Jose Rizal wrote in message
link.net...
Deep Freud Moors:

With regards to your bearings, if they are well packed with grease,
getting
water in should not be a big problem. The primary purpose of the grease
is
not lubrication, but to keep dirt and water out.

Not true. In bearings the primary purpose of grease is lubrication.
The primary purpose of seals is keeping water and dirt out.


Yes true. Grease is grease, and not designed as a lubricant. Oil is designed
as a lubricant, grease is not. It does treat the metal surfaces to a degree,
but any lubricating effect disappears quickly.

When you pack your bearings with grease, it gets pushed out of the way of
the bearings after a couple of turns, and does not return due to its
viscosity. The driest part of the bearing assembly is usually the surface
where the bearings run. Whilst that surface is clean, there are no probs.
Basic wheels nowadays are not sealed either, but have donut-shaped little
caps, which are designed to work in conjunction with the grease to keep dirt
and water out.
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DFM