Bearing grease

**sjm** · 22nd May 2011, 05:59 PM

Today I did something really stupid - I sprayed WD40 on the headstock bearings. Yes, I know, dumb idea, and I have learned my lesson. After the banshee started screaming I quickly realised what I'd done. No problem, I thought, I'll just pull the bearings out and re-pack them... Hmm.. took a while to work out how to remove them, but eventually got them out. Re-packed them with a grease I use for my bike hubs and bottom bracket and re-assembled everything. It's certainly better than a banshee, but it's still not as quiet as the original grease, so here is my question - what do people recommend as a bearing grease for the headstock? Thanks.

**thompy** · 22nd May 2011, 07:44 PM

HTB , high temperature bearing grease, its a bentone clay based grease, yellowish in colour. The castrol variant is what i'd use, good for temps up to 200deg c. its made for auto disc brakes and trailer bearings and the like. i cannot imagine a lathe bearing getting hotter than that (i'm often wrong though). Usually quite cheap from most normal sources, and probably better than both your wd-40 or your bike bearing grease at the very least. You could also use the blue apx t (lithium base complex) but i think it would be overkill, see what others have to say.

Neal.

**Neal** · 23rd May 2011, 01:52 PM

Mate the bearings will no doubt be done for now if they had been run without grease it does not take long at all to destroy them (we used to get into trouble as aprentices spinning up bearings on our fingers with air blowers after cleaning them) but as Neal above said any high temp bearing grease is ok but do not go to the extreme & over pack them also.

Cheers
Neal

**sjm** · 23rd May 2011, 02:13 PM

Nah, they'll be fine. It was only run for a few seconds with no load after I de-greased it. Classic dry bearing noise when I started it up, so stopped it straight away. I knew immediately what the problem was, so I was careful not to run it in that condition. I picked up some Castrol HTB today, and I'll repack them tonight.

**hughie** · 23rd May 2011, 06:32 PM

]

Nah, they'll be fine. It was only run for a few seconds with no load after I de-greased it. Classic dry bearing noise when I started it up, so stopped it straight away. I knew immediately what the problem was, so I was careful not to run it in that condition. I picked up some Castrol HTB today, and I'll repack them tonight.

[/QUOTE]

dont over pack them it canbe as bad as no grease.

**sjm** · 23rd May 2011, 08:54 PM

Done, all better now, and much faster this time too

**thompy** · 23rd May 2011, 09:52 PM

no more banshee noises, good stuff.

I like to keep on top of those type of noises so i can hear the real one when she brings coffee an biscuits.

Neal.

**hughie** · 24th May 2011, 10:07 PM

I like to keep on top of those type of noises so i can hear the real one when she brings coffee an biscuits.

now thats what I like.

**brendan stemp** · 25th May 2011, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by thompy

no more banshee noises, good stuff.

I like to keep on top of those type of noises so i can hear the real one when she brings coffee an biscuits.

Neal.

Anyone who brings you coffee and biscuits could not/ should not be called a banshee

**thompy** · 25th May 2011, 07:08 PM

lol, 18 years married, i'm grumpy and she's pretty, and feeds me, it gives her the right to wail at me like a banshee, and i'm grumpy enough to call a spade a shovel

. So could not / should not just is because it works

Neal.

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