[Vwdiesel] front wheel bearings

[Terry Briggs]

LOL been there , done that and didn't like the end result
On Apr 12, 2007, at 3:05 PM, James Hansen wrote:

>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>> **************************************
>>>  See what's free at
>>> http://www.aol.com.
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>>>
>>
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