Can you repack an FSA MegaExo BB bearing?

[Veloo]

The one side of this FSA MegaEXO MS185 BB feels like it could use some more/ fresh grease.
Can you actually open this up, clean, repack and reassemble?

[cmbicycles]

They just use a regular cartridge bearing under that dust seal in the picture. Is it worthwhile? Its hard to say if it would make any improvement. It probably wouldn't hurt to put some fresh grease in there, maybe it makes it better, maybe not. You can also press out the bearing, and press in new ones if you have the tools to do so. Endura and a few others make a tool specifically to replace these outboard BB bearings.

[tellyho]

I'm always up for trying.... Give it a shot and report back. I've never had to maintain one of those, they seem to last indefinitely.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by cmbicycles

They just use a regular cartridge bearing under that dust seal in the picture. Is it worthwhile? Its hard to say if it would make any improvement. It probably wouldn't hurt to put some fresh grease in there, maybe it makes it better, maybe not. You can also press out the bearing, and press in new ones if you have the tools to do so. Endura and a few others make a tool specifically to replace these outboard BB bearings.

Phil Wood had a great tool kit specifically for these and shimano external BB cups.

Pretty standard cart bearing(don’t remember the number tho)…but for the OP….is the bearing crunchy? Probably needs replacement if it is.

[Veloo]

Not crunchy.
After washing with some blue dawn and hot water, I let it dry by the dehumidifier exhaust vent.
When I compared drive and non dive sides, the drive felt new - smooth with the drag of fully packed grease. The non drive was smooth but spun much more freely - almost like it had very little grease.
If it was easy enough to remove and reuse seals, I'd open it right up but not in the mood to go searching for new, replacement seals. Especially on a very tight budget for this overhaul.

Weird thing is, I left them on the bench over night and this morning they feel much more similar. Non drive side feels like fairies or gremlins packed it with grease overnight.
Ask an ye shall (magically) receive.

[GregL]

I've had good results cleaning/greasing both FSA MegaEXO and Shimano Hollowtech II outboard bottom bracket bearings. You can usually pry off the outer seals with a small, flat blade screwdriver or Exacto knife. That will expose the actual sealed cartridge bearings. You can then remove the seal from the cartridge bearing to clean and re-grease them. Here's a link showing how to perform the maintenance on Shimano bottom brackets: http://faqload.com/faqs/bicycle-comp...earing-service.

I purchased a very inexpensive cyclocross bike off craigslist a few years back. The intent was to use it as a "winter rat" on slushy and salty roads. Since the bike was meant to be somewhat disposable, I wanted to keep the costs low. The outboard bottom bracket was so crunchy that I thought I would have to replace it. After removing all the seals, I flushed the old grease out, let the bearings dry, and filled with new grease. The bottom bracket felt surprisingly smooth, so I installed it and have had zero problems for the past several years.

Greg