HOW TO CLEAN BEARINGS || RC Tips & Maintenance

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[RyanHarrisRC]

Anyone else jam out to some tunes while wrenching? 🎶

[pappyman]

I just wanted to say that I'm not into RC cars, but I've been refurbishing shaft bearings in a similar way since before you were born [literally]. I gave your video a like because you presented the information in a clear, correct and pleasant way, sorta like Bob Ross. ;-) For those that have not done this before, let me assure you, it makes a world of difference and can often give you a couple more years of use for things like squirrel-cage fans, squeaky motors, skate boards, bicycle pedals, crank, wheel and neck bearings etc.. It can also breath new life into junkyard motors and shop tools and things, saving you lots of money. A great technique and tool to have for your whole life. Back in the day we used to use freon, trichloroethylene or M.E.K. and you almost didn't need to blow them dry, but that is nasty stuff before we knew about cancer and the ozone layer. Alcohol is a safe and cheap way to do it and not ruin the the atmospere; good choice. Best of luck on your channel, I'm off to find the next random YouTube rabbit hole to fall into.

[LulzRoyce]

Bearing maintenance is the bain of my existence. I just always buy new ones.

[kmzai]

Instead of denatured alcohol you can use citrus cleaners as they works perfect for removing dirt and thick grease

[dpc-bski]

I just wanted to thank you I’m just an amateur and I’ve been watching your videos to learn from a pro. It’s hard to find someone that takes the time to make videos that are willing to show a step by step process and you’re the only one that takes the time to show your tips, tricks and secrets step by step the way you do. Someday I hope I’ll be able to have the skill and the money to buy the the cars and equiptment to race with you . I can’t afford to race and where I live they’re aren’t any tracks but I learn a lot from you. Thanks again! Keep winning races! And please keep posting the races you’re racing in so we all can enjoy watching them!

[originalkontrol]

As always, great video. Your attention to detail is great. I needed to see how to remove those shields! Thanks!

[Ben_Howard]

Ultrasonic cleaner is great cleaner! (The precision guys say it pits the metal, but for RC it’s not a concern) however don’t fill the whole bath with denatured alcohol, as it has a low flash point. You can use a beaker or glass jar, make a rubber base (old rc tyres) and place that in the bath of water. That’s the basics but it works brilliantly. Plus the ultrasonic cleaner is great for cleaning other parts.

[JeffSmith-eqkc]

One thing to look at would be NLGI-1 bearing greases. If you're looking for pure speed, no, but if you want some measure of longevity and speed then it's worth a look. There's a product made by Gennel that's a very light NLGI-1 bearing grease. It essentially turns into oil when the bearings are running but it gives you a bit of protection.

[therccollaborative]

I like how you explain that the grease is slower but increases the life of the bearing (implied). Using Oil does make the bearings faster;however. requires allot more maintenance and does not protect the bearing as well so I prefer to pack with grease which makes the bearing smoother and highly reduces wear while resisting moisture and dirt better.

I believe if you wanted to run oil instead of grease I would keep 2 or 3 full sets of bearings on hand so you can swap them at any point and clean/re grease them in your off time. This will allow you to keep maintenance up while preventing having to stop and maintain your bearings every time you touch them. I would feel obligated to clean them each time I feel they are gritty which takes more time and this could be an issue when racing. Running them gritty wears the bearings out really fast.

If I had more money to invest in bearings I would totally do this because I could benefit from the faster oil without worrying about immediate maintenance.

How often do you end up cleaning your bearings? After each main race event? Or can you go longer?

[christopherguzzi]

Great advice. I admire the attention to detail. I'm certainly not made of money, but for less than a buck a bearing, I just throw them away and replace with new.

[RevIt]

Hi Ryan, this maybe just a lazy trick, but i find it works on my old bearings.. I've always dodged removing seals, big fingers and knowing WD40 removes grease as well as water and dirt, just from playing with big cars all my life, i use it to clean the bearings complete, seals and all, of course with dirty bearings you need to repeat a few times like the alcohol, but with the WD and some working i find you can get them pretty decent, then just blow off, wipe then work the oil in past the seals, usually let them sit with the oil on top and it will soak in. I don't replace many bearings doing this, can usually get them spinning nicely, unless they are really shagged, lol.

[benpetz]

Very good topic Ryan. I made a research a couple of years ago which oil is the best for bearings with low drag and it came out that Aeroshell fluid 12 shall be one of the best. It is used for aircraft instruments gimbal bearings etc. Unfortunately it is hard to get and also the price has raised a lot in the last years. I found also out that a few RC companies which sell small bearing oil bottles have these oil in the bottle but different labeled of course. Just for the information. Keep racing.

[dustinspallone]

Awesome video! Was just doing this yesterday cleaning my bearings for Springs this weekend.

[inlinesix]

Great video, but don't forget the safety glasses when blowing chemicals out of stuff with compressed air.

[jakebish]

Ryan- have you done a video on ceramic bearings? If not will you? Whats your thoughts on ceramic vs. All others, including hybrids? Thanks man love your channel.

[JosephStampfl]

Using a shop magnet to pull the bearings out is a good way to avoid sticking your hands in the cleaning solution if you don't have gloves - or if you don't want to use gloves.

[andrearosotti]

Very interesting video!! Your tips video are very cool and interesting at the same time. What about a tip video on tire and insert choice and preparation? (except for gluing since it already exists)

[customdrums]

I do a similar cleaning the oiling for my longboard bearings using a citrus cleaner. Makes them fast and spin for ever.

[GregDaGoblin]

Back in the day seemed they all had those tiny C shaped clips, whether they were sealed or not. Man I had a bunch of those spring off and go flying. Once the bearing is open my favorite way to clean them was stick it on a shaft or a pencil or something and blast it at an angle with a spay can of electrical contact cleaner. It'll spin the bearing super fast and sling everything out. Plus it dries fast and leaves practically no residue.

[estebanyee]

Hi, we use thin Grease on bearings. Work great on dirt track.