Originally Posted by queerpunk

How to repack your pedals, especially if they are MKS Sylvans.

MKS Sylvans are simple, solid, popular pedals. The bearing quality is fine, but found that my left pedal's bearings went downhill when I lost the dustcap due to pedal strike during an alleycat. It's a simple equation: dirt sticks to grease, which turns bearings from smooth surfaces into, well, sandpaper. You can hear it, you can feel it, and it's not pretty.

To repack my pedal, I found myself using some less than ideal tools for the job. Here's the list:

1. degreaser in a little bowl.
2. rag.
3. 15mm wrench.
4. pliers on a multitool.
5. phil wood's waterproof grease.
6. Pencil.
7. 15-30 minutes of your time.

Step 1: For me, step one was to hit my pedal against the asphalt in New Haven hard enough to shatter the dustcap, but for you, it might be as simple as removing the dustcap, or maybe even just wondering where your dustcap went and why a new one costs $5, which is about a quarter of the price of a set of pedals, new.

Step 2.a: Take your pedal apart. I generally don't like pliers, because they chew up nuts more than an appropriate-sized wrench does. However, I didn't have the right sized wrench, nor did I have a small, nimble adjustable that would fit the locknut. I used the pliers to loosen and remove the locknut. Being firm, gentle, and not slipping will lower your chance of slipping and gouging the nut unrecognizable. Then, I used the 15mm wrench to loosen and remove the cone. I had to stick the wrench in along the rotational axis and just nibble at the cone with it, because the cone is pretty well covered by the pedal body. A low-profile socket wrench would be a far superior tool here.

Step 2.b: Using a rag to make sure that the ballbearings don't fall all over the place, remove the pedal body from the spindle. You'll notice that, like a hub, the cone of the 2 bearing assemblies is part of the pedal body, and the cup on the inside bearing is just part of the spindle, meaning that one locknut and cone is what holds both bearing assemblies together. Gather all the ballbearings (you might need the pencil to poke them out) and let them sit in the degreaser with the locknut and cone.

Step 3: Dip your rag in degreaser and clean off the bearing surfaces. Remove all grease. I like to put the rag on the pencil and clean out the inside of the pedal, too, just to remove any grease that fell in there if the ballbearings decided to take the long way out.

Step 4: After those bearings and nuts have degreased, wipe them down with a rag to make sure you get rid of any clingy bits of old, gross grease.

Step 5: Using that delightful Phil Waterproof Grease, layer grease on the bearing surface on the inside (crankside) bearing assembly of the pedal. Plop a lot in there, but don't just squirt it in to the pedal - place it all in the cup there. One by one, but the bearings back in; you might use the pencil to push them into the grease just a bit so that they don't get in the way when you put the pedal back on to the spindle. If I recall correctly, each side has 11 bearings. When you're done with this, slide the pedal body back on to the spindle.

Step 6: repeat step 6, but for the outside bearing assembly.

Step 7: apply just a bit of crease on to the spindle threads. Gently screw the cone down until it gets snug against the bearings. Do the same for the locknut.

Step 8: now here's the tricky part - tightening the locknut and the cone at the right spot, so that there's no play in the pedal, but the bearings are not too tight. I found it worked to tighten the cone down, and then moderately tighten the locknut, and then back the cone off against the locknut. Any time you're moving one of them against the other, you'll need to hold both, lest they spin together. It was awkward with pliers and sticking the wrench in, but it worked. Make sure that the locknut and the cone are tight against each other, so that the pedal bearing assemblies won't loosen up while you're riding.

Step 9: Optional. Order a new dustcap from where ever, like Trackstar which I know sells them on their website. Furrow your brow over the $5 price. Wait patiently. When it comes, eagerly open the package, and then screw it on, protecting your pedal re-pack job. Put the pedal back on and ride.

NOTES:
Even with exposed bearings, I haven't repacked since July, and my bearings are as smooth as I need them to be.

If you're dealing with old pedals with some rusted parts, WD-40 might be a good idea to break up some of the rust so that you can loosen those nuts and take apart the pedal. Be sure to thoroughly clean, degrease, and regrease though.

I don't know of a wrench that can grab the cone nut and leave room for something to grab the locknut. I'm interested in hearing how other people might do this.

I'll add pictures when I do this again. Don't know when that will be since I did such a winning job the first time.