Technical Shelf life of a Sealed Bearing?

I need to put a wheel bearing in my brother's 58 chevy wagon. New they cost about $80 and a day (at least) to order it. I have a NORS bearing that I got from a friend about ten years ago when he was cleaning out his storage, who knows how many decades his dad had it? Feels ok, the grease is a bit stiff, but it is old fashioned wheel bearing grease.

Anyone have horror stories of using an old bearing? or success stories?

 

I would use it in a heartbeat, gotta be as good, or better than what you can buy new now.

 

Wash out the old waxy grease with solvent, repack it and use it. Being an axle bearing the grease will be washed away by the gear oil once you put a few miles on it anyway. It'll be fine. At least you know it ain't made in China !!

 

I'd put it in and run it as is. Being sealed, you know its clean and that it has the correct amount of grease in it. Too much grease will make a sealed ball or roller bearing run hot, so trying to repack one isn't a good idea unless you happen to know how many cc's of grease it was packed with initially.

I replaced the noisy bearings in a 10hp electric motor on one of my lathes a few years ago with a pair that were still in the box, and the box had a manufacture date of 1968. They've run just fine with regular use ever since.

 

If that's the bearing above its not a sealed item and if its another that is sealed I would use it as the grease will soon remix. They sit in use in e vehicle for a lot longer than they do on a shelf. JW

 

I would use it as long as there is no rust,,looks good to me. HRP

 

Like the man sez, at least you know it ain't made in China! If it still has grease on it, and no rust on it, it's as good as new.

 

I think I'd try to use it.
I have also used these ones
https://m.lategreatchevy.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Axle bearing&x=0&y=0
From ecklers. No issues with the. Either.

 

Columbus took a chance

 

True, but 3 of his 6 ships sailed off the edge.

I'd use it, too, but I don't see anything that indicates where it was made.

 

The picture shows a sealed bearing, so the grease won't be contaminated be gear oil. If the grease isn't crunchy, run it!

 

Just a little help if you need it. LOL !!

**Click: "Watch This Video on You Tube" after clicking red arrow.**

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I went ahead and installed the bearing, hopefully it will work good and last a long time. I opened up the instruction sheet the rest of the way, the date on it is 1965. damn...almost 50 years old. The grease didn't appear to have oil weeping out, the O rings are still soft and pliable, etc.

 

When I was in the Navy we would get spare parts, including bearings, that were ancient and we used them with confidence. The air compressors on the boat were '30s vintage and still would pump up 4800# pressure. The last time I saw that Submarine was in 1965 in dry dock being cut up for s****.

 

Just for some info... There are bearings for this application on "that" auction site from $18.99 up. $35ish buys some old stock U.S.A. made bearings. I would have used what I had as long as they turned freely.

 

It's sealed and looks fine to me, I'd defiantly use it..


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I was poking around on the internets, older info said SKF had a recommended shelf life of 5 to 10 years on sealed bearings. Their current web page says 3 years. I guess they gotta do something to stay in business?

 

You can get a needle shaped extension for your grease gun, great for greasing sealed bearings.

 

hope it works....I have a refrigerator full of NOS bearings....

 

I sold some similar rear wheel bearings I bought in a box at the flea market, of all places, for pretty good money on eBay and had no complaints from anyone. Go ahead and use it. It's probably USA made and better than what you can buy new now.

 

this is what I would use to inject a little new lube into it to help replenish any lost oil , once it heats up the grease should mix up if any oil seeped out of the soap mix . I have used semi sealed bearings that were from before WWII for applications ( with leather seals ) because they were purchased with the machine when it was new . and years later if finally failed ( because someone didn't grease it ) and the replacements are still in the thing today running 30 years later .

 

The bearing is good but I guess the grease would be in question. Pete http://www.skf.com/group/products/lubrication-solutions/lubricants/index.html

 

Fortunately it's a BCA bearing, not an SKF bearing

 

planned obsolecence Sp?

 

Sorry not awake yet!! Is the grease different or it does not matter being a different bearing? Pete

 

Soft parts on a shelf bearing will begin to break down in in a few years if it's an older bearing. The new materials today won't do that. May start to leak past the seal onto the brakes.

 

There is a gasket on the bearing retainer, so when it leaks, it leaks out the weep hole below the axle, onto the other side of the backing plate. And makes a mess on the tire, etc.

 

Least the install papers have a zip code!
Should be fine, esp. if you needle some grease into it.

 

I just replaced the rear wheel bearings on my 55. Not exactly sure how long the "new" bearings were sitting on a shelf, but the instruction sheet was printed in Chicago ILL Zone 7.....So they are pre-zip code bearings. So far they have held up OK. However there is only a couple of hundred miles on them. They did survive The Byron Meltdown Drags, though.

 

I wouldn't even worry about the grease, I'd run it as is, grease doesn't break down that much from sitting, and as for everything else, my daily and a lot of other guys dailys on here have older stuff that hasn't been replaced since Detroit. Honestly the only time I would balk is if I found it in a bin of metal shavings or under water