Rear Axle Beam Bushing - Need Help

I would like to get an opinion from the knowledgeable folks here. Please have a look at the photo and let me know if you think it needs to be changed. I hit a high curb with the rear driver’s side wheel and since then the alignment has been very bad and the steering wheel is about 30 degrees off center. The alignment shop said that the rear axle was way out of specification and I needed to go to a body shop and have the frame straightened. I could change the axle beam, but I'm wondering if replacing the bushings first may help the situation.

/img]

Go to the body shop, dude. Really.

That bushing definitely looks wrong.

If you are a DIYer, start there.

the bushing will not give, the axle will bend. Check what is bent and fix things accordingly.

what bushing....it's gone.

1. go to the body shop and check the frame for bend.
2. replace the whole rear beam axel. Labor will almost offset the cost of doing the bushings alone.
3. get it aligned.

Go to someone you can trust. It could be just a blown out bushing. VW uses oil filled bushings that make for a quiet ride but also don't last as long and are more delicate than full rubber bushings.
My cars front passenger side bushings blew out after hitting a big hole. My steering wheel would shift when I went from accelerating to braking. Got new bushings and all is well.

Change the axle. The bushings are certainly shot, and I guarantee the arms are bent. I've yet to see a VW with over 100K miles on it go on an alignment machine and be within spec in the rear. If you weren't going to do the work yourself, the labor for the bushing change will help pay for the axle. Besides, this should be an insurance claim, unless you don't have collision insurance.

Cage, the front bushings are rubber with no fluid. They have cut outs and are often torn through. I recommend looking at them by 100K and replacing as necessary.

I planned on doing the work myself. I was hoping to avoid the $625 for the new axle beam and the $48 per bushing from the VW dealer. I could get an axle from the junk yard out of a jetta with 85k miles on it for $300. but I guess it's not worth it. I don't want to go through my insurance company, because they will raise my rates by several hundred dollars like they did the last time I had a small fender-bender. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and go for the new axle and bushings.

Have a look at this; http://www.scottishvag.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=24344 written by myself and a mate when we changed the original bushes on a Mk4 Golf for polyeurethane ones, there should also be a link from elsewhere on this site in the common problems/FAQ section or something, hope it helps.
Cheers
Wallace

Figured I'd jump in here rather than creating a new thread. I was looking under the car today while planning/scheming for my upcoming lift and a possible side exhaust. Noticed a piece of rubber hanging down from the left side axle mount bushing. I havent checked the right side yet.

Take a look:


Looks like the outer rubber part of the bushing (pic from MetalMan):


And yes, I know I need a new handbrake cable...its on the list. So, do you guys think I should replace the bushings while I'm in there doing the lift?

Nice writeup and pics Wallace.

Yep, do it, but it's a ton of work....

So what causes these to fail, other than hitting something? I have a thoery. It's worn suspension providing too much movement in the rear suspension. I don't have any proof, but I am amazed that the bushings in my wagon are still OK after 192K. That includes many, many trips to NYC, drives across Michigan, carrying heavy loads (over 700 lbs. many times) and a bunch of track days. I had the stock suspension in the car for 55K, and everything since has been in there for 40K or less. My Golf got new suspension at about 80K, and the bushings seem fine at 124K.

We sell quite a few of these. I'm going to start asking people how long their suspension has been in the car when I have a chance. TDICADDGUY, have you replaced your OEM struts/shocks?

IndigoBlueWagon said:

So what causes these to fail, other than hitting something? I have a thoery. It's worn suspension providing too much movement in the rear suspension. I don't have any proof, but I am amazed that the bushings in my wagon are still OK after 192K. That includes many, many trips to NYC, drives across Michigan, carrying heavy loads (over 700 lbs. many times) and a bunch of track days. I had the stock suspension in the car for 55K, and everything since has been in there for 40K or less. My Golf got new suspension at about 80K, and the bushings seem fine at 124K.

We sell quite a few of these. I'm going to start asking people how long their suspension has been in the car when I have a chance. TDICADDGUY, have you replaced your OEM struts/shocks?

Click to expand...

Nope...bone stock original. Car is 8 years old with 129k of MN potholes. I am getting some funky wear on my rear tires, but I'm not sure if its the crappy tires or the suspension thats causing it. I'll be installing a 2" Metalnerd lift and would like to pick your brain regarding the shocks/struts and different springs...VR6 up front and maybe wagon in the rear. But thats for another thread or a PM. If you get a chance Peter, look at the 2" lift thread in the Upgrades section and you'll see what I'm going for.

The job doesnt look too tough based on the writeup the Wallace linked to, is there anything more to it than that?

Advice I've heard from people who've done this are to first get Sachs bushings, as the Meyle ones sometimes are not sized correctly. Second, when you're ready to install them pack the bushings in dry ice and heat the axle end. Makes them easier to install.

Ask away when you're ready regarding struts and shocks. We're also working on getting longer springs to lift all cars a bit.

Just had mine done about a month ago. Best $200 I spent. Glad I didn't have to do the work.

NB_TDI, now I'm curious. Have you renewed your suspension?

Pretty much everything has been replaced in my suspension.

The bushes I used are polyurethene (Powerflex) http://www.powerflex.co.uk/ and don't have a metal outer sleeze, so you just grease them and press them in, I used a piece of threaded bar, washers, nuts and some spacers I made but it's fairly easy. Getting out the old bushes is the pig, brute force and ignorance a must but more time consuming than difficult. The rubber rings in your picture are as you say part of the bushing and not really that essential, I lost mone about the year before I replaced then so probably an indication that they are on the way out. I don't know about roads in the US but here in the Uk they are awful, loads of potholes and my car had only done 55k when the bushes needed replaced.

Wallace, there are several threads here that warn against using poly bushings in the rear axle because they're not flexible enough. Have you experienced any odd handling as a result of the bushings you installed?

I've been looking for a firmer bushing, something between stock and a spherical bearing. But haven't considered poly for the reason above. I'd love your feedback on how they are to drive.

Best thing I have ever done for the handling, I noticed slightly more vibration initially over rough sufaces but it'smuch tighter in general and definitely feels like a bit of an upgrade. Liked it so much I did the wife's too, the good thing is once it's done you don't have to worry about it again, absolutely to be recommended as far as I am concerned.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Advice I've heard from people who've done this are to first get Sachs bushings, as the Meyle ones sometimes are not sized correctly. Second, when you're ready to install them pack the bushings in dry ice and heat the axle end. Makes them easier to install.

Click to expand...

In my limited experience packing the bushings in dry ice and heating the axel up did nothing to ease the installation of the bushings. I had the bushings on ice for several hours but maybe that wasn't long enough or maybe I didn't get the axel hot enough. Big a$$ C-clamp and judicious use of a dead blow hammer were the key to my success.

My buddy Jon runs a machine shop and is one of those guys who can fix anything. So I have Jon and JasonTDI in my corner---nice. Get the beam off the car and put it on a big sturdy table or bench. We basically made a sandwich of inch thick steel plate, wooden board, axel beam cyclinder, bushing, board with hole cut in center to fit the center of the bushing and finally another steel plate. Since the bushing is not flat across the top you'll need to put a shim between the top board and the top steel plate to even out the clamping surface. Press the sandwich together with the clamp as tight as you can being carefull not to break the bushing. Make sure the clamp is centered on the bushing. And then beat on the bottom steel plate with the deadblow hammer. Tighten clamp - hammer, repeat. You will have to change the spot you're hammering on to help keep the bushing going in straight. I suppose you could do this by yourself but it really helps to have one guy tightening and the other guy hammering, otherwise the sandwich falls apart.

It's a pretty tough job.

Good luck.

Sounds like a real pain in the A. Thanks for the info...I guess.

I hope you have full coverage insurance. It should cover this under an accident.

Well, since the car has over 100K miles and the rear wheels were bowed out before I hit the curb, I decided to change the rear axle beam this past weekend. The job took about 10 hours total (but I work slowly, with many diet coke breaks). The toughest part was putting the new bushings into the new rear axle beam. I let the new bushings sit in dry ice for about 4 hours, but I don't think it made a difference. I used a file to give a little more taper to the end of the bushing to get it started into the axle sleeve. The outer shell of the bushing is plastic and very easy to file the taper. I used a threaded rod and blocks of wood to push the bushing it, and once it was started into the hole, I beat it with a 2 lb. hammer and a block of wood with a hole cut out to protect the raised end of the bushing. See the attached drawing.
I am so glad that I changed the axle beam. The wheels no longer squat and the car drives and steers like new.

^ see thats what I'm thinking with a airwrench. I would think it could be done pretty damn fast.

Did anyone read my 'How-to' file, link above, was it of any help?
Also I have read that the original VW bushes have oil in them, I have never seen any oil in them or coming out of them, anyone know if this is true, could it be a UK/US difference?

Neither the original or the new bushings are filled with oil. They are rubber inside surrounded by a plastic sleeve. As you can see by the 2nd photo, one of the spokes of my left side bushing was broken.

Wallace said:

Did anyone read my 'How-to' file, link above, was it of any help?
Also I have read that the original VW bushes have oil in them, I have never seen any oil in them or coming out of them, anyone know if this is true, could it be a UK/US difference?

Click to expand...

I did, I just havn't got around to changing mine. Your way is the way I was thinking about doing it.

That's good, i was beginning to wonder with all this 'removing the whole axle' stuff , I know at times it is necessary but definitely not always. I am glad some found the files useful and also that there is No Oil in the bushes, don't know where that idea came from .
Cheers .