Originally Posted by
bikemike73
Thanks again or all the great responses.
I cleaned , greased, and reinstalled everything.
The ball bearings looked ok.
Now that I see a close up pic( attached here), I see they are in rough shape.
Have not got an an answer if the ring around the bearings pops out?
It looks like it is in the VERY tight.
Does anyone know if the ring pops out ? Or have to buy new cups?
I'm not sure if you need new cups. I haven't encountered a bottom bracket that had pressed retainers on the cups, but it's not impossible. Please post a picture of the inside (in focus, in good light).
I serviced a Sturmey Archer AW hub this week and dealt with the pressed retainers there, which meant gingerly prying the ring out of the cup with a screwdriver so the retainer didn't become distorted.
But post your pictures and show us the problem. I concur that your bearings are shot. Running them in that condition will damage the irreplaceable parts of the BB.