Cup and cone hub service - Deore m525

[l4dva]

My first attempt at cleaning up and greasing cup and cone wheel hubs.

The wheels are new to me but used so thought I’d give them a refresh. The rear hub took me a while but managed to nail it in the end. Basically took them apart de greased / cleaned everything, fresh grease and then put back together again and tuned in the right amount of pre load tension - success!

The front wheel spun pretty nicely as it was but I thought I’d do it anyways. The grease in side was pretty nasty. This time I filled in a bit more grease than the rear hub before reassembling however now I’m really struggling to get pre load dialled in. It feels notchy and then as I very gradually loosen the nut off it will continue notchy until it spins nicely but instantly at that point the axel will have noticeable play in it. I can’t find the middle ground at all.

I’m not sure if I have overfilled it with grease and if that makes a difference? I’m also using Mobil xhp 222 grease, I just brought a big tub so thought why not - I know it won’t spin the fastest but should last a long time. I’m doubting now if I made an error on both these choices?

Any thoughts or tips for me on this one?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lenfield]

This time I filled in a bit more grease than the rear hub before reassembling however now I’m really struggling to get pre load dialled in. It feels notchy and then as I very gradually loosen the nut off it will continue notchy until it spins nicely but instantly at that point the axel will have noticeable play in it. I can’t find the middle ground at all.

That's not unusual. The cup, cone and bearings won't be perfectly round because of wear. I'd err on the slightly notchy side.

PS You could always try replacing the bearings to see if that helps. They're only a pound or two.