I'm helping a buddy rebuild the water pump on his JD 410C backhoe/tractor. There are two large open race (not sealed) bearings that house the pump shaft in the pump casting spaced about 1-1/2" apart. The rebuild kit comes with two pages of indepth instructions but doesn't say one word about lubrication of the bearings. We have the new shaft and bearings assembled into the casting and are ready to install the seals but it's occuring to us that the bearings ought to be lubricated before we close it up (there are no grease fittings to lube it after the fact).
Does anybody here have any specific info on this, should the volume around the bearings inside the casting be packed with grease or are these bearings supposed to run as is?
Doesn't seem likely that they shouldn't be lubricated but the spent and rusted shaft/bearing assembly that came out of the casting was dry, hence our confusion.
Thanks for any insight.
Dennis