Repairing Shimano XT Pedals

OK my Shimano xt pedals were getting a bit grindy / loose so I decided to take them apart and service them up…

It seems I forgot previous advice not to undo the 2 small nuts inside.. which released a load of tiny ball bearings… some of which are obviously lost now… I thought at the time it would be a replaceable complete bearing but it seems not

Is this repairable… any ideas what i need to get to get it working again….

Thanks

Z.

You can get complete replacement axle although probably cheaper to replace the pedal. Not sure the size of the bearings though. You will defo get some bearings to fit it if you have the time and the patience to put it back together.

Just get some new balls. 3/32″, loads on ebay etc…

They are just like a cup and cone hub really. Just done my M540 pedals a couple of days ago – went from wobbly grindy horribleness, new bearings added and voila, nice and smooth again with no play.

Use a small screwdriver with a blob of grease on the end to handle the balls into the pedal axle races.

Ok. Do I just pack the bearings in until I can’t fit any more?

Thanks

Z.

pretty much yes, but not so they lock up! You should fill it so it’s full, but not rammed so the bearings are uneven – they should all sit against the race. There’s plenty of tech docs on shimanos website with exploded views for pedals. They all follow pretty much this one though.

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecomponents/PD/EV-PD-M770-2704_v1_m56577569830625590.pdf

cool thanks

AS stated above not too much!

Over lubrication is the single biggest cause of bearing failure!

Don’t apply so much that the balls can’t rotate, it causes flat spots which then leads to eventual failure.

In cartridge bearings for example the space between the balls should be approx. 50% filled with grease so they can still move freely.

Shimano seem obsessed with “packing” bearings, the bottom bracket that came with my chainset was oozing with the stuff.

Over lubrication is the single biggest cause of bearing failure!

Really?? Not overloading, misalignment, contamination, loss of lubricant, corrosion, overheating or fatigue?
So grease (thin, smeary, lubricating stuff that it is) can stop shiny steel things from rotating, yet I can scoop it out of the pot with my finger?
Are you absolutely sure?
Put in too much grease and surely the worst thing that happens is it gets squeezed out, leaving mucky smears everywhere. But I’m open to being corrected…

These are loose bearings, not caged or cartridge bearings though.
As long as you have the correct size and quantity of bearings you should be fine. The hardest part will be getting the correct preload on them, as its pretty fiddly.

I actually found the process of getting them perfectly adjusted very easy – certainly easier than hubs.

What do you do then?

Undo no2, take out axle then fiddle with the end nuts?

There is a special tool for them, a bit like two nesting box spanners.

What do you do then?

Undo no2, take out axle then fiddle with the end nuts?

yep, all very easy and pretty quick really. I should do mine more often!