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Changing Steering Head Bearings advice/info.


johnnyjazz
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hello dear cyber friends,

so moving onto replacing steering head bearings now (74TYa).  Are there any top tips or special tools i should think about or read up on before embarking on this (for me) cryptic conundrum of mechanical mastery.

are there any surprises replacing the original old ball and race with the new tapered kit?

this vid got me a wee bit nervous...

ive watched many vids online but they're all big road bikes, and i've searched the forum and found a few things, but if i'm missing a useful thread and this has been covered before please direct me there!  im just looking for a basic walk through on procedure if different/easier on a TY.

-for reference purposes, curious how long this job would take an experienced pro? 

id rather ask here first as i know time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted and id prefer to get it right first time.

thanks so much in advance for and help/guidance.  i know typing replies takes time so i'm in your debt always.

humbly, johnny

Edited by johnnyjazz
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I haven't watched the videos you posted. You need suitable steel or aluminium drifts to knock the old races out of the frame. Often the tricky part is removing the bottom bearing race from the steering stem if seized on. 1st check underneath the bottom yoke for any pre drilled hole that go through to the underside of the bottom bearing race, use a steel punch through the holes to knock the race off the stem. If no holes fitted there may be a recess on the top of the yoke to use screwdriver leverage. A dremel cutting disc can be used to cut across and through the race, be careful not to cut into the stem. Once off clean the stem of corrosion, pre grease the bearings with waterproof grease, get a length of steel tube longer than the stem that has a larger internal diameter than the stem but will rest on the new taper bearing inner race shoulder, it mustn't rest on the bearing cage. Put a film of grease on the stem. Tap the bearing down till you're certain it's seated onto the yoke. The tapered outer races need seating into the frame after cleaning their housings, add a film of grease the frame housing to aid assembly. Tap the races in squarely with a copper mallet or ideally get to pieces of 1/4" flat steel plate with holes drilled in the centre, some 10mm studding with 2 nuts, sandwich the outer races between the plates and frame at either end then draw them into the frame simultaneously by tightening the nuts to opposite each other on the studding. The top innerr taper bearing needs pre greasing and should push onto the stem with little effort. Afterwards assemble top yoke and forks, then adjust bearing preload. 

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I found when I fitted the taper roller kit to my C model that I needed to leave the seal plate off the top bearing to get enough thread for the nut to do it's job. Apart from that it was a pretty straight forward job

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Thanks for all your help peeps!  i have the new all balls kit on hand but after taking the head stock apart today i was again surprised to find relatively little wear.  now, that said,i'm no expert! this is where you guys who know this stuff much better could tell me...is it better to re grease and re use the originals if they are still ok or should i just use the new kit anyway and not put the dust seal on top to allow for the extra clearance? the races look pretty nice and shiny, bottom esp looks sweet but top is dubious in one spot...what do you think given the time to take off bottom lower cage?   thanks again so much in advance!

(first 2 pics are bottom bearing, last 3 top.)

20181021_122005.jpg

lr1.jpg

lr2.jpg

ur2.jpg

ur3.jpg

ur4.jpg

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It's all apart anyway.the outer races look f'd to me.Cut a groove in the stem race with a dremel making sure to not cut all the way thru.Then give it a big whack with a chisel and hammer.It will crack it making it easy to slide off.

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thanks ric h! im just concerned that the tapered lower race for the top on the all balls kit is larger than the original lower race. it sticks out a wee bit more than the recess allows. is this is a biggie or is this why tony27 had to leave off the dust cap?  thanks for the confirmation that they are shot though, out with the old in with the new!

Edited by johnnyjazz
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My top race stuck out a few mm which made me think that the steering head had been modified, glad to know that it isn't the case.

The lower inner race can be removed by removing the bolt through the lower clamp & pressing the shaft out, you have to make sure the relief for the bolt is lined up when refitting but it's a pretty easy job

1 of those sets of races is definitely scrap, normally it would be the lower as that's where water can collect. You do want to use the lower seals for this reason

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All sorted and done, thanks all. confidence growing more with each job!

i found that with a length of old pipe the bottom original race, when inverted on the stem was the perfect fit to drive the new lower roller cage home symmetrically. 

the lower original came off pretty effortlessly which was a pleasant surprise.

thanks again TC for being such a great resource of knowledge and wisdom and for helping us novices learn!

 

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