Bearings Cleaning?

I have been selling bearings for some time now and a guy I sold them to said that he thought the balls were discolored. Come to find out he is washing the bearings in warm water with detergent to get the factory lube out, soaking them in laquer thinner to get the water out and relubing with WD 40 to get the water out. Kind of sounds like a recipe for a bearing failure to me.

Has anybody ever heard of doing this with bearings?

I tear down after every race and clean with brakeclean, blow everything off with air, inspect the motor and I then will spray a heavy coat of WD40 on the parts if I'm not reassembling right away and cover everything with a lint free rag.

I don't know if laquer thinner will damage the phenolic or not. I personally don't think WD40 is the thing to use for assembly lube. Everyone has their secret sauce but I don't think WD 40 has enough lubricating qualities to it to start an engine before the fuel starts the lubrication process. The reason I like Risolone is that it is based on 10 wt.oil and is full of anti-corrosion agents while the motor is in storage, relatively inexpensive, and offers some protection on start up.

I know my younger brother used to clean the bearings in his roller skates with acetone and then re-lube with a lite oil once a month when he was competitively racing, my father used to clean car parts, including bearings, in gasoline during major repairs/rebuilds and coat the parts in fresh grease/oil before reassembly but I've never seen anyone use soap and water on anything like bearings in that manner.

When i have a brand new engine i strip it .leaving just the bearings in the case then dip in a bucket of warm water with dish liquid and spin the bearings with the crankshaft to clean out all impurities ..then allow to dry and then soak bearings in castrol transmission fluid..

On a bearing change I always hose the case in and out with brakeclean and rinse out that before I heat the case in the oven so it doesn't stink the house up. One of those happy wife, happy life deals. Sometimes when I remove the old bearings there is residue behind the bearing seats. I let the motor cool off and scrub and thoroughly rinse it out and reheat it and put new bearings in.

New motor, disassemble, clean with carb or brake cleaner. Reassemble using air tool oil. Marvel Mystery a no no. That's just me.

What RRRay said..............

So,,, Whats the issue with Marvel Mystery Oil?

I have been using a mixture of it and Lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer for YEARS...

I flush with Mercury storage/fogging oil, then pickle with the above mixture

I remember something about MMO having wintergreen oil in it, for the smell. Apparently wintergreen oil can attack some orings & the binders used in paper or fiber gaskets. I always use the same oil I use in my fuel, like Morgan oils.

Use air tool oil.

After near 27 years in model boating,,,, don't see myself changing

FloridaScaleBoater said:

After near 27 years in model boating,,,, don't see myself changing

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You're just an ol' curmudgeon, RRRick - LOL

The Marvel Air Tool Oil has a rust inhibitor in it that is friendly with the gaskets, rubber seals, o rings and plastic cage bearings. It does NOT attract moisture like some other oils do. Northern Hydraulics has it in quart cans. Most ATF's work just as well, but I got stuck on the Marvel Air Tool Oil many years ago. If you have something that works for you, why change?

Dick Tyndall

I agree with what you have been using Dick. In brand new & repaired Nelson .45 long stroke pylon race engines a small amount of Marvel is used in both front bearings after assembly. We add a large amount of the Marvel mixed with de-gummed Castor to the piston cylinder area before initial start up. Straight Castor is used for the wrist pin & crank pin. No problems with rust after repaired engines are cleaned & re-lubricated.

Jim Allen

Jim can you provide a ratio of the Marvel and Castor mix.

Jim Allen said:

I agree with what you have been using Dick. In brand new & repaired Nelson .45 long stroke pylon race engines a small amount of Marvel is used in both front bearings after assembly. We add a large amount of the Marvel mixed with de-gummed Castor to the piston cylinder area before initial start up. Straight Castor is used for the wrist pin & crank pin. No problems with rust after repaired engines are cleaned & re-lubricated.

Jim Allen

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When you say Marvel, do you mean marvel mystery oil or Marvel air tool oil? I beleive they are different formulations.

I've seen both versions of Marvel used in air tools by various companies I've worked at. Never noticed a real difference but, then again, I wasn't really looking either

Here's a fun little tidbit:


Marvel Mystery Oil®, boasting an enviable reputation among vehicle owners world-wide, is truly a legend of its own. From an auspicious beginning, it is now recognized as a product that has stood the test of time and continues to provide unsurpassed performance and benefits in motors in the automotive, industrial and marine world.

Burt Pierce founded the Marvel Oil Company in 1923. His reputation for ingenuity preceded him as he was already well-known for inventing the Marvel Carburetor, standard equipment on 80% of all vehicles produced after World War I.

Vehicles of the post WWI era encountered carburetor problems, the most perplexing being clogged jets due to high lead content and other contaminants found in the gasoline of the time. The problem motivated Mr. Pierce to direct his creative ingenuity towards formulating a blend of chemicals and petroleum products to clean and maintain clogged jets. He was successful beyond his wildest expectations and the legend was born!

“Mystery Oil”, as it was originally called, proved to have other beneficial effects on the engine. By creating a top ring seal, it produced higher compression and, by preventing blow-by on power strokes, it resulted in more power. Mystery Oil also improved gas mileage and minimized engine wear.

Initially based in Chicago, the company moved to New York City and then in 1941 moved to its long-time home in Port Chester, New York. In 1999, the Marvel Oil Company was acquired by Turtle Wax, Inc. and is now headquartered back in its hometown in the Chicago area.

Marvel Mystery Oil® continues to be an extremely relevant and effective product, even in today’s “high-tech” vehicles. With the cost of vehicle maintenance increasing every year, preventive maintenance is the key in avoiding astronomical repair bills.

Why the name Mystery Oil? Burt Pierce refused to divulge the formula for his new product and answered all inquiries as to its make-up with “It’s a Mystery!” The name caught on and is still recognized today for its “mysterious” ability to cure and prevent almost any engine ailment.

So, this being said, how do we know if the formulas are the same or not if they are not available anywhere? This is all I could find and it's off a published MSDS sheet:

3.2 Mixture
Component CAS Number Concentration (wt%)
Petroleum Distillates (Hydrotreated HeavyNaphthenic) 64742-52-5 60-100%
Petroleum Distillates (Stoddard Solvent) 8052-41-3 10-30%
Tricresyl Phosphate 1330-78-5 0.1-1.0%
Ortho Dichlorobenzene 95-50-1 0.1-1.0%
Para Dichlorobenzene 106-467 <0.1%

The information in my file says that the difference between Marvel Mystery Oil (MM005) & Marvel Air Tool Oil (MM080) is the replacement of the winter green fragrance found in the MM005 oil with a heavy duty corrosion inhibitor in the MM080 oil. This change was made because most compressed air systems contain some moisture.

JA

timothy johnson said:

Jim can you provide a ratio of the Marvel and Castor mix.

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Equal amounts of both are used. They are kept in separate containers.

Who makes a good castor oil, seems to be many different ones to pick from.