How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

steve6

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2010
Location
Beaverton, ON
TDI
2003 jetta tdi
Bolt? In a mk4, the end of the axle/half shaft threaded and a nut is torqued onto the end. There's also no need to use an impact gun, a long breaker bar is sufficient to torque the crap out of the nut.

I had a growling noise from my front right wheel and some steering wonkiness. Discovered that the axle nut had come slightly loose. 30mm/12 point socket on a 2' breaker bar got it tight again.
yes the big axle NUT is what I meant. The reason an impact gun is suggested quite often is because when you put the hub back in the two bearing races could not be seated 100% against each other, they can twist a bit, bind, the hub is trying to push the inner one out etc.... and using a long breaker bar does not always bring them together, where as an impact will vibrate everything together nice and tight. If you go back many pages I have suggested to people using a breaker bar to take your car for a couple hundred yards and re-check the bolt, this is because the first initial drive will cause the vibration needed to settle things together, and then you tighten again.

Lots of people just torque to x foot lbs as needed and do not think if this...
 

Torque!

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Joined
Sep 28, 2000
Location
Boston, Massachusettes, USA
TDI
2001 MK4 Jetta TDI - 196K
I'll re-torque the main nuts tonight and try that before redoing the job.

I didn't mean to suggest the article was wrong but if it doesn't matter if both sides can be done together or in sequence with the same results its good to know and its now stated in the thread.

I only used an impact wrench to undo things and then to torque the main axle nuts. BTW it is a Milwaukee M18 Fuel so it has some real power for this special nut.

I am aware a transmission is in between the two axles but was not certain how everything connects in there with the diff so it was not inconceivable to me that one side could affect the other side after it was done.

Also the slide hammer in my opinion is a quick way to get tired. I tried it an exhausted myself. I'm impressed it worked for someone but I found if you place the axle aside and insert a sold bar (old tie rod cut to length) between the chassis and a puller you can pull the hub right off no problem. Of course you would need a bar for each side. I have a bin of old parts I keep around for just such needs.
 
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Schoust

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Joined
Oct 22, 2013
Location
Litchfield County
TDI
00 Jetta Alh 5spd
Need to do this job this weekend. Interested in that Amazon part number myself.
Anoyone??

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

Torque!

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2000
Location
Boston, Massachusettes, USA
TDI
2001 MK4 Jetta TDI - 196K
I got this bearing kit off Amazon for $66. It did the trick and seemed as sturdy as any of them:

TMS Bearing Puller

I also recommend a stout pair of inner snap ring pliers. I was able to insert mine by compressing them in a vice and wiring the two open ends to each other. I could then insert the clip and cut the wire. Pliers are the proper tool and will speed up this step.
 

JLMurphy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2007
Location
Huntingtown, MD
TDI
2010 Golf 6MT, 2001 Golf 5MT
Just did this job today on my '01 Golf with 186,000 miles. Fantastic write up, took me ~3.5 hours to do both sides. Car is now blissfully quiet. Well, as quiet as an '01 TDI with crank windows gets.

I went with this bearing tool set from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/ATD-Tools-862...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

I suspect strongly they're all made in the same Chinese factory, so it probably doesn't matter which one you get.

I went with the greengeeker method for removing the inner race from the hub. I ground down the jaws from a 2-jaw puller and used a clamp to hold the jaws closed against the race. Worked pretty well.

I actually didn't have any problems removing the bearings from the hub. I used a breaker bar to start it moving (made a god awful CRACK when it broke loose) and then drove it out the rest of the way with an impact wrench. Air beats electrons in this case every time. My el-cheapo Craftsman impact gun drove them out with ease.

Driving the bearings in couldn't have been easier and I just used a 1/2" ratchet by hand to do it. Same thing with the hubs. Slide right in as easy as you please.

I don't think you need to go and buy special purpose snap ring pliers for this job, a decent (or not so decent in fact) pair of needle nose will work just fine.

All in all a fairly straightforward job, but the write up and pictures made it all the easier. Thanks to Scurvy for taking the time to document it and post it up.

Jim
 

Torque!

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2000
Location
Boston, Massachusettes, USA
TDI
2001 MK4 Jetta TDI - 196K
OK. Did it this weekend. What a chore. I had some issues pulling the passenger side hub and ended up making a brace that I could slide through the hub and rest against the chassis to push on. This did the trick. Pushing on the axle did not work as it kept moving. One note. Today I hear a hum from the driver side. I did this side first then the passenger side. Would pushing on the passenger side axle damage the driver side bearing I just finished? It has a high pitched hum and I am not relishing the idea of doing this job again. In retrospect I should have undid both sides before I starting re-assembly. This article doesn't necessarily suggest that as it covers the steps to do either side.
Wanted to post back that the hum was in fact from the tires. I swapped on my summer tires after I did the bearing job and attributed the sound to the wrong thing. The tires were worn and would have failed inspection so they were replaced. Hum is gone and no bearing noise so great news there.
 

Skydvr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Location
Western MA
TDI
2002 Jetta MkIV
Finished this job earlier today along with the ball joints. Appreciated the writeup, definately sped things up. Not as long of a job as one might think based on the detailed instructions.

I had to use a rotary tool to cut the snap ring so I could break it into a couple of pieces and twist/bend/rip it out with some vice grips. It was rusted in there too much and removing the hub with the slide hammer may have slid the outer race out a little bit and put too much tension on the snap ring to break it loose.

Tossing the bearing and hub in the freezer and anti-seize makes installation easier. I purchased a spare hub along with the bearing incase it got damaged trying to remove the inner race. I decided to just install the new hub and deal with the old one later when the other one needs to be done. Much easier installing the bearing and a new or reconditioned hub than trying to deal with removing the race from the old hub when you have no spare vehicle and limited time to get the job done.

The Harbor Freight kit definately needs to be well lubricated, otherwise it is a one time use disposable kit judging by the number of sets I found between a few different stores (stopped at two on the way back from visiting family and a third to exchange a damaged kit that was sealed as if new. All had multiple damaged sets sitting on the shelf, more bad ones than good). If you go with one of these sets, open it up and check it out before buying. I bought one that was sealed and banded shut as if from the factory, but when I opened it up at home the bolt was stripped and a bunch of the drive plates were damaged. Lost about two hours returning the kit.

[EDIT] if you are renting the slide hammer from AutoZone, they have a tool designed for driving the axle from the hub that works quite well. I used it last week when replacing the clutch and rebuilding my CV joints. Rented it again, but the anti-seize on the splines allowed me to pushe the axle out of the hub by hand.
 
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Mike_04GolfTDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
^ Are you talking about the wheel bearing press kit? I got one off Amazon and it seems to be of decent quality. I can't imagine what you'd have to do to break it. Maybe the Harbor Freight kit is junk.
 

Skydvr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Location
Western MA
TDI
2002 Jetta MkIV
Yeah, the HF kit is junk. If I wasn't trying to be on the road in two days (month long road trip) and dealing with my credit card company putting a hold on my card dues to all the big parts purchases and traveling to see some family before I head out, I'd have picked up one of the kits from Amazon. I couldn't wait a week or more for the kit to be delivered.

I may try to return the HF kit. The threads don't feel like they will hold up to another wheel bearing job. Based on what I saw on the shelf, they have no problem taking damaged kits and putting them back on the shelf.
 

gatz

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Joined
Oct 29, 2005
Location
Windsor, CT
TDI
2005 Mk4 Golf TDI PD, 2006 MkV Golf GTI
If it strips you can buy a grade 8 bolt or threaded rod easily enough. McMaster Carr sells it if you cant find locally. Don't bother with that home depot stuff, it's junk.
 

Skydvr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Location
Western MA
TDI
2002 Jetta MkIV
I'd return this kit before buyingreplacement parts, it's close to twice the cost of the Amazon kit as it is. No point in letting them keep my money for a junk kit. It is probably a combination of damaged threads on the four inch long drive nut and bolt.

Fastenall might be a better option for replacement hardware. I've got a local branch up the road, I can put my hands on the part and make sure it is correct. They also tend to be cheaper, especially if I can remember the account number for my old job.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Fastenall might be a better option for replacement hardware. I've got a local branch up the road, I can put my hands on the part and make sure it is correct.
:D
Your experience with Fastenal is very different from mine. They are in charge of stocking the fastener bins at work and they do that very, very poorly.
5/8"-11x4" Grade 8 SHCS? Never heard of it.
M5x20mm hex head cap screw? Uhhh I got 1/4"-20 and #8-32, which one of those works better?
Allthread? Yeah we can cut the heads off some bolts with a sawzall.

Back to the bearing replacement, yes, I would always inspect any bearing removal kit in the store, with your receipt in hand. Heck, preferably before taking it up to the front counter. Just like everything else from HF, there are diamonds among the coal but there's a huge pile of coal to sort through.
 

Skydvr

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2016
Location
Western MA
TDI
2002 Jetta MkIV
We always ordered what we needed, so never had issues. Once we stopped building cranes in house and became a service company (just before I started working for them and after a buyout from an international company), they stopped stocking parts like that. Actually they stopped stocking parts period. Made emergency repairs a huge hassle.


Yeah, it is manditory to open up kits like that at HFT, even if they appear factory sealed.


Thanks for this writeup. Wicked helpful. Glad too see you are still around.
 

neoborn

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Location
Grey County, Ontario, Canadia
TDI
MKIV TDI Golf
Can someone give me the exact sizes of the cups used so I can get my local Fabrication shop to make me the cups and provide hardened threaded rod for this job? I have to redo both sides even though I did them back in december (driving around on shot tires, LCA's and tie rods killed them both)
 

tigers2007

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Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Location
Michigan
TDI
'97 Passat TDI Sedan (B4)
Neoborn, unless you are a full-time mechanic who works on VW's, the Harbour Fright kit will suffice. Just lube the threads good with grease. Otherwise, "rent" a kit from your nearest Autozone, Advance, O'Reillys, etc. If you destroy it then you can exchange it for another. I used the Harbour Fright kit and it worked fine. In fact, that kit hasn't been touched since this job. One caveat is that I also recall using my press to yank the bearing off the spindle.
 

neoborn

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Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Location
Grey County, Ontario, Canadia
TDI
MKIV TDI Golf
I am teh Canadia! I have no harbor freight and I have a weld / metal shop over the way from me that does custom stuff for reasonable pricing.

1. I have the old bearing metal housing (FAG) that I can use to push and then just need to find a pull size.

Can someone tell me the exact diameters of the tubing used in those kits for this job on a MK4 TDI Golf 1.9 so I can have them make something as I need to do the both front bearings again (still cheaper even if I have to redo them 6 times than the stealerhship)
 

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
Just a resurrection of a great thread.....

My NB got a wheel bearing today. So nice to look at pretty pictures rather than try to remember how to do this procedure.

Thanks again.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
I am teh Canadia! I have no harbor freight
You do have Cambodian Tyre and Princess Auto. Surely one of those will have a similar kit, especially PA. Especially great if you wanna get power fisted!

Can someone tell me the exact diameters of the tubing used in those kits
Probably not. I never pay attention to whichever disk/tube I use, I just assemble the stuff at that time and make sure everything fits correctly. Sorry!

Just a resurrection of a great thread.....
My NB got a wheel bearing today. So nice to look at pretty pictures rather than try to remember how to do this procedure.
Thanks again.
No problem Bruce, thanks for the kind words. :D

Next one I do, I will make a video of it. Getting pretty good at those now.
 

jmodge

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Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
You don't need too pull them out, torch a groove in the outer race. Don't go all the way through, as it cools it will shrink and a light tap tap with an air hammer takes it right out in seconds. You will need to press it in though.
 

tgray

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Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Location
Marengo, IL
TDI
'02 Beetle, '05 Golf, 2000 Jetta, 2001 Jetta, 2002 Jetta
I have found a way to do wheel bearings with no pressing or need for a press. Someday I will try to do a write up on it all with pictures. All you need is a propane torch and have the hub assembly out of the car. Just heat the outer housing up slowly with the torch until it is painful to touch - about 200 degrees. Cool the bearing with some ice while warming up and drop it in. After the bearing is in, warm up the inner races of the bearings moving the torch rapidly inside the hole - careful to not heat the seal and let the flame blow through the hole. If the grease starts to smoke it is hot enough. Drop the cool hub inside and bolt it up. I have done many bearings this way and it works very well for the back yard shop out in the country with no press. The whole bearing swap takes me about an hour. Just make sure you don't heat any bearing until it turns blue. That is not a good thing.
 

Faster

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Joined
May 5, 2001
Location
Monument, CO
TDI
1999 Jetta ALH, 2007 Specialized Roubaix
Scurvy, thank you again! I used this write-up (albeit sans pics) to remove and replace my bearing today. It went very well.

I used a 2-point puller to push off the hub and also to remove the race from the hub. Then I used a cheap puller from Amazon to pull the bearing outer shell. I also froze my bearing to help ease them in.

Faster!
 

intro

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Location
MA
TDI
02 Jetta Wagon
The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here! I fixed the pictures!
First of all, thanks for the excellent write-up. Everything was going great until I decided to not pay attention so I'm going to wait for advice on how to proceed. Unfortunately, I'm hating life right now, it's no fault of the DIY instructions, I was tired and hungry. I'm hoping there's an easy way back from this. This was my first front bearing, but I'm no automotive newb, which makes me feel even stupider somehow.
After removing the hub and pressing out the wheel bearing, I cut what I now know was in fact the OUTER RACE with the dremel and chiseled it off no problem. I had done this on the rear wheel bearing before but there was no pressing involving with that one, and I must have been less hungry and tired that day. Here's where I f-ed up: I did not know at the time that I was cutting the outer race, and assumed it had to be in the bore of the steering knuckle (I failed to look at what had in fact been removed by the wheel bearing service tools).
By the time I realized my error I had already cut a decent sized groove into the bore of the steering knuckle.
Please, please, please, someone tell me that I can just sand that a bit, or fill the cut with a little jb weld, and proceed to press the new bearing in. The circlip will still fit. It seems like I have enough of a bore to still capture the new bearing tight, but I don't know, and if I do need a new steering knuckle I'd rather not button everything up again.


Thanks in advance to anybody who can offer me some guidance.
 

jmodge

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Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
That can be deburred the bore shouldn't change any, just clean only what you have to.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
FYI, you can accomplish that in the vehicle. Knock the inner race and bearing out, then torch the outer and they come out easy as the steel cools before the iron. The upside you know how far not to go now. it doesn't take much of a cut. You will be ok.
 

intro

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Location
MA
TDI
02 Jetta Wagon
FYI, you can accomplish that in the vehicle. Knock the inner race and bearing out, then torch the outer and they come out easy as the steel cools before the iron. The upside you know how far not to go now. it doesn't take much of a cut. You will be ok.

Thanks so much, that is good to hear! To be clear, I only cut directly into the bore of the steering knuckle because I completely messed up on the directions. I failed to confirm what exactly had been removed by the pressing out of the bearing. Once it dawned on me that I had already removed the outer race that had remained on the hub, and saw the inner race and the bearings already removed, I ran into the house and grabbed the new bearing out of the freezer. That's when I realized I was mistakenly cutting into the steering knuckle itself. Ugh. I will try deburring with the dremel next. Thanks for the tip on the heating and cooling, will try that next time.
 
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