>Ok, so honestly, most of my mechanic experience comes from working
>on bicycles (paid a lot of college that way...), so maybe this
>doesn't apply because automotive bearings are different than the
>light duty ones they use on bikes...
>
>If there is play in a sealed cartridge (ie. non-adjustable) bearing,
>will a re-pack really do anything?  The clearances between balls and
>races have already opened up, right?  The most i can see a repack
>doing is making it feel "tight" when subjected to the nonexistant
>forces our measly fingers can put out.  Am i missing something here?

If the bearings are that loose, there may well be damage to the races
& rollers. You really need to disassemble them to look. No, grease
will make no difference to a wobble. There should be NO wobble.

If you can rock the wheel back & forth (in & out at top & bottom),
then the bearings need attention BADLY.

If there is no rock, then you mean the wheel is not straight at the
rim when spun. This could be a bent wheel or stubaxle or badly warped
drum. A bent wheel may cause a shudder at some speed range when
driving along (though my 57 had zero shudder but eventually I found
that BOTH rear wheels were severely bent, and looked horrible when it
was driven past me!). A bent axle or drum will almost certainly cause
a shake. Loose or worn bearings won't ; it will only make a noise if
the race is pitted.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut