How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

Why is this not a sticky yet?

Great information, thanks for the hard work!

I did both wheel bearings on my car these last few days and have a few more tips/suggestions:
* You need a Dremel or similar small cutoff tool. I tried using a Rotozip with 4" diamond wheel but the ABS encoder disk that is tack welded to the back of the hub gets in the way of cutting off the inner race from the hub. I only needed 1 heavy duty 1" cutting wheel to do both hubs. I bought a diamond wheel but I am taking it back, the metal is not that hard.
* I picked up 6" and 8" grade 8 3/4" bolts and 3/4" grade 8 washers from Tractor Supply and they worked much better than the bolt that came with the Harbor Freight bearing tool kit. The washers are large however and are too big for pulling the hub, you want to only hit the inner hub flat when you pull the hub. Double up the washers and grease them for more effective lubrication on the cup plate when pulling the old bearing out.
* Working off jack stands it is hard to see behind the spindle to line up the #13 disk. I just knocked out the back side bearing (the front side falls out after pulling the hub) and then used a smaller disk which you can see pushing against the center divider of the bearing race. I really think this method is easier than trying to line up a disk to that really thin edge on the back side of the outer race.
* Also if you jack up one side at a time you will want to disconnect one of the sway bar links or it will fight you when trying to bolt the ball joint plate back together. Once the car is on the ground you can then re-attach the sway bar link.

With my car the axle spindles fell right out, no puller. Both hubs came out with just a few strikes of the slide hammer. I used a regular 1/2" drive ratchet to pull the old bearings for the most part, one needed a nudge with the breaker bar to get started. The 8" grade 8 bolts were coarse thread but still plenty of power. Being course thread that meant less turns with the ratchet.

Except for needing a different cutoff tool this was a relatively pain free project, albeit time consuming.

Well, I read this thread, looked over the pics, and made a decision: Take it to a shop! I had only one bearing that needed replacement. I would have had to buy the tools, and probably spend a day on the floor of my garage beating my brains out. The shop I took it to charged me about $250.00, and in the process they also found I needed a new tie rod, and they checked the other 3 wheels. Other 3 were fine. I am grateful for the info on this thread, but every once in a while, it's nice to know that the job should go to a pro who already has the tools in place (how many trips to the tool store?), the lift (you know, so you can stand erect like a homo sapien for the time necessary), and the ready sources for the parts. Along with the wisdom to check related potential safety issues like my stripped tie rod!

It may have cost me a few more bucks, but I had a day to myself after having just replaced the head gaskets on my 99 LR D1. Enough of wrenching for a while! Many thanks for the info here to allow me to make an informed decision!

I'm LOVIN' it!!!!

This post is absolutely awesome!!! Thanks so much to Scurvy and everyone who contributed to it!!!
My '04 Jetta had the classic whine from a bad wheel bearing... I initially thought it would be too difficult to do myself..... Then I read all 17 pages of this post and made notes of what tools everyone found helpful!!! I went to Harbor Freight and bought the wheel bearing tool kit for $90 and a 25" breaker bar (1/2" drive) with a lifetime warranty for $9.99!!!!
Went to Home Depot and picked up some heavy duty 1" cutting disks for the dremel tool.... Then went to Tractor Supply and bought some (grade 8) 3/4" bolts (6" and 8" in length), along with nuts and washers!!!
Then I reread all 17 pages of this post this morning before getting started, taking down some notes and tips!!!
I used the method of jacking up both front wheels and spinning each wheel by hand (in neutral) while feeling for any vibration in the coil spring. Had vibrations in the driver side coil, none on the passenger side. So I went to work on the driver side.
The 25" breaker bar took the axle nut right off, no problem!!!
I initially tried to take the 18mm bolt out of the lower ball joint and used my pickle fork to separate the ball joint from the spindle.... Once the ball joint was loose, the entire ball joint would rotate while trying to remove the nut.... also spun while trying to retighten the nut... Had to put the floor jack under the ball joint to keep it from spinning... Tightened the 18mm nut back up and simply removed the 3 bolts holding the ball joint to the lower control arm.... Shoulda' done it this way right from the start.....
The rental slide hammer from Autozone pulled the hub fairly easily with about a dozen good whacks!!
Used the heavy duty 1" cutting wheel on my dremel tool, to cut the inner bearing on the hub, then a hammer and chisel to split the inner bearing and remove it from the hub.... pretty easy!!!
To pull the outer bearing from the spindle... the #13 bearing push disk in my Harbor Freight kit looked too big.... so I chose the next size smaller, #12...... Well the #12 was also just an RCH too large and got stuck in the spindle.... didn't twist the head off the leadscrew, but I DID bend the leadscrew!!! Finally was able to press the outer bearing from the spindle using the next smaller disk, #07.... Came out nice and easy when using a push disk smaller than the bore in the spindle!!
Cleaned the bore in the spindle with a wire brush, greased it lightly, took the new bearing out of the freezer and pressed it right in using only a 1/2" drive ratchet!!! Since I BENT the leadscrew on the HF tool while trying to remove the bearing.... I used one of the Tractor Supply 3/4" bolts instead... worked great!!!!
Learning from others mistakes in this post, I REMEMBERED to install the snap ring before installing the hub!!! The hub pressed in easily using the 1/2" drive ratchet.
I didn't have a new 30mm axle nut, so I just used the original nut. Got it all back together and took it for a short ride... It's just as quiet as can be!!!!
I spent about 5 hours on it, but I'm certain I could do the next one in about half that time!!!
My only question is..... Should I go ahead and replace the passenger side bearing even though it isn't noisy???? It DOES have 185K on it and I bought two bearings just in case.....
Thanks again to Scurvy and everyone else who contributed to this post!! I simply could NOT have done this without the guidance of this post. I'd love to see this post be made "sticky" or saved somewhere, somehow in the archives..... This info is just too valuable to simply be "lost" over time!!!

Trailbum said:

My only question is..... Should I go ahead and replace the passenger side bearing even though it isn't noisy????

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No... Bearings wear out when they happen to wear out...

On our Jetta, the Left Front needed to be replaced at 120891 miles... the Right Front went at 277740 miles... (the rear bearings are still fine at 447325 miles...)

Yuri

Trailbum said:

Thanks again to Scurvy and everyone else who contributed to this post!! I simply could NOT have done this without the guidance of this post. I'd love to see this post be made "sticky" or saved somewhere, somehow in the archives..... This info is just too valuable to simply be "lost" over time!!!

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Glad you found it useful; thanks for sharing your experience. I should probably emphasize using a pushing disc what actually fits through the knuckle bore, you're not the only one who has had problems with it.

Been thinking about making a PDF version of this as well, one you could download easily and take out to the car with you.

ymz said:

No... Bearings wear out when they happen to wear out...

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Ditto, don't replace bearings prematurely. If they're tight and quiet don't touch 'em!

I changed both of mine based on the 6 and 12 o'clock wheel shake test. I had about 1/4" of play at wheel edge on both sides. I did not do the noise test, and my car has not been howling. However I have had 2 sets of disk brake rotors go in 20,000 miles. If the wheel is not held tight the brake rotors will not wear properly.

Zero play now that the bearings have been changed. Will see if I can get some more life out of the this set of rotors (my first set which has been turned down).

In my opinion if you do a front brake job and the car has been shimmying when stopping due to un-true rotors, check for wheel bearing sloppiness and fix the bearing(s) if need be, don't wait until they are so bad that they howl and shake.

All of this has been covered before, but I'll add my 2 cents worth.

1) I found that lifting one wheel, putting it in gear and spinning up to driving speed was the most reliable way to identify the bad bearing.

2) You may as well replace both bearings at the same time. I replaced one, then the other failed 2 months later. Both failed due to degraded seals. Its probably a safe bet that if the seals fail on one bearing, the other bearing won't be far behind. When the second failed, it sprayed grease all over the inner brake pad, which isn't noticeable from the outside.

3) Forget the slide hammer. I tried this briefly on the first bearing, but gave up once I realized how much impact force was being applied to the balljoint, strut, tie rod, and\or CV bearings. Use a 3-jaw puller to press the drive shaft out.

4) Buy a cheap hydraulic press. You can get compact 6 ton models for $100, which have more than enough force. They make great cider presses also. If you don't buy a press, take it to a shop to press it out instead of banging on it with hammers or spending money on single-purpose tools to remove the bearing.

To use the press method, you'll need some scrap iron, and a couple suitably sized sockets. Here I'm pressing the hub out with a socket sized to sit on the hub shaft:



Another view showing the spacers that support the knuckle on the disc brake posts and the tie rod connection:



Once the hub is out, the snap ring is removed and the bearing can be pressed out with a larger socket with an OD just slightly smaller than the bearing.



Pressing the bearing back in can be done with the same large socket or with the old bearing. It goes in much easier than trying to tap it in straight with a hammer. With a press it is practically self-aligning.

5) Cutting the inner race off works, but it is very tricky to not grind through into the hub shaft. I cut the first one off, then remembered that I bought a bearing race puller years ago. I used it on the second bearing and it worked perfectly. I think the puller only cost $20 new. The C-clamp is just there to ensure a good grip on the skinny shoulder.

Good info, but I feel the need to clarify a few points. These are strictly my opinion and you should take with as many grains of salt as necessary. YMMV.

bgg said:

1) I found that lifting one wheel, putting it in gear and spinning up to driving speed was the most reliable way to identify the bad bearing.

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This seems like a bad idea for the differential. Put the entire front end up in the air instead - much nicer on the diff and lets you check both front wheels at once.

bgg said:

2) You may as well replace both bearings at the same time.

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Disagree, as noted several places before.

bgg said:

3) Forget the slide hammer.
...
Use a 3-jaw puller to press the drive shaft out.

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I used a 3-jaw puller to press the drive shaft out. The slide hammer is only to pull the hub out of the steering knuckle.

bgg said:

4) Buy a cheap hydraulic press. You can get compact 6 ton models for $100, which have more than enough force. They make great cider presses also.
...
Pressing the bearing back in can be done with the same large socket or with the old bearing. It goes in much easier than trying to tap it in straight with a hammer. With a press it is practically self-aligning.

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A press would be nice to have, but as indicated in the first post this was intended as a how-to on replacing the bearing while the steering knuckle is installed on the car. The FWD bearing kit can also be used to pressing in control arm bushings or similar. Unfortunately not for a cider press, though.

The bearings are practically self-aligning when using the FWD bearing press as well. Good info on using the press.

bgg said:

5) Cutting the inner race off works, but it is very tricky to not grind through into the hub shaft. I cut the first one off, then remembered that I bought a bearing race puller years ago.

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A posi-lock puller or similar would be an excellent addition if you're doing more than one or two. Most folks would be much more likely to have a Dremel than a race puller, though. Nicking the hub a bit isn't a big deal, either. Just smooth it out with some sandpaper.

My intention wasn't to discredit anyone else's posts or philosophies, only to add my experience after trying this repair for the first (and then second) time.

This seems like a bad idea for the differential. Put the entire front end up in the air instead - much nicer on the diff and lets you check both front wheels at once.

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You're probably right, but the process literally only takes 2 seconds to tell if the noise is there. The differential probably takes as much abuse when stuck in snow and one wheel has traction. I tried with both wheels up, but the advantage with one wheel at the time is that I didn't need to get out of the car and stick my head next to a spinning wheel to hear the noise- when the offending wheel was off the ground the noise was audible inside just as when driving normally.

Disagree, as noted several places before.

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Well, all I can say is that both my bearings failed at 200K within 2 months of each other. Had I replaced the second one at the same time, I would have saved time, a set of brake pads, and extra shipping for the second set of parts. Also, my second one failed when it was 20 below, when it isn't as nice to work outside.

I used a 3-jaw puller to press the drive shaft out. The slide hammer is only to pull the hub out of the steering knuckle.

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Of course. I'm just suggesting that removing the knuckle was very easy, did not require any hammering on sensitive parts, and didn't require realignment. I tried the slide hammer approach first, and really did not like the level of force that was being applied with no effect.

A press would be nice to have, but as indicated in the first post this was intended as a how-to on replacing the bearing while the steering knuckle is installed on the car. The FWD bearing kit can also be used to pressing in control arm bushings or similar. Unfortunately not for a cider press, though.

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Sure, people can chose whatever route they like. My point is that presses are not expensive, and are useful for other things, so people should consider this route. I looked everywhere for a FWD bearing kit locally with no luck, and shipping one in was too expensive.

I'd forgotten about the control arm bushings, I actually replaced these with my press as well a year or two ago, in between cider seasons..

Most folks would be much more likely to have a Dremel than a race puller, though. Nicking the hub a bit isn't a big deal, either. Just smooth it out with some sandpaper.

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Agreed, and I did go the grinding route at first. However, Canadians should go to Princess Auto or equivalent and pick up a cheap puller. Mine isn't anything fancy- just a screw, a bar, and two jaws. No locking mechanism, hence the c-clamp. It took way less time to pull the second race than grind off the first one, and no gouging the hub like I did the first time.

Anyhow, my motto is that you can never have too many tools. If you can buy the parts, race puller and press for less than the shop rate for replacing the bearing ($300 vs $500 in my case), then you're better off down the road.

I just could not resist, but I bought a Harbor Freight 12-ton hydraulic press over a year ago and it still is unused. If and when my front wheel bearinig(s) go south, I'll use the press (and probably replace the control arm bushings and ball joints at the same time). I also have a lifetime alignment at Firestone, so I'll go the press route and just get an alignment afterwards. I really appreciate the pictures for press use, because now I know it simply involves using whatever you can find to support the steering knuckle and use whatever sockets fit the bearing and hub.

I also appreciate the effort that went into posting the on-the-car front wheel bearing replacement method too. This forum is great!

--Nate

In my humble opinion, it's a 3-jaw puller or a sledge to knock the axle back in. I only take the spindle off to the press if that does not come out. And a slide hammer to take the hub off. Its the way I have been doing it for years and never compromised another component on the car doing so.

And the on car bearing remover/press is a real time saver. All the right sizes are in the kit, and no guessing with sockets.

Though strangely, when I pulled the axles on my car for service, after 190k miles on salted midwest roads, I pulled them out by hand. Hmm.

As for pulling the inner race from the hub, I was shown a pretty neat trick by another tech in my shop. Tap the back edge with a chisel to move it away from the hub enough, put on a freeze plug installing tool (I think he used a GM one) on the hub and you can put the 3-jaw on it to pull it off.

what is a good brand for replacement wheel bearings?

I don't recall brand names, but the ones from idiparts, kermatdi and worldimpex are all good quality. Pay close attention to the hardware that comes with the bearings as well. I've seen a few kits that don't supply the correct axle nut (no flat inner edge like OE). I think Blauparts just started selling them. I didn't look into it, but I bought other parts from them and the hardware wasn't great. Check with a local parts store, they usually have a few different brands, and usually one of them is a german part.

Auto-Zone sells the Timken bearing for this car but does not include the nuts. Good price though. I bought two FAG bearings and one of them failed in just a few thousand miles. I think here in the "rust belt" it's unpredictable because a little salt can get into one of these bearings pretty easily. Use lots and lots of grease on the axle split to keep salt out.

ballroomblitz said:

what is a good brand for replacement wheel bearings?

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FAG brand's not bad... In Canada I usually order from http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/roseland/VWPartsA4.htm (and usually keep a bearing or two in stock... just in case...)

Yuri

In Europe one of the best producers are SKF, optimal is somewhere in middle

ballroomblitz said:

what is a good brand for replacement wheel bearings?

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I've responded to your PM for this information, but will put it out there again for everyone's benefit: I would use any bearing made in a first-world, industrialized country by SKF, Fischer Aktiengesellschaft (FAG), INA or Timken.

The bearing that failed in my Golf was a feito-no-Brasil SKF. One replacement was a Canadien SKF supplied with a Ruville wheel bearing kit, which also included the axle nut, circlip and a few other nuts. The other side received a kit with a US-made FAG 801136 bearing; it was replaced with a Korean SKF GRW237 when I forgot the circlip.

I changed both of my front bearings on the weekend, and it went pretty well. Thanks very much for the instructions Scurvy, I wouldn't have tried it without your help. In hindsight, it was a pretty simple job, you just have to stop and think a little bit as you are working.

The first bearing took 5 hours, but the 2nd bearing took about 1.5 hours. I know Scurvy said there's no benefit in doing both bearings if only one needs it. But it was rewarding to know I could do it pretty quickly the 2nd time, once I knew how to do it.

Canadians might not know that some Canadian Tire stores have a tool rental program. I rented a bearing kit, a 6" gear puller, and a slide hammer from them. They charge you full retail cost up front, then refund the full cost when you bring the tools back in 3 days. So it's totally free. I asked the dude at the store how they make money, and he said some people are late with their returns, and that's how they get you. I don't know how much they charge. You might want to clarify before you rent.

The Canadian Tire bearing kit had nothing that was the right size to put on the backside of the slide hammer when you need to rip the guts of the bearing. So I used the old axle nut, it was a perfect fit.

When it was time to remove the bearing race off the hub, I used a cheap $10, 2-jaw puller from Canadian Tire. I used a grinder to shape the hooks to a fine point so they could get under the lip of the bearing race. The whole thing is very unstable so I gently tightened it up with a hose clamp to stop the jaws from popping off. Then I backed up the hose clamp with a c-clamp, and pulled that bastid off in about 30 seconds!

I bought a bearing replacement kit from a VW dealer (1J0 498 625, made in Canada) and metalman has the exact same kit (FAG made in Canada) shown in the pictures on his website for about $50.

Question - has anyone tried to pull the hub before removing the axle? Wondering if this would keep from having to use the slide hammer to remove the hub. Or is this a bad idea?

Ghastly said:

The first bearing took 5 hours, but the 2nd bearing took about 1.5 hours. I know Scurvy said there's no benefit in doing both bearings if only one needs it. But it was rewarding to know I could do it pretty quickly the 2nd time, once I knew how to do it.

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There's likely no benefit to the car to do both, but there absolutely can be a benefit to you to do both if you're a tinkerer or very DIY-inclined. Or if you're dumb about which bearing is bad and have to do the other one, like I did the first time.

Glad you found it useful.

volmaniac said:

Question - has anyone tried to pull the hub before removing the axle? Wondering if this would keep from having to use the slide hammer to remove the hub. Or is this a bad idea?

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How do you plan on removing the hub with the axle still going through it? I think you'll find pushing the axle out of the hub/steering knuckle one of the easiest parts of the entire process... not sure what you're trying to accomplish by leaving the axle in place.

MkIV Front Wheel Bearings

CURRENT DEALER COST-
FYI - Had both front wheel bearings replaced plus wheel alignment at Lindsey VW in Sterling, VA, last week while I was on vacation and left the car (2002 Golf TDI) there to have the work done. Total cost was $985.00. Not an insignificant amount.

STP-TDI said:

CURRENT DEALER COST-$985.00.

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And we all commend your patriotism and sacrifice in trying to get the economy moving again!!

Yuri

STP-TDI said:

CURRENT DEALER COST-
FYI - Had both front wheel bearings replaced plus wheel alignment at Lindsey VW in Sterling, VA, last week while I was on vacation and left the car (2002 Golf TDI) there to have the work done. Total cost was $985.00. Not an insignificant amount.

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Yowza! $985 for both front wheel bearings and an alignment...

Splurge $100 for an alignment... easy to see how this makes economic sense even if you have to buy some tools. ($985 - $100)/2 = $442.50 per side.

Assuming you already own the hand tools, $50 for a quality wheel bearing kit, $80 for the HF tool, figure $10 in other supplies... even if you're slow and it takes you 5 hours to change one, it's $60/hour you're saving. Even moreso for subsequent bearings.

FWIW, I've got 191k km on my Golf - roughly 100k km on both replacement front wheel bearings. Both sides are still tight & quiet. My tires have just started to show slightly uneven wear but all four are nearly down to the wear bars and will be replaced before autumn. As they have not shown any uneven wear until now I'm willing to bet this is due to the age & distance on the tires and not a suspension issue (however I will be getting an alignment with the new tires, 191k km on mostly Chicago streets does take a toll on suspension components!).

My experience thus far

06 Golf
150K miles on the clock
Left wheel bearing failure, left outer boot failure at the small end
The Harbor Freight kit 66829 failed. The nut on the inside was not welded. It was threaded on with a pin driven into it. I twisted it out and stripped it off before the bearing moved. I used 1 1/16" socket on the inside, a 1 1/4" on the outside big nut with a snug fit to both.
Instead of a slide hammer, I used a chisel and drove it between the hub and knuckle as a wedge to get it started (through slots in the tone ring) then used two big screwdrivers on either side to pry it off. I note that my local auto parts stores have a device that attaches to the lug nuts on one side and a slide hammer on the other side that would work great.
I will be pulling the knuckles to have the bearings pressed out/in. (~$50) I do not suspect an issue with the CV joint, but all four boots will be replaced ($80 from my drive shaft rebuilder). I have a lifetime alignment on this car from Firestone ($150usd) I have used it twice already so I am getting my money out of it. I ordered two FAG bearing kits from FCP Euro and paid <$11 for shipping to get them in 3-5 days, total for bearings ~$93.

Try this one:
Originally Posted by flyingmikey
HOW TO FIND THE BAD GUY:
1- With parking brake on and in tranny in neutral, jack front drivers side tire so it no longer touches the floor.
2- With your hand firmly holding on to the coil spring, rotate tire manually and "FEEL" for any vibration in the coil spring.
3- Repeat procedure on passenger side
4- Bad bearing is on the side where you felt vibration in the coil spring. Good bearings will not cause any vibration to be transmitted to the coil spring.

joshuare said:

Try this one:
Originally Posted by flyingmikey
HOW TO FIND THE BAD GUY:
1- With parking brake on and in tranny in neutral, jack front drivers side tire so it no longer touches the floor.
2- With your hand firmly holding on to the coil spring, rotate tire manually and "FEEL" for any vibration in the coil spring.
3- Repeat procedure on passenger side
4- Bad bearing is on the side where you felt vibration in the coil spring. Good bearings will not cause any vibration to be transmitted to the coil spring.

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My definitive preferred method. For all vehicles, front and rear.

Then again I learned long ago, especially in VW's to check tires first, then if that doesn't do it (you'd be surprised how often it's tires) I do both on the same axle at the same time. Because occasionally I'd still be worng at my guess.

Thanks for the help, first time at the wheel bearing change, and it sorta went smooth thumbs up! I owe ya a brew-haghh

I wish i had rented the "schley" tool or w.e. that thing's called, the advance auto balljoint presser/puller was not a deep enough C to really get around the assembly to be square when pressing in the bearing and hub.

Thanks

MARTICUS said:

Thanks for the help, first time at the wheel bearing change, and it sorta went smooth

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I've not looked at the mk3 front wheel bearing setup in any detail but it appears broadly similar to the mk4. Are you saying it's essentially the same?

MARTICUS said:

I wish i had rented the "schley" tool or w.e. that thing's called, the advance auto balljoint presser/puller was not a deep enough C to really get around the assembly to be square when pressing in the bearing and hub.

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So you didn't use the Harbor Freight wheel bearing kit and instead used a balljoint pressing tool?