A rolling-element bearing unit for use in a motor vehicle wheel or in a motorbike rocker arm includes outer and inner raceway elements and a set of rolling elements between the inner and outer raceway elements such that the inner and outer raceway elements are pivotable or rotatable relative to each other and also a lubricant reservoir body in the bearing interior for storing and dispensing a lubricant, the body including bridge elements extending between adjacent pairs of the rolling elements and a side ring connecting the bridge elements.

A split bearing protector with a flexible design that adds improved moisture protection to a bearing and can be installed without removing the bearing from the machine in which it is installed.

A bearing sealing device includes two seals (inner and outer seals) sealing the space between the inner and outer races of a bearing to ensure higher seal performance, and also to reduce the area of the inner periphery of the outer race that needs to be ground. The bearing sealing device includes a ring constituted by a metal annulus, and a rubber part. The metal annulus is formed by cold pressing, and has a seal contact surface kept in contact with seal lips of the outer seal. The rubber part includes a press-fitted portion fixed to the inner periphery of the outer race. The inner race has, on its outer periphery, a cylindrical fitting surface to which the outer seal is press-fitted.

The invention relates mainly to a starter (11) for a motor vehicle combustion engine, comprising: an electric motor (15), a drive pinion (60), a pinion body (61) on which said drive pinion (60) is mounted, a drive shaft (12) able to transmit a torque derived from the electric motor (15) to the drive pinion (60) via the pinion body, the pinion body (61) being mounted with the ability to slide axially with respect to the drive shaft (12), and in which, with there being a chamber (86) delimited notably by one end of the drive shaft (12) and one end of the pinion body (61) opposite the end of the drive shaft (12), the chamber (86) is vented via a through-opening (85) made in an annular wall of the drive shaft (12) or of the pinion body (61).

A rolling-element bearing unit for use in a motor vehicle wheel or in a motorbike rocker arm includes outer and inner raceway elements and a set of rolling elements between the inner and outer raceway elements such that the inner and outer raceway elements are pivotable or rotatable relative to each other and also a lubricant reservoir body in the bearing interior for storing and dispensing a lubricant, the body including bridge elements extending between adjacent pairs of the rolling elements and a side ring connecting the bridge elements.

A split bearing protector with a flexible design that adds improved moisture protection to a bearing and can be installed without removing the bearing from the machine in which it is installed.

A sealing apparatus includes: an annular reinforcement ring around an axis; and an annular elastic body part around the axis, which is attached to the reinforcement ring and is formed of an elastic body. The elastic body part has: a side lip, an intermediate lip, and a grease lip. A grease as a lubricant is applied to respective inner peripheral side surfaces of the side lip, the intermediate lip, and the grease lip. A thickener of the grease includes no urea-based thickener. In a usage state of the sealing apparatus, a cross sectional area of an inter-lip space enclosed by the side lip, the intermediate lip, and a hub ring is equal to or greater than 3.5 mm.sup.2.

Greasable idler pulleys and related kits and methods are disclosed. The greasable idler pulley has a rotating body, a bearing, to enable the rotating body to rotate with respect to a shaft, and grease fitting defined through the rotating body. The rotating body may have a bearing seal cap having an orifice and a rotator. The grease fitting may be in fluid communication with the bearing through the orifice in the bearing seal cap. Kits are also contemplated, such as a kit for retrofitting a non-regreasable idler pulley including a rotator to a regreasable idler pulley. Methods may include methods of producing a regreasable idler pulley from a non-regreasable idler pulley.

A bearing unit provided with a rolling bearing having a radially outer race, two radially inner races, a ring of conical rollers arranged between the radially outer race and the two radially inner races, and a device for retaining grease and metering oil housed inside a groove of the radially outer race and having an annular wall arranged transversely with respect to the rolling bearing and acting as barrier for the flow of grease and provided with a plurality of through-openings for retaining the grease and allowing the oil to pass between the two rings of conical rollers in any operating condition, and also with a plurality of radial vanes engaged with the annular wall for retaining the grease.

A bearing sealing device includes two seals (inner and outer seals) sealing the space between the inner and outer races of a bearing to ensure higher seal performance, and also to reduce the area of the inner periphery of the outer race that needs to be ground. The bearing sealing device includes a ring constituted by a metal annulus, and a rubber part. The metal annulus is formed by cold pressing, and has a seal contact surface kept in contact with seal lips of the outer seal. The rubber part includes a press-fitted portion fixed to the inner periphery of the outer race. The inner race has, on its outer periphery, a cylindrical fitting surface to which the outer seal is press-fitted.