How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Another case where turn direction proved wrong. That method on mine definitely points to driver side. The jackstand method didn't help - neither side was noisy. But the other test of grabbing the wheel at the top and bottom made it perfectly obvious that the passenger side is bad.
Interesting. My wheels had no wobble at all but made an awful grinding racket when running on jackstands. Must be different failure modes - you can see how bad the races were pitted on mine from the postmortem pix.

FWIW, somebody asked me what OEM bearing I used to replace the bad one so they could look up whatever replacements they wanted. The original replacement was a FAG 801136; it was replaced with an SKF GRW237 after I forgot the circlip.
 

Herb Score

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Location
Lake Orion, MI
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Did my front passenger side this morning, no plans to do the other side until it becomes a problem. Really no issues at all. Followed your procedure, but used a new hub from IDParts since they're only $30, and used the press-out method for removing the old hub. Used my 8" 3 jaw puller and the axle nut socket. Didn't think there was room to get my puller (pusher in this case) on the back side of the spindle, but I managed. Only used 2 of the jaws, but it worked no problem.

All said and done, very painless. Definitely glad I didn't pay $200 labor for someone else to do it.

Thanks for the write-up!
 

RonP

New member
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Location
Orillia, ON, CA
TDI
2003 TDI ALH 2006 TDI BRM
Many thanks for the writeup and the pics Scurvy. Made the job straight forward. I did both sides in an afternoon. One was really bad and the other was not far behind.

One note to those in Canada; the slide hammer and the front wheel bearing driver kit was available at my local Canadian Tire store. Zero cost for the specialty tools to do this job!
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Many thanks for the writeup and the pics Scurvy. Made the job straight forward. I did both sides in an afternoon. One was really bad and the other was not far behind.

One note to those in Canada; the slide hammer and the front wheel bearing driver kit was available at my local Canadian Tire store. Zero cost for the specialty tools to do this job!
No problem, Ron. Glad it helped.

Lucky that you and your fellow Canadiens have access to rent the wheel bearing tool at CT. It's still hovering around the $80 mark to purchase it down here.
 

sardo_67

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2010
Location
CT
TDI
2015 Golf SEL 6spd
I have spindles from a 1.8T, will it be the same as this? I bought a bearing kit a d it doesn't look like the parts shown in the first post.
 

clyde

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2000
Location
confluence, Snake/Clearwater
TDI
1998 Jetta, 1959 DeSoto with leopard-skin seat covers
Changing front wheel bearings

I too replaced my drivers side first. Found out it was the pass side. Evident once I took apart and cleaned all bearings. I did mine a with a different kit where I didn't need a slide hammer but the end result is the same and this kit is cheaper.
What tool kit did you use?
 

Matto191

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2010
Location
Derbyshire, UK
TDI
2008 VW Golf GT Sport 170
Just want to say this is a great write up and helped me no end. Twinned with some drawings for the tools on VWVortex I had the press kit made at work and for saying I hate working on cars generally, this was quite a pleasant job to do.
 

rshelor

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Location
Virginia
TDI
'05 Jetta Sportwagen (PD)
Thanks for the effort and fine write-up. Question, has anyone unbolted half shafts at tranny in order to leave the ball joints in place? Three extra bolts, albeit star funky ones, to remove, but you get a non-realignment fix.

Tools are assembled and ready for the dreaded task. Thanks again.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Thanks for the effort and fine write-up. Question, has anyone unbolted half shafts at tranny in order to leave the ball joints in place? Three extra bolts, albeit star funky ones, to remove, but you get a non-realignment fix.
You can also pop the top bolt out of the balljoint and leave it in the control arm, which maintains alignment.

Unbolting the half shafts at the transmission seems like a lot of extra work and creating possible problems compared to marking the balljoint position with a half second of spray paint IMO. Keep us updated if you try this route and if it works for you.
 

Shenandoah

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Location
Shenandoah Valley, VA
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon; 2005 Beetle; 2004 Jetta; 2002 Golf (three of them); 2002 Jetta Wagon; 2000 Audi TT->TDI; 1999 Beetle
Guys,

When I replaced the front wheel bearings on the Jetta wagon, I tried unbolting the half shaft at the transmission. There is not enough room for the shaft to come out of the hub.

Eric
 

rshelor

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Location
Virginia
TDI
'05 Jetta Sportwagen (PD)
OK, did the deed w/ these twists:

1. Harbor Freight lead screw nut sheared off it's crappy weld instantly. 3/4 x 5 (check the HF tool's length) five star bolt and nut to press bearings in and out worked excellently. Nut on original tool needs a solid pin or at least a decent weld. I wasn't surprised by the failure, you might want to prepare yourself for the same result. It cost me $4.00 for the screw and nut.

2. Inner race removal was not bad. Used a good dose of Kroil (fantastic stuff if you haven't used it) and wedged the race up the spindle w/a sharp 3/8 cold chisel. Whack it pretty good in each of the holes around hub precisely where the race butts up to the hub, and then really smack it in one place when music it makes dulls. I used a piece of 4x4 lumber on the end grain to support the hub spindle shaft, not the outer ring of the hub. Then the HF small three jaw pullers and the 30mm socket inverted on the hub pulled it out the rest of the way.

3. The electric HF impact wrench is a blessing and worth the money (I haven't owned it long enough for it to crap out).

4. One doesn't need the long breaker bar to hold the back nut (bolt head in my case) when extracting the bearings. An open end wrench sufficed well enough.

Once again, thanks Scurvy for the photo spread and excellent detail.
 

rshelor

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Location
Virginia
TDI
'05 Jetta Sportwagen (PD)
I'm not proud of this, but I did return the defective tool after doing the deed. So maybe it was a good thing.

Did anyone else have trouble getting the circlips to seat. Bearing depth appeared to be identical using cheap caliper to measure, but they wouldn't "snap" in the groove nicely even when nudged w/old bearing race and hammer. I'll let you know when the outboard CV joints start sparking the steering knuckle. It should be a wild ride.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
I'm not proud of this, but I did return the defective tool after doing the deed. So maybe it was a good thing.
If it was defective, are you not entitled to either your money back or a swap with a working unit? S'why I always tell everybody to always save your Horrible Freight receipts!

Did anyone else have trouble getting the circlips to seat. Bearing depth appeared to be identical using cheap caliper to measure, but they wouldn't "snap" in the groove nicely even when nudged w/old bearing race and hammer.
Mine didn't 'snap' in, but they did go in well. You really need to clean out the knuckle bore & that groove with a wire brush.
 

andyboy

Active member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Location
NJ
TDI
2005 Jett wagon
Thanks to everyone for the initial content and the discussion.

I had no problem with the HF bearing adapter tool but on mine there is a pin running through the nut into the bolt on one side. This must be a new design. This should not be news to any HF shopper but they have 20% coupons everywhere (magazines) or on slickdeals.net.

I did my passenger's side yesterday and today. The slide hammer was ineffective so I ended up removing the steering knuckle. Used a log splitter and short piece of 6" well casing to press out the hub. A borrowed 2 jaw Snap On puller to remove the race from the hub. Those were the only smooth parts to the process. I damaged the first new bearing pressing in the hub.

The hum is still there on left turns. Doh!
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
The slide hammer was ineffective so I ended up removing the steering knuckle.
You've really got to give it the beans with the slide hammer. Mine didn't move for several minutes until it slowly started giving up.

The hum is still there on left turns.
How did you determine the passenger side bearing was bad? Did you put the front end up on jackstands and idle it in 5th or did you base it on the sound & direction of turn method, which was already described why it doesn't work?
 

ottawaguy

Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Location
Ottawa ON
TDI
01 Jetta TDI
How much end play is on a front bearing?

I had some noises coming from the front right, I removed the RH drive axle for repair, but the shop said it was fine. With the axle out, I can move the hub in and out from the bearing housing about .002 inches. Is this normal? Or should there be no movement at all?

I don't have any of the loud noises that usually go with a shot bearing(did the LH about 2 years ago). I do have a strong RH wheel vibration at 65 mph.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
I had some noises coming from the front right, I removed the RH drive axle for repair, but the shop said it was fine. With the axle out, I can move the hub in and out from the bearing housing about .002 inches. Is this normal? Or should there be no movement at all?
Not normal. There should be zero axial play in the wheel bearing/hub. Are you sure it's the hub and not a LCA bearing, balljoint, etc...?
 

rshelor

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Location
Virginia
TDI
'05 Jetta Sportwagen (PD)
I think the ONLY way to tell which bearing is bad is to strip it all down to just the hub w/o haft shaft and spin it w/finger tips like a safe cracker. Any roughness and its bad. But if you pull everything and you have a bad bearing then might as well do both sides and call it a day for all the trouble you just went through to find the bad one.

On another note, I have separated the inner race from the outer on a BMW job years back and just pressed it back in and drove it for years. So it seems to me that those forgetting to install the circlip could just put it back together and squeeze really hard until the hub pops back in. Keep it clean beforehand and put the seal back onto the outer race. The seal to inner race might not be so great, but the alternative, a new bearing, is the worst that could come from it. I think that's how they're made for that matter. I remember having a hydrulic press screaming before it popped back in however. Should disembowel a Harbor Freight set up.
 

andyboy

Active member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Location
NJ
TDI
2005 Jett wagon
How did you determine the passenger side bearing was bad? Did you put the front end up on jackstands and idle it in 5th or did you base it on the sound & direction of turn method, which was already described why it doesn't work?
I did put it up on a lift but did not apply the handbrake when running it in 5th. D'oh! I will try again to diagnose that way and I may even get under it and try to listen with a mechanics stethoscope. The dealer also said that side was bad from listening to it on a lift, when I had it in for recall work.

Did anyone else have trouble getting the circlips to seat. Bearing depth appeared to be identical using cheap caliper to measure, but they wouldn't "snap" in the groove nicely even when nudged w/old bearing race and hammer.
I didn't think I had it in either but then I realized that the circlips are not of a uniform width when viewed from the "C" view so they did not look really seated when they were.

BTW, kudos for all the references to the electric impact wrench. I had one I only used to change tires but it made this job a lot easier. It will be getting more use from now on.
 

RFD_Truckie

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Location
Johnstown PA
TDI
2000 Golf
Not normal. There should be zero axial play in the wheel bearing/hub. Are you sure it's the hub and not a LCA bearing, balljoint, etc...?
OK, Looks like I too am on my way for a new bearing.... Had a definate "clunk" when letting off throttle/getting on throttle that had me believing the CV was bad, so, I get a new one, get the old one out (It does have some excessive play) and the hub rocks in and out about 1/2" or better...

Scurvy, thanks for the write-up. Its gonna help

Jim
 

andyboy

Active member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Location
NJ
TDI
2005 Jett wagon
The job is done and the hum is gone. The job was not without trouble. The new HF tool design with the pin through the nut failed. It ripped through the bolt. I still have the receipt and I'm within 90 days so I plan on getting another but I think I will put another nut next to their nut this time. The best solution would be to have one of the long nuts used for tightening on each end.
 

garyrm

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
Location
Central NJ
TDI
2005 Jetta IV TDI
I followed this post to replace a bearing; could not have done it without it.

I am at the point where I am trying to put the half-shaft back into the hub. It doesn't want to go in. Not out far enough to start the nut. The splines are engaged; can't rotate the hub. If I move the hub out of the way, I can move the axle in and out freely.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
Did you grease the splines putting it back in. Might have to tap the axle back out lightly with a long punch and hammer and push back in and out several times to wear any burs and/or other hangups off.
 

garyrm

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
Location
Central NJ
TDI
2005 Jetta IV TDI
I found the problem. The splines inside the hub are messed up thanks to my local machine shop. I don't know how they could have done that.

I'll try to file them smooth.
 
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