[Vwdiesel] Strut bearing R&R

[Tony and Lillie]

Interestingly enough, the old school mechanic that trained me taught me the 
same method 15 years ago. I'm just anal about it, plus I usually do a bunch 
of front end replacement parts at the same time.

But, it does work of you are careful. He had showed me to look at the line 
where the dirt ends on the knuckle/strut assembly point. And also mark the 
eccentric bolt on the top.

Tony Hoffman


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Hansen" <jhsg at sasktel.net>
To: <audi-vw-diesels at yahoogroups.com>; "diesel list" <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 11:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Strut bearing R&R


> Actually, if the alignment was good before, you can get pretty dead on
> by cleaning the strut assembly at the bottom where it attaches to the
> hub assy. (where the two bolts go in where it comes apart) at the
> bottom, and spraying on fresh light colored paint- white for instance.
> You can put it back together exactly like it was then.  I've done this a
> couple times and when checking the alignment after, was spot on.  It
> works, with the usual disclaimer,YMMV.
>
> Easiest way to get tie rods out if you have to do so is to use two
> hammers, hit the metal they go into on either side at exactly the same
> time.  the hammers don't even have to be very big- the shock pops the
> tapered end out of the hole. I detest pullers, they usually break more
> than they save, especially the pickle forks. The tapered bolt pulls in
> pretty hard even without road salt, and the hammer trick never fails.
> One tip is to NEVER hit the threaded end of the bolt, or it turns to
> junk. If you have a big chunk of brass or better UHMW polyurethane round
> stock or a lead hammer to use as a big driver on threaded stuff.
> -james
>
> Tony and Lillie wrote:
>> Just did the front struts on the Jetta, pretty easy really. Start with 
>> the
>> wheels on the ground. Loosen the lug bolts and the CV nut first. Then, 
>> put
>> it in the air and pull the wheel.
>>
>> At this point there are two ways to go. One requires alignment, but is 
>> much
>> simpler. The other is a bit more work. I always have an alignment done
>> afterwards, so I do it the simpler way. Just my .02
>>
>>
>> Way # 1: (Simpler) Pull the two bolts that hole the steering knuckle to 
>> the
>> strut assy. Remove the brake line from it's holder on the strut.
>>
>>
>> Way # 2: Pull the ball joint through bolt. It is a 17mm bolt and nut. 
>> Then,
>> pull the tie rod end out. A tie rod puller is the easiest way to do this.
>> Pull the CV nut off and remove the Brake caliper from it's bracket. Pry 
>> down
>> on the lower control arm to pop it out of the lower housing.
>>
>> (Both ways - finish the job) Pull the two 13mm nuts off the top, and out 
>> it
>> comes. Then, with a spring compressor in place, remove the 7/8" nut at 
>> the
>> top, and swap out the strut bearing. Reassembly is the reverse of 
>> removal.
>>
>> For this job, I usually have to use some heat to make a few things 
>> easier. I
>> just use a simple propane torch.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>> Tony Hoffman
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> Subject: [Vwdiesel] Strut bearing R&R
>>
>>
>>> Hello all-
>>>
>>> I need to replace one of the strut bearings on the
>>> Cabriolet.
>>>
>>> Anyone have any hints, tips, or tricks to make it a
>>> smoother job?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> David
>>
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