How Remove Paralever Front Bearing Outer Race?

[Tim Stammers]

Am doing clutch splines on my R1100S  (2001, 30,000 miles.)

 

I'm very happy to share pictures etc of the splines  in a separate  thread. For this thread I'm asking about the taper roller bearings connecting the paralever to the rear frame.   I think these may have had plenty of life left, but unfortunately I decided to replace them.  Whether they were good or not doesn't matter.  I made the move, and now I'm stuck. 

 

Using a $20 puller, I've popped the inner race out of one of them  but now  I can't see how to do the next step, which is to remove the outer race. It sits  in the machined hole in the paralever  casting - bottomed out, so there's no shoulder on the race to apply force to using either a puller or a driver. Hopefully you can see a pic embedded in this post, or attached to it.

 

 

 

 

 

The BMW shop manual lists a part number for an extractor tool, but Google can't find anybody selling that tool, and anyway it's not clear whether the tool is for the front or rear paralever bearings.  There is a picture, but it doesn't help at all (I think the tool is  for bearings at the rear of the paralever, which are already out - they were easy. Maybe  BMW didn't bother working out how to pull the front bearings, because they last considerably longer.)

 

The  options that I see:

 

 A) Use a Dremel to open up one of the two grooves at the top of the race, which may give enough shoulder for a modified puller to grip on.

OR 

B) Heat and cold - torch and dry ice , and hope the bloody thing drops out under its own weight. I;ve already tried heat alone, which  didn't work.

 

I think A) is the way to go, but does anybody have any advice or suggestions?

 

Cheers

 

TIm Stammers (no, that's actually my name)

R1100S

R100CS 

R50

Honda CB200

[dirtrider]

42 minutes ago, Tim Stammers said:

Am doing clutch splines on my R1100S  (2001, 30,000 miles.)

 

I'm very happy to share pictures etc of the splines  in a separate  thread. For this thread I'm asking about the taper roller bearings connecting the paralever to the rear frame.   I think these may have had plenty of life left, but unfortunately I decided to replace them.  Whether they were good or not doesn't matter.  I made the move, and now I'm stuck. 

 

Using a $20 puller, I've popped the inner race out of one of them  but now  I can't see how to do the next step, which is to remove the outer race. It sits  in the machined hole in the paralever  casting - bottomed out, so there's no shoulder on the race to apply force to using either a puller or a driver. Hopefully you can see a pic embedded in this post, or attached to it.

 

 

 

 

 

The BMW shop manual lists a part number for an extractor tool, but Google can't find anybody selling that tool, and anyway it's not clear whether the tool is for the front or rear paralever bearings.  There is a picture, but it doesn't help at all (I think the tool is  for bearings at the rear of the paralever, which are already out - they were easy. Maybe  BMW didn't bother working out how to pull the front bearings, because they last considerably longer.)

 

The  options that I see:

 

 A) Use a Dremel to open up one of the two grooves at the top of the race, which may give enough shoulder for a modified puller to grip on.

OR 

B) Heat and cold - torch and dry ice , and hope the bloody thing drops out under its own weight. I;ve already tried heat alone, which  didn't work.

 

I think A) is the way to go, but does anybody have any advice or suggestions?

 

Cheers

 

TIm Stammers (no, that's actually my name)

R1100S

R100CS 

R50

Honda CB200

Evening Tim

 

Those things can test you_

 

I usually try to drive the race out from the opposite side with a long rod. If you try all the way around you might find a place where the rod will just catch the race & start moving it. Once it moves a little then you can usually work around it & drive it out. 

 

I'm assuming that your swing arm is one of those that doesn't give you any place to get a rod to catch the race??

 

On those, I just clean the race of ALL grease & oil, then find a thick washer that will drop in to about 1/2 way centered in the tapered race. 

 

Then I just TIG weld the washer to the race in 4 places (short welds about 1/4" long). This heats the race & washer as I weld so when the whole deal cools  it shrinks so then I can easily tap the race out from the opposite side. 

 

If you don't have a welder or can't weld then you might get a proper fitting washer then take the swing arm  to a  local welder to have them tac weld it for you. 

 

Another thing you m-i-g-h-t try is to try to get your puller to bite on the back of the race (just get it to stick there) then once in place come in from the other side with a rod with as much angle as possible then drive directly  on the puller foot.     

[Tim Stammers]

Hi Dirt Rider,

 

Thanks for your  answer. Yup, as you asked (and I wish I could have said it that simply) there is nowhere for a rod (or  puller) to catch on the race. I like your idea of welding a washer to the race. I could take it to a local welder to do it. Hadn't thought of that and I'm guessing it would be the simplest route, so thanks again.

 

Cheers

 

Tim

 

 

[Skywagon]

You should see DR's remedy for a broken head bolt.  I'll give you a clue...It's not an ez out but does involve a tac weld.

[Tim Stammers]

Hang on. Could I do this if I bought  a $150 HF welder? Owning a welder would make me feel bigger and smarter....

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welders/flux-125-welder-63582.html

• Flux 125 Welder
• Output up to 125 amps
• Best in class duty cycle: 90A AC @17V, 20%

[Scott9999]

5 hours ago, Tim Stammers said:

Hang on. Could I do this if I bought  a $150 HF welder? Owning a welder would make me feel bigger and smarter....

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welders/flux-125-welder-63582.html

• Flux 125 Welder
• Output up to 125 amps
• Best in class duty cycle: 90A AC @17V, 20%

It worked for me!!  UNTIL, my 20 year old son left for college, and took it with him.  Of course, now he's 33 years old with a wife, kids, a nice garage with outstanding tools, and ....

... my old arc welder.  😖   (Actually, I was cool with it.  It was nice to have around the shop for the odd project, but he used it 10x more than I did.  Maybe some day the kid will throw his old man a bone, and give him some of his left over tools.🤣)   

 

Good luck with the project.  I'm sure I've done this before on my old 2003 RT-P, because when I did the transmission and clutch (circa 2006-7), I replaced just about every bearing as I tore the bike down, and rebuilt it (9 month+ project).

[dirtrider]

10 hours ago, Tim Stammers said:

Hang on. Could I do this if I bought  a $150 HF welder? Owning a welder would make me feel bigger and smarter....

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welders/flux-125-welder-63582.html

• Flux 125 Welder
• Output up to 125 amps
• Best in class duty cycle: 90A AC @17V, 20%

Morning Tim

 

COULD YOU use this-- Yes.  Do I recommend that you do this-- No!

 

Welding to a hardened bearing race with a cheap flux welder is not a good first welding project. Those things spatter like crazy,  plus (precision) welding isn't as easy as it looks.  

[Tim Stammers]

Just to close this out in case it helps somebody  in future: It dawned on me (OK,, actually somebody else pointed out) that I could put a drift through the big hole in the paralever/swingarm  next to the bearing (the hole for the drive shaft) and angle the drift into the bearing race to drive it out. I did that, angling the drift  into the groove cut into the race for the seal, and the  race pretty much just popped out.

 

There is no such convenient big hole on the bearing on the other side of the swingarm, so I'm leaving that one alone. If ain't broke etc.

 

Thx again. One  day I'll buy a welder.