[Vwdiesel] More Wheel Bearing fun!

[Lee Hillsgrove]

  I'd like to know how you can remove front wheel bearings without
destroying them. I've not found a way to get behind the outside inner race
(you know what I mean?) and press it off of the hub. Otherwise, when you
press the hub out of the knuckle, it rips the guts out of the bearing and
all those balls go bouncing over the shop floor. IMO, you would never want
to reuse a front bearing anyway, considering the stress it sees and the work
involved in changing it. Consider the leverage of the front wheel on those
two puny bearings, separated by only 1/2" or so. BIG lever, and big
stresses. I'm amazed that they last as long as they do.

 I also would say that there is no preload on the front wheel bearing -
until it is installed on the car. Perhaps that's what you meant. That's also
why you can never allow the weight of the car to sit on the bearing if the
axle nut is loosened or removed. Doing so will destroy the bearing by the
balls putting small dents in the races as the hub cocks in relation to the
knuckle. If you try to move the car without axles bolted in, it's very
likely that the wheels will depart the vehicle. Nothing to hold the hubs nor
the wheels on, then! If you have to tow a car with no engine or trans, one
way to do it would be to get a pair of old front CV joints and use just the
stub axles without the rest of the joint to bolt the bearings together.


  Lee
  Oo-v-oO
  PP-ASEL
  KB1GNI




----- Original Message -----
From: "H.Hagar" <h_hagar at prcn.org>
To: <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 12:56 PM
Subject: [Vwdiesel] More Wheel Bearing fun!


      Next I had to do the front bearings ---
piece of cake if done a certain way.     Stealership will tell you that if a
front wheel
bearing is removed you need a new one-- bearing is destroyed .   That is
totally wrong
a front bearing can be removed , taken apart and inspected .  I did it so I
know.

The front bearing is an  interesting case it has preload right from factory.
So if it is sloppy
get a new one.         Outer races are a one piece unit. Inner races are two
seperate
parts. For you newbies the Rabbit front bearing is a dual row ball bearing.