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Old 06-05-2013, 12:03 PM   #10
JFP in PA
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: It's a kind of magic.....
Posts: 6,261
Quote:
Originally Posted by southernstar View Post
As to re-installing a perfectly fine bearing, I have never understood LN's prohibition except as a means of selling additional, rather expensive bearings. As I understand it, the tool from LN is designed to install the bearings without damaging them (if not, what is the use of the tool?). If the bearing is undamaged upon removal and inspection, then what is the problem? Indeed, Excellence magazine editors recommended that in order to extend the original IMS bearing's life expectancy, one should remove the original bearing's inner seal in order to allow it to be splash lubricated. How does one do that without re-installing it?
The OEM bearing is pressed into the shaft by its stronger outer housing, so there is no load on the inner race, the balls them selves, or the cage assembly during the insertion process. The LN install tool also loads only the outer housing while installing the bearing. When the bearing is extracted from the shaft using the LN tool kit, it is pulled by the center stud, significantly loading the inner race, the balls and the cage assembly, none of which is good for the unit as any deformation of any of these components will ultimately lead to it failing if reinstalled.

What the Excellence article was describing was removing the IMS bear seal that faces the flywheel so that the bearing can get splash lubricated, which can be done using a dental pick while the bearing is still installed, so it never sees any loading during the seal removal process. Removing the other seal on the side facing the inside of the IMS shaft will do nothing to improve the lubrication process, and would in fact result in the shaft remaining full of oil, which would not be a good thing. In fact, the newer IMS Solution system actually inserts a freeze plug into the shaft before the new solid pressure fed bearing is installed for that exact reason.

So it isn't always about selling more bearings, but rather founded in experience and fact.
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