I personally don't wash bearings either, and I pack them by hand. I force the grease through the bearing until all the old grease is pushed out. As far as using soap and water, that is fine just add one more step. Rinse them in HOT water so the part gets hot, shake off as much water as possible, then the heat in the part will dry it the rest of the way. Learned this trick from an old army sargent when I was in the service. After a day in the field me and my rifle took a shower together. Rinsed the rifle in hot water, let it dry, cleaned it with just a hint of oil and never had a problem. By the way, an old dishwasher (not the one in the kitchen) makes a great parts washer.

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84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)