Bottom bracket problem.
06-08-20, 08:26 PM
#1
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Bottom bracket problem.
I was having quite a bit of play on the axle of my 85 Sequoia and I thought I had actually broken it. I refurbished it a few weeks ago cleaned relubed and put new bearings in.
Well I took it apart and the axle ,cups and cones looked good so I put it back together.There is a fine line in tightening it that I can't seem to achieve
If I tighten it to where there is no play in the axle the axle is quite stiff to turn by hand. If I loosen it up a bit to where it turns a little bit easier I have
a small amount of play in the axle.. I refurbished all 4 of my other vintage bikes and had no trouble adjusting the tightness and none of them have any play
at all in the axle.
Well I took it apart and the axle ,cups and cones looked good so I put it back together.There is a fine line in tightening it that I can't seem to achieve
If I tighten it to where there is no play in the axle the axle is quite stiff to turn by hand. If I loosen it up a bit to where it turns a little bit easier I have
a small amount of play in the axle.. I refurbished all 4 of my other vintage bikes and had no trouble adjusting the tightness and none of them have any play
at all in the axle.
06-08-20, 08:31 PM
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loose balls or retainers?
one possibility might be a faulty ball
as an experiment you could repack with all new balls, making sure you have eleven per side, and see if there is a difference...
another thing you could do is to face the shell
with symptoms of this sort i like to do the easy straightforward stuff first. if that resolves it you are done. if it does not then one needs to vector deeper...
-----
loose balls or retainers?
one possibility might be a faulty ball
as an experiment you could repack with all new balls, making sure you have eleven per side, and see if there is a difference...
another thing you could do is to face the shell
with symptoms of this sort i like to do the easy straightforward stuff first. if that resolves it you are done. if it does not then one needs to vector deeper...
-----
Last edited by juvela; 06-08-20 at 08:39 PM.
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06-08-20, 08:32 PM
#3
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No chance that you have a bearing cage backward is there?
06-08-20, 08:49 PM
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06-08-20, 08:57 PM
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Also check the cups closely a crack in one of the cups can cause the described issues.
06-09-20, 12:26 AM
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06-09-20, 08:57 AM
#7
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Check the threads and seat on the right side too. If the right side is not seated correctly, you'll never get it adjusted correctly.
06-09-20, 11:10 AM
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Problem finally fixed. I took the bearings out of the cages and put them in loose and it worked like a charm.
Was very easy to adjust and no axle play.
Was very easy to adjust and no axle play.
06-09-20, 01:00 PM
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Literally the first time that I took apart a hub (age six, while fixing a flat by myself for the first time, and with curiosity getting the better of me), I reinstalled the cages backwards.
That's my oldest memory of making a mechanical mistake. I've since taken apart many an old bike having the same assembly error.
The symptom was just as the OP described, and which I attributed to faulty parts at the time.
Years later, preparing the same bike for sale to a neighbor (repainting fully-stripped frame), I discovered my error. I had readjusted the bearings a few times over the years, and by this time the bearing cages were, shall I say, "well worn"!
Here's me on that hard-ridden old bike, the front hub no doubt still grinding, but not too long before I sold it:
That's my oldest memory of making a mechanical mistake. I've since taken apart many an old bike having the same assembly error.
The symptom was just as the OP described, and which I attributed to faulty parts at the time.
Years later, preparing the same bike for sale to a neighbor (repainting fully-stripped frame), I discovered my error. I had readjusted the bearings a few times over the years, and by this time the bearing cages were, shall I say, "well worn"!
Here's me on that hard-ridden old bike, the front hub no doubt still grinding, but not too long before I sold it:
06-09-20, 01:24 PM
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06-09-20, 01:28 PM
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06-09-20, 02:01 PM
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06-09-20, 02:47 PM
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No, this one you started a day later where you show a photo of the retainer:
Caged bottom bracket bearing direction.
Caged bottom bracket bearing direction.
06-09-20, 02:57 PM
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No, this one you started a day later where you show a photo of the retainer:
Caged bottom bracket bearing direction.
Caged bottom bracket bearing direction.
