Reaming Oilite bushes

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catalac08

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I need to replace the two bushes on my steering wheel shaft. Due to wear on the shaft, pretty even fortunately, I need to buy undersized buses and ream them to the best fit I can get. Seems not possible to get ordinary brass bushes in the size I need but plenty of Oilite type bushes in sintered bronze. I assume that this sintered material will ream ok, just a bit softer than brass perhaps? I appreciate I will lose the self lubricating properties of the Oilite bush system, but did not require this anyway as the housing has a grease nipple for waterproof grease insertion. Anyway any tips for the reaming process, if this will work? Many thanks for previous replies about bush suppliers, I think BearingBoys look best.
 
It will ream fine. As you note some(but not all) of the oil retention properties will be lost when you do so. If you wanted to regain some of the lost oil retention you could etch the bearing afterwards, but it doesn't sound like you need it. If the shaft running on the bearings has measurable grooves on it it's time to have it remachined or sleeved.
 
Even if the wear on the shaft appears to be "pretty even" there is no guarantee that it will be so when examined accurately. Any unevenness will quickly affect the new bush, rather like the old vinyl record / pick-up stylus problem; one will impair the geometric accuracy of the other and you will be back at square one. I would second the recommendation to go for a new shaft to go with a new bush.
 
As said, it reams beautifully. Just don't take too big a bite with the reamer or it might grab and spin the bush in its housing. Presumably you will use an expanding reamer and work up to the required size?

Also, bear in mind (apologies if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs here!) that the shaft might have some wear to it as well, in which case, to get it to go through, you're going to have to have it as tight as possible at first, so that it's the best fit it can be on the more worn part of the shaft when installed.
 
Avocet said:
As said, it reams beautifully. Just don't take too big a bite with the reamer or it might grab and spin the bush in its housing. Presumably you will use an expanding reamer and work up to the required size?

Also, bear in mind (apologies if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs here!) that the shaft might have some wear to it as well, in which case, to get it to go through, you're going to have to have it as tight as possible at first, so that it's the best fit it can be on the more worn part of the shaft when installed.
Click to expand...

Thanks-fortunately one shaft section is evenly worn down by about 0.008 inches and the other section by about 0.004 inches and the bushes that fit over each of these sections has about 10 thou ins of wear also. I should be able to fit one new bush into the housing and ream it for the less worn end and then fit the other bush and ream it for the (smaller) worn end and for final assembly the shaft should fit in from the larger end. Plan to get an expanding reamer, hopefully only one will be needed from e bay. Not engineering as many would know it but a boat steering wheel is not exactly precision engineering. It has taken about 36 years to get to this stage (about 3/4 inch play at the wheel rim). Yes having a new shaft and bearings would be the way to create an "as new" fitting-but what is the point on an old boat where the are many more rewarding ways of spending time and money. I should be able to get the total play down from 18 thous inch down to to 1 or 2 thous and then it should be be good for 10-20 years. Many thanks for advice & happy new year.
keith
 
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