ampa

hi, how do you know when bearings need to be replaced? so far i believed that is time to do it when the crankshaft has play, but reading a post about the o.s. 160 made me believe that a non play bearing can cause problems.comments requested.

wcmorrison

My Feedback: (2)

Bearings should be replaced wenh they feel gritty or rough when turning over the engine. Bearings should be very smooth, low friction operation. End play, if not very much, is not an indicator for changing a bearing. If on the other hand, if tghe engine has a lot of end play then you probably do need to change them. All engines have some end play, some small moverment backward and forward. When running, the prop will pull to the front and load up the bearing. Sometimes when the end cap (or back plate) is removed you can see rub marks on the end cap from the crankshaft indicating some end play is present. Most bearting problems occur from rust that leads to premature wear in the races and on the bearings.

Open up the back plate of the engine and observe the rear (or main) bearing. If it is rusty and cruddy looking, you probably need to replace the bearings. Front bearings do not give much of a problem but since they do not cost very much and you have the engine torn down to replace the main bearing, you might as well change it to.

You do not say what kind of engine. End play is most commonly found in bushing type bearings. If the engine has a bushing type bearing, it cannot be replaced, it is in there for the life of the engine. Just make sure you use some Castor oil in the fuel. And it will last forever. The crankshaft actually rides on a film of oil between the bushing and the crankshaft.

Cheers,

Chip

jak_kkaall

Can you please advice me if I should change the ball bearings on a propdrive 42-58 500kv 60w engine after it hit the ground. The engine still works fine, shaft
straight, lots of power, everything ok but when I hand spin the prop some slight noises are heard. You can barely hear it.. I think it's the front bearing, what could had happened inside it? should I change it? The rear one I
couldn't find on my local store or hk. What could happen if I don't change it? How can a bearing go wrong after prop strike? What happens to them? And what can happen if I oil them and let them there?
Thank you!

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Try here for a quicker, more accurate answer, Thanks: https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/ele...iscussion-106/