New wheel bearing play?

marshalldanielp

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Otisco, NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Gls Wagon auto
Got the new bearing in. Then put the hub on. Prior to replacing axle bolt and control arm the hub seemed to have quite a bit of play, it wobbled. Axle nut and control arm replaced hub was tight and noise went away. Is this play normal?

Thanks,
Dan
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
Yes totally, there's two bearings in the one shell and when you crank up the centre bolt it clamps the centres together which tightens the whole thing up.
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
Yeah, the axle nut clamps the bearing together with the CV joint on the inside and the nut on the outside. That's why the manual says not to put weight on the axle without the axle nut being properly tightened - if the bearing was loose and had the full weight of the car on it, it might peen the races in untoward places and ruin the bearing.
 

marshalldanielp

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Otisco, NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Gls Wagon auto
Thanks guys. Appreciate it I was a little nervous. It was on my bil car and it was late last night so we just put it back together and it tighend up. Started mine tonight and those bearings are a pita. I got the driver side out and the new bearing in, cut the race off the hub. I think they are the original bearings, 212k and they are trashed. Back to work on it tomorrow. Thanks again.
 

Seatman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Location
Scotland
TDI
2014 Skoda rapid elegance 1.6 cr tdi
The bearings are ok but easier to deal with if you have some welders gauntlets and a really big hammer lol:D Best to press them in though even a big vice can do it if nothing else.
 

chewyboy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Location
IN
TDI
'00 NB TDI
Actually be careful with the whole "they should have some play" theory. Like i dummy i went with timkin a while back thinking they were still made in the us. They were not. Pressed them in, put them on the car torqued them down and grabbed the tire at 12/6. it had about 3/4" of play. Went over everything i did it was pressed in correctly. Removed the hub put it on the arbor press and put the full force of it down on the bearing as it should either blow it out or lock it up tight. neither happened, it was still flopping around horribly. Finally pulled the 2 out i did, took them back got replacements, refunds were no go, and since i was not going to do that again i took the timkins i got and decided to try something out with the new ones. I had a shaft i could put in the bearing while i pressed it in. again back to the press, pressed along the outer race when goning in the hub, pressed on the inner race when going into the outer hub. the new ones were just as bad, and i will never buy timkins again. pressed them out when i got the fag's, pressed the fags in and have not had any trouble since.

cliffs: sometimes you do get bad bearings and they flop around after being pressed in.
 
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