Pedal bearings

[Anonymous Cowar]

Hi,

I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are beginning
to feel grainy
- the rubber seal on the worst one is slightly damaged. I
gather it is possible to service the cup & cone bearings -
but I can't find a service manual anywhere.

Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
worthwhile greasing them and possibly changing the bearings?
My worry is that the cups & cones may not be replaceable, so
if I don't do something now they may be permanently damaged?

Thanks,

AC

 

[Richard Ney]

anonymous coward writes:

> I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are
> beginning to feel grainy
> - the rubber seal on the worst one is slightly damaged. I
> gather it is possible to service the cup & cone bearings
> - but I can't find a service manual anywhere.
>
> Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
> worthwhile greasing them and possibly changing the
> bearings? My worry is that the cups & cones may not be
> replaceable, so if I don't do something now they may be
> permanently damaged?

Drip some 30W motor oil in there.

 

[Dale Benjamin]

When the damage is apparent it's usually too late to
lubricate, the races are probably bad too.

For replacement seals, which are generally not available at
stores, roll up some aluminum foil into a tight ball, pound
it flat, and cut a bit oversize, and wedge it in, sometimes
it don't wedge very well so one must use small gauge wire to
hold it in place.

"anonymous coward" <[email protected]> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are
> beginning to feel
grainy
> - the rubber seal on the worst one is slightly damaged. I
> gather it is possible to service the cup & cone bearings
> - but I can't find a service manual anywhere.
>
> Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
> worthwhile
greasing
> them and possibly changing the bearings? My worry is that
> the cups & cones may not be replaceable, so if I don't do
> something now they may be permanently damaged?
>
> Thanks,
>
> AC

 

[Peter Cole]

"anonymous coward" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are
> beginning to feel grainy
> - the rubber seal on the worst one is slightly damaged. I
> gather it is possible to service the cup & cone bearings
> - but I can't find a service manual anywhere.
>
> Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
> worthwhile greasing them and possibly changing the
> bearings? My worry is that the cups & cones may not be
> replaceable, so if I don't do something now they may be
> permanently damaged?

Try a google search on groups, there are a few old threads.
There's also a section on parktools.com on servicing
Shimano pedals.

 

[Anonymous Cowar]

Dale Benjamin wrote:

> When the damage is apparent it's usually too late to
> lubricate, the races are probably bad too.

Ouch

> For replacement seals, which are generally not available
> at stores, roll up some aluminum foil into a tight ball,
> pound it flat, and cut a bit oversize, and wedge it in,
> sometimes it don't wedge very well so one must use small
> gauge wire to hold it in place.

Thanks, that's pretty neat.

AC

 

[Anonymous Cowar]

Peter Cole wrote:

> "anonymous coward" <[email protected]> wrote
> in message news:[email protected]...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are
>> beginning to feel grainy - the rubber seal on the worst
>> one is slightly damaged. I gather it is possible to
>> service the cup & cone bearings - but I can't find a
>> service manual anywhere.
>>
>> Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
>> worthwhile greasing them and possibly changing the
>> bearings? My worry is that the cups & cones may not be
>> replaceable, so if I don't do something now they may be
>> permanently damaged?
>
> Try a google search on groups, there are a few old
> threads. There's also a section on parktools.com on
> servicing Shimano pedals.

I did do, but I didn't find the info I was looking for. The
Park-Tools section shows quite a different type of pedal,
"shimano 324 pedal service" finds only 2 threads, and the
Shimano website's link to a service manual seems to be down.

I guess I could have put my question a bit more clearly. I
already know how to service cup & cone bearings, but the
tool I would need is quite expensive. If the bearings aren't
too bad, or if they're completely replaceable then I'll buy
it and service them. But if they're too far gone, and can't
be completely replaced, then I will save money & time by
doing nothing...

AC

 

[Tom Nakashima]

I have the Shimano SPD M525 pedals which is also ball
bearing. I tried to adjust the bearings without using the
parks Shimano pedal tool with a screwdriver and a socket.
After about 40 minutes of fussing to get the adjustment
right and thinking I had the locking nut tight enough, the
bearings tightened up after a few hundred miles. I ended up
purchasing the Shimano tool, which is well made and a must.
Adjustment takes about 2 min. -tom

"anonymous coward" <[email protected]> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> Peter Cole wrote:
>
> > "anonymous coward" <[email protected]>
> > wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I have some Shimano M324 pedals whose bearings are
> >> beginning to feel grainy - the rubber seal on the worst
> >> one is slightly damaged. I gather it is possible to
> >> service the cup & cone bearings - but I can't find a
> >> service manual anywhere.
> >>
> >> Should I just ride them until they fail, or would it be
> >> worthwhile greasing them and possibly changing the
> >> bearings? My worry is that the cups & cones may not be
> >> replaceable, so if I don't do something now
they
> >> may be permanently damaged?
> >
> > Try a google search on groups, there are a few old
> > threads. There's also
a
> > section on parktools.com on servicing Shimano pedals.
>
> I did do, but I didn't find the info I was looking for.
> The Park-Tools section shows quite a different type of
> pedal, "shimano 324 pedal service" finds only 2 threads,
> and the Shimano website's link to a service manual seems
> to be down.
>
> I guess I could have put my question a bit more clearly. I
> already know
how
> to service cup & cone bearings, but the tool I would need
> is quite expensive. If the bearings aren't too bad, or if
> they're completely replaceable then I'll buy it and
> service them. But if they're too far
gone,
> and can't be completely replaced, then I will save money &
> time by doing nothing...
>
> AC

 

[Dale Benjamin]

Generally I can find a socket for a ratchet wrench to make
the inside circle.

I've had a few problems with pedal seals, too.

"anonymous coward" <[email protected]> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> Dale Benjamin wrote:
>
> > When the damage is apparent it's usually too late to
> > lubricate, the
races
> > are probably bad too.
>
> Ouch
>
> > For replacement seals, which are generally not available
> > at stores, roll up some aluminum foil into a tight ball,
> > pound it flat, and cut a bit oversize, and wedge it in,
> > sometimes it don't wedge very well so one
must
> > use small gauge wire to hold it in place.
>
> Thanks, that's pretty neat.
>
> AC