[Vwdiesel] front wheel bearings

[James Hansen]

> I use a oxyacetylene torch after trying a bearing moon, for extracting the
> inner race from the hub flange.  I've never nicked the flange cutting
> the inner race off, and I've done it at least a dozen times.  Best
> method.

Stuff I Have Learned 101:
1. Never use a plasma cutter for this. Ever. Ever. Ever.

> 
> 3. If you can do it with a vice, great, but I use a 12 ton press, and 
> sometimes need to heat and/or hammer things to get them apart.  A vice 
> might work for reassembly, if you ended up having a shop with a press
> do the disassembly.

It's easy to spit the drive flange out with a press.
If the outer bearing halves are ignorant and won't come out of the hub, 
lay a weld bead on them on the inside surface.  When it cools, they fall 
out.
I have had one that was to the point of crushing the hub (30T press)
Sometimes you can't just press stuff, you have to clever it a bit. Next 
one falls out...

> 
> 4. Consider chilling the bearing before pressing it into the hub. 

Heat the hub.  I hate chilling bearings- chills the inside, sucks in 
air, you get moisture inside with the grease.  Academic I know, but 
don't like it if only in theory.

  You could
> chill the flange also, 

If you have liquid nitrogen that is the super slickness.  Used it a few 
times, man, parts just fall together.  Good for warts too. :-)

and let the bearing warm up, once pressed into the
> hub, before pressing the flange into the inner race.  Heed Loren's advice
> about supporting the inner race with sockets while reassembling.

But ignore his advice about hitting a bearing with a cold chisel, unless 
you are wearing a face shield, leather welding jacket, big gloves. Bees 
fly off the bearing. Tiny sharp hot shiny little buggers, that go right in.
See: Stuff I Have Learned 101, filed just next to "Times I have Said Doh"

-James

> 
> Val
> 
> 
> 
> 
>>   Just did it on the Passat, nearly identical.  There's two ways to do it.  
>> One is an "on the car" press that uses cups, plates and a threaded rod to 
>> "pull" the bearing out and press the new one in.  The other way is to pull the 
>> knuckle out  and use a press of vise and large sockets or what have you.  Press 
>> out the hub which will take one inner race with it and destroy the bearing.  
>> Press out the outer race and remainder of the bearing.  Cold chissel the inner 
>> race away from the hub (pound into straight down between the two) until you get 
>> a gap.  A friend's shop usually uses two pry bars and then "pops" the race off 
>> the hub in a few tries.  I didn't have time so I fired up the torch and cut 
>> it.  I've used a grinder too to cut most of the way through the race then split 
>> it and pop it off.
>>   Press the new bearing into the knujckle (there's snap ringe inner and outer 
>> btw.  Then SUPPORT THE INNER RACE while you seat the hub from the other side. 
>>  Failure to fully support the race from the back will ruin the bearing!
>>   Put the hub/knuckle assy. back in the car and align.  Or mark the strut 
>> location well and you might get away without alignment.
>>     Loren
>>
>>
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> 
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