Rear wheel spacer, to lube or not to lube, that is the question

[Rubio]

Again my Clymer manual is silent on this issue. The manual simply states to insert the spacer into the hub. The spacer has a recess on the inside diameter which leads me to think some sort of lube is required to fill the space.

Is there a recommended best practice to apply grease to the seal and/or the inside diameter of the spacer?

 

[The Dan]

Just a lite film of grease where the seal rides is all I do.

 

[ST1100Y]

Is there a recommended best practice to apply grease to the seal and/or the inside diameter of the spacer?

I clean named spacer and check for wear marks, corrosion, etc...

Waterproof grease along and behind the entire inner rim/groove of the seal... (while smearing that in you can sense/rotate the inner race of the bearing for issues...)

A slight smear of waterproof grease on all metal parts to prevent corrosion...

 

[SMSW]

All seals - oil or grease - always get a thin smear of lube where the metal goes into the seal. Otherwise, no, you don't pack the inside with grease. A wheel bearing is a bit different, but you are packing the bearing, not the grease seal.

 

[jfheath]

Is there a recommended best practice to apply grease to the seal and/or the inside diameter of the spacer?

Not really. It doesn’t move as it is clamped tight between the inner race of the bearing and the brake caliper bracket. I’d put a smear of grease all over it - but I mean a smear - wipe your mucky fingers over it - simply to stop corrosion and a little more where the oils seal will spin round it.
I do the same on the wheel hub before I put bearings in, and the axle itself. No harm in doing the inside of the spacer. It doesn’t spin relative to the axle.

I don’t remember seeing that groove before !

 

[SMSW]

I may have misunderstood your question. My answer stands for a grease or oil seal. For the bearing spacer inside the wheel, as @jfheath said, a smear of grease inside and out is the ticket. Were you to clean the spacer with a solvent and put it in the wheel totally clean, the axle (if also cleaned) or spacer might corrode. Steel expands 17 times in volume as it rusts (I read this somewhere). It is very common for the axle or tube in the center of a snowblower's auger to rust if the owner has not pulled his new toy apart and greased (or anti seized) those parts. When the snowblower's auger bearings die, many an owner has found the axle and auger tube to be rusted solidly together. You DON'T want this to happen to your bike.

Fortunately, most bikes see much less water than a snowblower. However, having watched the BDR series of 'infomercials' and the water crossings that these adventure bikers traverse, anything is possible.

 

[Sadlsor]

A slight smear of waterproof grease on all metal parts to prevent corrosion...

All seals - oil or grease - always get a thin smear of lube where the metal goes into the seal.

I’d put a smear of grease all over it - but I mean a smear - wipe your mucky fingers over it - simply to stop corrosion

I think like that Frank's RedHot commercial (I think that's the one)... "I put that **** on everything!"