11 replies to this topic

[Dave_12]

Do sealed motor bearing have some kind of lubrication inside them?

[mreibman]

I don't know that I've seen a "sealed" motor bearing in a slot car motor. Usually we see "shielded" and "open". And even some of the shielded ones are shielded only on 1 side.

 

a sealed bearing is supposed to have grease inside it. 

 

The slot car bearings I have seen require lubrication. And oil will give you a higher rpm rate than grease anyway. So in my experience, I'd recommend some 5w-30 synthetic motor oil for racing. non-synthetic oil for break-in only.

[Bill from NH]

When you say "sealed", if you mean "shielded", I'll agree with Mike. In the 70s & 80s we used GRW bearing which were "double shielded". For lubrication, we used the dark brown "Tiger Milk". This was the days before synthetic oils were easily obtained.

[John Luongo]

doing fleet work years ago we had blower motors which had to be replaced often due to failed sealed bearings. this would extend the vehicles out of service time to an unacceptable level. we upgraded the sealed blower motor bearings to an "aircraft grade" bearing with better construction and internal lube. our vehicle down time due to failed blower motor issues was greatly reduced.

[Eddie Fleming]

I thought he was talking about sealed motors with bearings rather than sealed bearings.

[Dave_12]

i mean shielded ball bearing .  Is the shielding just for keeping dirt and grit out ?

[Don Weaver]

Shielded (metal seal) bearings are for keeping dirt and grit out. A common designation following the bearing size number is Z (1 side) or ZZ (2 sides).

 

Sealed (rubber seal) bearings are for keeping moisture out.  A common designation following the bearing number is RS (1 side) or 2RS (2 sides).  Sealed bearings have a lot of friction between the seal and bearing races.

 

Don

[Bill from NH]

I checked a US manufacturer's website for sealed bearings in SS. The smallest had 3, 4, & 5 mm. I.Ds. They didn't have any 2 mm. I.D. ones.

[Mike Patterson]

Yeah, peel them shields out with an X-acto knife. Then take your soldering iron to them, and melt all that grease out. Flush them out with lighter fluid, then blow that out with compressed air. Then apply your preferred lubricant to them, and install.

[Wink Hackman]

The GRW double shielded bearings that I have seen are designed to run dry.  You can use a light machine oil if you like.  I would keep the seals intact, IMO the bearings last better that way.

[Bill from NH]

My chassis from the '70s with GRW bearings still spin freely as well as those in my old setups. The GRW bearing from this era were all made in Germany. Today, some were made in China the last time I looked.

[gatormark]

Ralph Thorne sells a motor that is bearing and it's sealed on one side. They seem to run fast and last a long time