There's a no-name, third-party make of sealed ball bearings for Lexmark's T Series coated fuser rollers that's very prone to seize up. The bearings have no markings on them whatsoever. They have a distinctive appearance, though, so they're easy to identify. Here's a shot of them.
Both those bearings are completely seized. The seals are easily removed to reveal what's inside, and it's not pretty.
The grease the manufacturer uses is just not up to the job. What you see inside these bearings when they fail is 'grease' that's all but completely solidified -- there's no lubricant left at all.
Fuser roller bearings lead a hard life. They run hot, and the radial load on them is high because of the pressure roller.
Best to stick with the OEM part (Lexmark P/N 99A0143), or a 6003Z bearing that you know has grease in it that's suitable for this application.
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Addendum -- FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Here's a photograph of a worst-case bearing seizure.
When a bearing seizes, the coated roller continues to turn in the thermal isolation bushing. Eventually, the bushing wears through and you get metal-on-metal rotation. Here's a view of the outcome.
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