Front wheel bearing

[E. Roy Wendell IV]

>>> Hi,
>>> I'm changing my right front wheel bearing on my 91 200 Quattro   
>>> Turbo 20V.
>>> There was some type of oil oozing out when I took out the axle  
>>> bolt  and then
>>> inside the hub. Is this just the wheel bearing losing its grease?  
>>> I  didn't
>>> see any other source. I've never seen this before, as you could   
>>> probably
>>> guess.
>>> Thanks,
>>> John
>> It's a component of the CV joint grease. The hole that the axle  
>> bolt  threads into continues all the way through the splined stub/ 
>> outer  housing into the area where the balls, cage and therefore  
>> grease all  hang out.
>> Roy
>>
>>
> So, normal, or problem?
>
>
Normal in my opinion for grease that's original to the car. Every one  
I've pulled apart so far has showed signs of a significant quantity  
of the grease separating into liquid and solid components. I have no  
idea what happens once the joint warms up and has been spinning for a  
while. Maybe they recombine. In any case, in due time the boot will  
split and the grease will get replaced as part of the boot job. You  
might want to examine the boot however. If it shows signs of cracking  
in the valleys then you might want to think about replacing it while  
you're three quarters of the way to having the axle out.

Roy