Cam Bearing Q?

[avenue]

How tight should new bearings be on the ends of a cam shaft? The four external bearings, not the bushings.

Four new bearings showed up recently from Mike's and they seem a bit tight on the ends of the cam. Two will slide onto one side with just a bit of persuasion, the other two will not slide on by hand without feeling like they're binding. FYI, The old ones slide on with little effort.

what's SOP for installing new bearings? by hand only, rubber mallet to get started, pressed on? and, is it a bad idea to use a combination of three old bearings and one new bearing? (only one of the old bearings feels crunchy but I ordered all four new ones, anyway).

 

[nic81xs]

i'm curious about this too. ive got mine out and about to go back on as well. mine were pretty tight coming off but not so tight that you should need to press them back on. that seems like a bit much.

 

[grizld1]

It's not just Mike's. Awhile ago I bought a set of 4 new Koyo camshaft bearings from Yamaha--same story, they're a tap-fit, not a slip-fit, so that once you install them you'd have to break the chain to remove the cam, which would make the degreeing process a real toe-curlin' delight. I have no idea what's up with the change, but I put the new bearings away and stuck with 4 good used ones.

 

[avenue]

so, I ended up installing the best four bearing combination of the four new and three old that were in good condition. the new bearings are louder but the rolling action on both new and used feel silky smooth to the touch.