Rear bearings??

[TRHOD]

Ok all you foreman guru people out there. I have a question.

I'm being told that the rear bearings, if submerged in water, are as suceptible to water damage just like the front bearings.

Now I was aware of the weak link with the front bearings and the "sealed" drums, but I hadn't heard anything about the rear bearings being in jepordy.

Have you all seen this problem in the mud and water with the rear bearings? Have you change out your rear bearings? Is this something to look forward to with all the straight rear axle Hondas (Rubicon)?

Lay your thoughts on me, bros, I'm all ears.

Blessings,

[MuddnMason]

Ted, that is what I am going to be doing in a few hours. My rear "sealed" brakes are shot, so while I have it all torn down, I am going to put new bearing and all in it.

[MuddnMason]

Addendum:

Well, I WAS going to clean and put new pads, and adjust the rear brakes, as well as put the new seals in the axle. However, the axle nut is like a 32mm. The biggest I had was 27mm. Dern... We did go ahead and unstick the break pedal. Found out that I was missing a spring there as well. As soon as I get my parts in, and get ahold of a BIG DAMN SOCKET I'm going to replace the bearings. Jake, correct me if I am wrong on the size of that nut, and isnt the torque spec on this nut something like 111 ft lbs?

[Jake]

Ther rear bearings are somewhat more durable than the front ones, however they are subject to wear just like any mechanical thing, and if you use them under water and in mud, they are subject to more wear. The left rear seems far more failure prone than the two rights, but both should be checked periodically. The left one is the one that can take out the axle along with it if left failed and unattended to for too long.

The wheels will never "rock" like the front ones will. The way to check is to jack up the back of the bike slightly (wheels just off the ground), and use a prybar or similar to lift either wheel straight up while watching the INSIDE of the hub for relative motion against the axle tube.

I would have said 30mm, but there can be some variation in castellated nuts of the same thread size. I am not going to say it isn't 32mm, but it's worth a careful double check.

If you have to get the socket, skip Sears and Home depot, and go straight to the absolute cheapest junk sellin' parts store in town. 30-36mm sockets are automotive standard axle nut sockets, and they have super cheap ones. They're half inch drive, and the steel is cheap, so the walls are crazy thick, so you really wouldn't want a "general purpose" set like them, but you really won't care for this, and you'll save a good deal on the socket. Deep well is best IMO, but you'll still want a short extension (or long one) and a good sized ratchet or breaker bar.

101 foot pounds is the magic number that you're looking for, but remember it's 101, and then tighter to the next place where the castleated nut lines up with the cotter pin hole, so it may be well more than that. Check out the condition of the cotter pins too, you may need to match it up if you don't intend to or aren't able to reuse the others. (Technically you shouldn't ever re-use them ever, but I'll assure you that you wouldn't be the first to do so.)

The rear brake is FAR easier to keep water out of than the fronts are. Don't blow it off until you dig in. O-ring condition as well as the lip seal where the axle comes through the tin cover can allow leaks. (Bad right bearings will destroy that seal). Take your time, check every seal, make things "just so" as you put it back together, and the back brake will once again serve you well. Di-electric grease is a really good o-ring lubricant, it helps allow them to "squish" properly into place.

While you're looking at bearings, consider taking both sides apart at once. That'll allow you to slide the axle out with no extra steps, so you can apply more grease to the spline, which has been known to wear on occasion, or possibly clean out the dirt and rust if you have had failed bearings for a while.

[Jake]

Sorry TRHOD, I missed one. Yes, you would find the same issue with any solid axle Honda, including the Rubicon, and on several non-Honda's, on at least one side. Again, it's not nearly as bad as the front ones are, and the "trouble prone" one is the left (non-brake) side. (at least on Hondas anyhow). It's terribly easy to change when compared to the front ones and far less expensive. The reason it recieves as much "press" as it does is the consequential damage to the axle that I mentioned above.

[TRHOD]

Jake,

As always, thanks for the reply.

I've had my bike in some water, but not too terribly much. I did replace the front bearings as a precautionary measure.

Next time I've got the bike on the lift I'll check the rear bearings like you said.

Thanks again,
Blessings,
TRHOD