer for a bearing co here in MA, he recommends running a bearing packed with grease from the factory, when it wears out throw it away. I explained to him the drag factor and he said if we must wash out the bearings it must be done BEFORE the bearing is run and washed out completely. Apply a liberal dose of good synthetic lube for best results. I have had little luck washing out steel bearings and re-lubing they always seem gritty. He also said noise is a good indicator of the condition of a bearing even if it seens to spin free.The quieter the bearing the better shape the balls are in. In the diff hub, I always use a ceramic bearing packed with grease fron the factory. Those bearings spin much less, drag is not a factor.
If you really want a good diff you need to try the grey/black ceramic diff balls. worth the money and brings the diff to a whole nother level.Cheaper in the long run if you rebuild the diff every week like most do.

Do the places that sell the ceramics to us racers in car packs give you the rating of the bearings so you know how good of a set you are buying. I have experinced the same thing, one place I got bearings from were REALLY nice and lasted me years and another were ok and didn't last real long. I have heard also that for RC you don't want super high grade ones because the little gritty stuff kills those faster because they have tighter tolerances.

Well i soaked my steel bearings last night in brake clean. Took em out today and sprayed them using a bearing blaster and my diff and wheels spin forever. BTW for oil i used this stuff ment for sewing machines. Its really light and didn't seem to add much drag. Anyway i cant find one of those ultrasonic cleaners anywhere around here. Is there somewhere online to get them from. Accually im looking for an rc order house based in canada. Does anyone know of one?
Also where can i get a set of high quality ceramic bearings and diff balls that will last at least a season or so.
Thanks

http://integy.automated-shops.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=102&p_catid=11&sid=4wSJJh1UY7Z94kH-06106256715.12


:thumbsup:

You can Check the local walmart in the Jewerly dept. its less than $10. I agree on the ceramic bearings some or better than others but if you want a higher ABEC rating try Boca Bearing there High price but last forever when running on carpet, but dont seem to last as long outside.I run Ceramic in the Fronts and Steel in the rear for the price I can replace them every 3 or 4 races.