How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

Ron 33 said:

Does anyone know how long a bearing will make noise before catastrophic failure?

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Hard to say... I drove on mine making noise for at least a year... but when I first heard the noise, I thought it was CV joints... wasn't until later that I realized it was one or both of the bearings.

Ron 33 said:

Does anyone know how long a bearing will make noise before catastrophic failure?

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Does anyone know how long it will be before I win the lottery??

If your driving consists of nothing more than driving slowly to the grocery store or to church on sundays, you can probably keep driving on it for a very long time.

If you take long drives at highway speeds, you probably want it changed sooner rather than later...

In any case, the bearing won't improve with age...

Y.

You won't win the lottery. You have a much better chance of being struck by lightning.
Was wondering if anyone had experienced a complete wheel stopping failure? I did not phrase the question properly.

Changed the bearing today, all is good for another 250,000 miles.
The wear on the bearing was minimal for a quarter of a million miles.
The noise was more irratating than anything.

Thanks Scurvy.
PS
Oh yes, I used a small lockable puller to get the race off the hub. Worked great.
Did not remove the brake shield. FWIW

Ron 33 said:

Oh yes, I used a small lockable puller to get the race off the hub. Worked great.
Did not remove the brake shield. FWIW

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Glad it worked out for you. I keep meaning to pick up a lockable puller if I ever see one on sale. You're correct, removing the heatshield isn't strictly necessary, but removing it is quick and it's one less thing I could have bent up had I left it in place.

My front bearing lasted a whopping 100k km - don't bet on any particular life out of them!

scurvy

Great How-to and fantastic pictures!

Ted:

Great write up on how to change those pesky howling wheel bearings. If I ever need to do this, and I can't stop by your place to get help, I'm using this write up!

Dan

Thanks Scurvy

I did mine last weekend. No more noise ..love it. The slide hammer puller ..wow what a pain. I ended up taking the pass side off and pressing it out.
I coudnt get the bugger to move at all. It came out with the press with ease,
I think this was the bad side.

All in all great how to ... Thank god for harbor freight $80.00 bearing puller kit.

I co-worker paid 1200 for the two front bearings and labor. I offered help but
he likes to give his money away!

I need to do this on my daughter's 2001 Jetta. I have no idea which bearing (front, rear, right, left) is the culprit so I will probably change all 4 (the rear bearings look much easier to do). With her car the best way I could describe the noise is that it sounds like the car has snow tires on while the regular summer tires are on. I had the car up on jacks & everything felt tight with no obvious noise from turning the tires from hand. If you look at the pictures of the bad bearing in the begining of this thread I thought the balls looked decent but that the pitting & corrosion in the race area of the bearing was probably the primary reason for the noise.

pruzink said:

I need to do this on my daughter's 2001 Jetta. I have no idea which bearing (front, rear, right, left) is the culprit so I will probably change all 4 (the rear bearings look much easier to do).

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Why bother? I would only change the one making noise. I've described how to check if a front wheel bearing is making noise - rear bearings you'll have to shake/wiggle/roll by hand and observe any notchiness or excessive play.

pruzink said:

With her car the best way I could describe the noise is that it sounds like the car has snow tires on while the regular summer tires are on.

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Also a good description. Mine usually were cyclic in making that noise - it wasn't a constant roar at lower speeds but could be at 80+ kph.

MOGolf's suggestings and other pickiness

Scurvy, That's a wonderful write-up on this procedure using HF tools. However I suggest ...

... loosening the 30mm axle nut while the vehicle is still on the ground, with the parking brakes holding the car still.

... taking out the brake disc retaining screw before removing the brake caliper. You might need to have the brakes applied, or put a screwdriver through the caliper in the brake disc edge, to hold the disc while you remove that screw.

...a 27mm socket fits better than an 28mm on the welded nut of the threaded rod.

...in post #3, in the picture with the numbered parts, #3 is piece #13 in the kit (most of the pieces have numbers 955-nn where nn = 13 for this), and #5 in the picture should be turned around from what is shown. I recommend putting the thicker end against the bearing housing. #5 is the second smallest tube in the kit. #6 is the smaller of the two unnumbered plates.

... in post 4, once again use piece #13 to press the new bearing in. If I recall correctly, I was able to use #06 on the backside instead of the smaller tube plate. I was able to draw the bearings in completely in by hand. Doing by hand allows you to know when it bottoms out into the housing. No impact gun required for installing.

... when installing the hub, you say to press only on the inner race. I suggest using #13 on the backside, full width flat side against the bearing. This will support the inner race from being pushed out, and pressure of drawing the hub into place is applied to the outer race (which is pressing against the circlip in this operation). Installing a plate so that it has a portion inside the inner bearing race will prevent the hub from being fully installed.

... in post #5 "Replace the brake caliper and retaining bolts. Torque to 125Nm" It should read "Install the brake caliper and slider pins. Torque the pins to 28Nm." You'll snap off the pins at 125Nm.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Ron 33 said:

Does anyone know how long a bearing will make noise before catastrophic failure?

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Not on a VW, but years ago I ran a Toyota's rear bearing to complete failure. It did take a long time and turning the radio volume up was my solution to try and deal with the bearing noise.

Eventually I went on a long road trip with a load in the rear of the car and the first sign of trouble was when the brakes failed on the bad bearing's side due to the high temperature burning out the brake piston seals.

A few hours later, the driveshaft was no longer turning the rear wheels (rear wheel drive) and the car slowed to a stop. The siezed bearing had worn completely through the rear axle. But surprisingly, the stub of axle that remained attached to the hub prevented the wheel from coming off.

I don't recommend it, but it's a good story now.

-lee

MOGolf said:

Scurvy, That's a wonderful write-up on this procedure using HF tools. However I suggest ...

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Thanks, MOGolf. Your suggestions have been added.

I think you may have the later version of the kit than I do, as the welded nut on mine will not fit in a 27mm socket.

Great write up.
I am just in the process of doing front bearing on 03 jetta wagon.
The bearing has been low growling for about 10 kmiles,
just recently it has changed from growling to howling.

I just bought a new front hub at tdi parts .com for a grand total of
only 29.95!!!

http://www.tdiparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=942

Not even worth the grief of doing the dremel-bearing-race-ectomy.

By far the cheapest I had ever seen!!! I hope it is of good quality.

removing the race from the hub

I have used a puller to remove the bearing race, but sometimes it just won't grab the race.



I spent a few pennies and got the VW 3423 tool. In addtion to this tool, I used the bar and pressure screw from a Harbor Frieght bearing separater kit (like the 93980). The kit has standard thread pieces in it that don't fit the 3423. I used two formerly used engine mount bolts (N 907 124 03). Any suitably long 10mm bolts should work.



In the picture above the small disk is a 40-105 tool. It provides something for the pressure screw to press against.

Once you remove the hub, remove the bearing seal remnant from it. Position the two halves of the 3423 around the bearing race so that the inner lip will grab below the race. Secure in position with the ring. Screw in one of the screws.



Position the HF tool bar around the screw and screw in the other screw. Position the 40-105 on the hub and screw the pressure screw against it.



Using a 17mm socket and ratchet, or 17mm box wrench, or other suitable tool, turn the pressure screw while counterholding the hub. The race will come off with the greatest of ease. It took you longer to read this than it takes to remove the race.

Growler brought over a car and this time I paid attention to the pieces used.

-07 = use on the back of the bearing when pulling out the bearing and when installing the hub into the new bearing. Full flat side against the bearing during hub install.

-12 = use on the bearing when installing into the housing. This is just the right diameter to press across the face of the bearing and the outer race.

-13 = use on the bearing housing (axle shaft side) when installing the new bearing into the housing. Full flat side towards the bearing.

During the first time I tried scurvy's procedure, I found the use of HF kit washers on my HF slide hammer for removing the hub slightly bent the washers. The inside diameter of the washers is larger than the slide hammer too. Something more sturdy, and better fitting, would be required for continued use. The 5 lb. HF slide hammer (5223) has 16mm thread diameter. I took two VW M16 washers (8D0 412 145 B found on Passat front suspension), and ground down the outside diameter to 39mm. This is a mere 1mm grinding. The washers are a hefty 5mm thick. Using these two washers was better than using a single, or both, of the HF kit washers.

Guys,

I'm going to be doing the front wheel bearings on the 2005 Jetta wagon in a month or so.

I've got a question: Instead of unbolting the lower ball joint from the wheel bearing housing/knuckle to remove the hub and old wheel bearing, could I unbolt the axle from the half shaft and then press the axle out of the hub? That way I could pull the hub, replace the bearing, and put everything back together without affecting front end algnment. Any problems in doing the job this way? Thanks.

Eric

I think your chances of getting the rotor out with a slide hammer and not damaging the balljoint are pretty slim if you leave it connected. I'd rather pay for an alignment anyway than risk a balljoint on top of it.

More than 30k km since I replaced both of my front wheel bearings without a front end alignment and the car still tracks straight & tire wear is even.

I got a lifetime alignment (it was about twice the cost of a regular alignment), so I am all set. I keep cars about 20 years too! The alignment shop LOSES money on me.

That way you don't have to worry about alignments needed for front end servicing jobs on your car.
--Nate

Would it not be easier to replace the bearings as you replace the struts?

You could work from a workbench.


Great write-ups though,
This website is my Bently!

Jaco Bolle said:

Would it not be easier to replace the bearings as you replace the struts?

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If you pulled the steering knuckle out and had a hydraulic press to push the bearings/hubs out and back in, yes. Which I wholeheartedly believe is easier to do, it just requires more equipment.

The point of doing the job this way is to make the costs lower for the average user who might do a couple wheel bearings a year (for friends, family or at GTGs). I was able to do one front bearing for less than what most shops would charge to do it by buying the HF wheel bearing kit. The second bearing was money in the bank and any subsequent bearings increase my ROI significantly. But that high ROI is based on you doing more labor - for the average user, buying a press doesn't pay off just to do this job.

Nice write up, I should have replace both bearing at the same time last Saturday. Now I to replace the passenger side this weekend. But did I order OTC hub tamer, so it will make bearing replacment easier.

Question for the passenger side wheel bearing

Do you have to ubolt the drive shaft on the passenger side get out the way or just unbolting the ball joint give you enough room to move the drive shaft out the knuckle?



Thanks

tango_28 said:

Question for the passenger side wheel bearing

Do you have to ubolt the drive shaft on the passenger side get out the way or just unbolting the ball joint give you enough room to move the drive shaft out the knuckle?

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I did that side by pulling the knuckle, but you shouldn't have to take the shaft out of the transmission. Worst case, you'll need to unbolt the ball joint & sway bar to give you enough room.

I unbolted the sway bar and lower ball joint, still not enough room. Did you remove the knuckle assemble from the struts to do that side?

Thanks

got if off!!

tango_28 said:

Did you remove the knuckle assemble from the struts to do that side?

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scurvy said:

I did [the passenger side] by pulling the knuckle

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Yes, I pulled the knuckle on the passenger side.

tango_28 said:

got if off!!

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Following my usual TDIClub mantra (stolen from one of the Great Plains' member's sig): "If you post a question, post a solution", what enabled you to swing the passenger side axle out of the way? Unbolted something else? Gave it the ol' college try? Smoke wrench?

I didn't have any trouble on my Golf (automatic), and someone else's NB (manual), using the same procedure on both sides.

Hey everyone,

Is there anyone in the greater Los Angeles area that can do wheel bearings, I'd of course pay you for your time, I'd actually like to see it be done if at all possible, please send me a PM if you can do it, or know of someone, or an inexpensive shop?


Thank you so much in advance!

JetStreamer said:

Is there anyone in the greater Los Angeles area that can do wheel bearings

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Not an inexpensive shop, but generally agreed that it's the best: Wild Rose Motors in Whittier. (562) 946-9000

Yuri

Thank you now have smooth ride and more tools

Even forgetting the slide hammer and not having a 1/2" to 3/4" adaptor for my impact gun I got this done in three hours. Hurray for pipe wrenches. The welded nut on the Harbor Freight bearing puller set pulled off and I had to weld it back on.

Wheel Bearings on a 2005 Jetta Wagon

Guys,

Just a couple thoughts on when I did the front wheel bearings on my wife's 2005 Jetta Wagon:

1) I unbolted the sway bar connector (goes between the sway bar and the lower control arm) from the sway bar, then loosened the bolt that holds it to the lower control arm. You'll have to put a jack under the control arm to take the pressure off the sway bar. Then you can move the axle out of the way

2) After doing the above, I took the old axle nut and put it on the backside of the hub (where the axle goes in the hub) and used my three jaw puller to push the hub out of the bearing/spindle. No need for a slide hammer.

3) I then slid the lower ball joint back in to the control arm and put the three bolts back in. This gave the whole spindle assembly more support when I used the Harbor Freight FWD bearing tool.

4) Just because there is bearing noise when turning left or right does not identify which bearing is bad. I first replaced what I thought was the bad bearing (driver's side) but turns out it was also the passenger's side. And the passenger's side bearing made noise like it was coming from the driver's side. A better way would be to jack up the front tire and grab the tire at 6:00 and 12:00 and try to move the tire/hub assembly. If there is play when moving the tire, the bearing is going (or is) bad.


Thanks for great write up!

Eric