How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

mrrhtuner

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Mar 29, 2011
Location
London Ont Canada
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2003 Jetta Wagon TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2015 Touareg TDI
Hey guys, so the electric impact gun worked fine in removing the old bearing(s) from my spare hubs.

My question is, when I press in the hub...what if I get too close to the ABS sensor? is there a way to pull it back out without damaging the bearing?

how should I measure the distance between the ABS sensor and the ABS ring to keep it proper?
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

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Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
When you press in the hub it bottoms out. Make sure to press against the inner bearing race when you press the hub back in, not the outer race, otherwise you might push the bearing apart.
 

mrrhtuner

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Mar 29, 2011
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London Ont Canada
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2003 Jetta Wagon TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2015 Touareg TDI
When you press in the hub it bottoms out. Make sure to press against the inner bearing race when you press the hub back in, not the outer race, otherwise you might push the bearing apart.

Thank you Mike, that part I've been nervous about as I don't want to ruin the wheel bearing.

Also, I need to remember to install the snap ring :eek:
 

1975 Kombi

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2003 TDI Jetta, 2011 Touareg TDI, 1992 D Jetta, 1992 TD Jetta, 2001 NB TDI, 1992 Golf coupe D
Anyone in Ontario close to Acton want to rent the tool if it is a quality tool so I can do my wheel bearings.

I wish there was a kit for just VW and it had the pieces needed.
 
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hillsh

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Jul 21, 2014
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Canada
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Golf
I have been reading all the posts, looking for alternatives to the original procedures posted by Scurvy. Did both sides of my 2006 Golf TDI over the last two days. First side took about a day and a half figuring out how everything works, trying different ideas etc. I ended up using Scurvy's original posted methods, including cutting off the inner race from the hub. I don't understand the reference to billions of cutting disks - I used only one disk to do two hubs. Anyway, once I figured out how to do the job, the second side took about 2 1/2 hours start to finish. I found that it really helps to reconnect the ball joint to the control arm when using the slide hammer.
Many thanks to Scurvy for posting this information.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
I have been reading all the posts, looking for alternatives to the original procedures posted by Scurvy. Did both sides of my 2006 Golf TDI over the last two days. First side took about a day and a half figuring out how everything works, trying different ideas etc. I ended up using Scurvy's original posted methods, including cutting off the inner race from the hub. I don't understand the reference to billions of cutting disks - I used only one disk to do two hubs. Anyway, once I figured out how to do the job, the second side took about 2 1/2 hours start to finish. I found that it really helps to reconnect the ball joint to the control arm when using the slide hammer.
Many thanks to Scurvy for posting this information.
Glad you found it useful, thanks for the feedback!

My comment about "billions of cutting discs" stems from the typical rotary tool owner (myself included) only having one or two discs that are badly worn and break during use. I would rather overprepare someone by being facetious on how many they might need than strand someone in the middle of the job Sunday evening.
 

neoborn

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Jul 3, 2008
Location
Grey County, Ontario, Canadia
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MKIV TDI Golf
This has been my experience as well. No amount of futzing with the puller would get it to grip but 30 seconds with the Dremel and a few whacks of the cold chisel with a mini sledge and the inner race popped right off.
The last wheel bearing I did, I even tried using my 4" angle grinder. Definitely more fiddly to get a decent notch and not score the hub, but absolutely doable.
I fought with a puller last night for about an hour and simply couldn't get enough bite to pull the race off. Went in the garage and busted out the dremel and with a cut-off disc I cut a notch down the race in about 5 minutes and took a chisel to and and after only a couple whacks it cleanly slipped right off.
Can you guys explain further what you did in pictures with the grinder and cold chisel? I am going to use these methods in the coming weeks. Pictures or video would be great!
 
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25modelt

Member
Joined
May 2, 2013
Location
Norway, Iowa
TDI
2006 Golf
I went to the original post of Scurvy, and simply printed the steps and had them stapled together by the car. No problems at all without pictures. Give it a whirl.
 

atl630

Well-known member
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Jul 6, 2011
Location
NJ
TDI
2015 Golf S
Thanks for the write up. I did this job last Sunday without a hitch. Good year quoted me $600 to change the wheel bearing when I was in for an alignment -- I bought the HF kit and a $45 bearing and did it in one afternoon.

Quick question - on the FAG bearing box it says 'replace both sides'. Any reason not to just replace the bad one? Are they just trying to sell more bearings?
 

mjydrafter

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Jul 12, 2015
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dsm, ia
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2004 Jetta Wagon
Quick question - on the FAG bearing box it says 'replace both sides'. Any reason not to just replace the bad one? Are they just trying to sell more bearings?
I think it's a bit of that and a bit of CYA from the bearing company.

It would depend on if you have the $ and the tools to do it. If you have to rent the tools, I would probably do both (the second one will go faster than the first). If you have the tools you can just do one and wait for the other to go bad, if it does. If I was paying someone else to do it, I would just do the bad one.

Sometimes if the bearing isn't really bad, it can be difficult to tell which one is bad. My MK3 had a bad one, you could hear it when cornering, but not when the car was up on the jack. I did them both, as that seems to be the standard recommendation. I figured it was easier to do it while it was fresh in my mind and I had all the tools out.:)
 

UhOh

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PNW
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2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Can you guys explain further what you did in pictures with the grinder and cold chisel? I am going to use these methods in the coming weeks. Pictures or video would be great!
My understanding, because I had quite a battle getting the inner race off the hub, is that you cut in to the race parallel to the hub's length (up and down) in order to weaken it and to give you an indentation to get a chisel in to break that race piece free. I had thought that you had to cut down the entire length, which is basically, as I found out, impossible to do at the lower shoulder part. Again, the aim is to just get some leverage on/against the inner race piece so that you can jolt it free to get it off the hub. There doesn't seem to be much concern about scoring the hub, though you should look to minimize doing so and, of course, clean any roughness that you might have created so that the new bearing fits on without a struggle.

Does That make sense?
 

ldeikis

Member
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Jul 15, 2014
Location
Upstate NY
TDI
04 Golf (BEW) & formerly 81 rabbit (yes, IDI)
Can you guys explain further what you did in pictures with the grinder and cold chisel?
You're basically cutting a slit crossways across the race. Cut *almost* all the way through. Then a good wack with a chisel perpendicular to the axle will cause the race to split the last little bit, and at that point you can pretty much pull it off with channel locks. This is a pretty normal way to get off inner races of wrecked bearings when you can't get a good purchase behind them.
I just went through this last night, replacing a bearing that got wrecked when I didn't torque the axle nut hard enough after replacing a CV boot :mad: Bentley is out to lunch on that torque spec--make it REALLY TIGHT, spin it, make sure it's REALLY TIGHT. Not tractor tight, but understand that you're just cranking down on the inner race, not applying tension to the business part of the bearing, and remember this holds the wheel on and if it's too loose you'll toast your bearing by the end of the block. So make it TIGHT. Done.
Anyway, I prefer controlled chaos to hammers, and don't own a slide hammer anyway, so I tried using the puller to push the hub off. Worked fine once I figured out how to position the thing. Having a third hand would really help here. I took a picture in case it helps anyone:

...it looks asymmetric from the photo, but with the jaws positioned like that it's actually centered. I had it set to 2 jaw of course. One jaw is on one of the caliper mounting tabs, and the other is where the upper dust shield mount is... near but NOT ON the ABS sensor.
Also, I found when pressing the hub back in, Horrible Freight part #8 is actually the perfect disc to put inboard of the bearing. It's OD is almost exactly the right size to only press on the inner race...

(on old bearing for illustration)
...and it's raised center section is a larger diameter than the other discs, so it fits almost perfectly into the center of the inner race, keeping the whole thing centered...

...and my last piece of input is that I found part #13 slightly too big to work, and found #12 to be perfect. Someone else mentioned that, too, but #13 was not clearing for me.
Thanks for the detailed write-up and hope these tidbits help someone down the line.
Luke
 

Geordi

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Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. But it is reall
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I had to replace the threaded rod from Harbor Failure though, as the threads in the MIDDLE of the rod came apart and jammed inside the nut. That was annoying.

If you can get your hands on a narrow thread grade 8 rod, do it. I ended up using a big wide thread rod from Home Depot.
 

94cobra2615

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Jun 16, 2013
Location
ohio
TDI
2002 Black Wagon
I just did this on my jetta. I just took the whole knuckle off and used my shop press to change the bearing.

I wasn't buying all these bearing tools when I already have a press. So, if anyone is considering buying all these tools I would recommend buying a shop press from harbor freight. You can use the press for so many other things in the future.
 
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cobra390t

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06 VW Jetta BRM 5SPD ,2005 Passat TDI Wagon( SOLD ), 05 Mk4 Golf BEW , 04 MK4 Golf BEW , MPG Who cares It's a Diesel
In the process of finishing a wheel bearing replacement Pass side on 05 Mk4 Golf , I am sure i NEED to cut the race bearing and totally remove it for good from the Hub before i slide the hub inside the new sealed style FAG bearing ..Correct ?I am just confirming .Better be extra sure than not
New Sealed FAG Wheel Bearing in Place



Here is the Hub with the Old race bearing in Q ..

 
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steve6

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May 25, 2010
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Beaverton, ON
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2003 jetta tdi
yes that race needs to come off the hub, most will notch it with a grinder or cutting wheel, and use a punch to split it, will fall right off at that point, If you nick the hub spline, be sure to clean it up before pushing it in, and you need to support the inner race on the new bearing when doing so
 

cobra390t

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06 VW Jetta BRM 5SPD ,2005 Passat TDI Wagon( SOLD ), 05 Mk4 Golf BEW , 04 MK4 Golf BEW , MPG Who cares It's a Diesel
yes that race needs to come off the hub, most will notch it with a grinder or cutting wheel, and use a punch to split it, will fall right off at that point, If you nick the hub spline, be sure to clean it up before pushing it in, and you need to support the inner race on the new bearing when doing so

Perfect .. Thanks for the detailed clearification . 2 cold beers and I will go back at it
 

cobra390t

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06 VW Jetta BRM 5SPD ,2005 Passat TDI Wagon( SOLD ), 05 Mk4 Golf BEW , 04 MK4 Golf BEW , MPG Who cares It's a Diesel
Race bearing came out so easy after few hits , I pressed the Hub back in place and made sure the inter bearing is supported , However am not sure if this looks acceptable to be honest . I pressed a lot of Motorcycle race wheel that only set inside a cup but non that is open end like this so please tell me as the rubber little squeezed and when i spin the hub i can see a hair line by the edge of the rubber around the inter



 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
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Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
The grease seal in your pictures looks compressed somehow. It should look like the one in my pictures at the start of the thread or more like your first picture in post 558. Did your pusher or support disc push against it?
 

cobra390t

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06 VW Jetta BRM 5SPD ,2005 Passat TDI Wagon( SOLD ), 05 Mk4 Golf BEW , 04 MK4 Golf BEW , MPG Who cares It's a Diesel
The grease seal in your pictures looks compressed somehow. It should look like the one in my pictures at the start of the thread or more like your first picture in post 558. Did your pusher or support disc push against it?

Yes i sure did , It's little compressed for some reason .However i put every thing back together and all works 100% and it's solid . lets hope it last long time :D. That you for the detail DIY


I was also doing another suspension work in that area . BTW for any one who's doing a strut service in the passenger side let me tell you it's a BITA

Make sure to droop the sub frame bolts to free room for the axle
 

rob251

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Oct 26, 2006
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central NY
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2000 jetta 5speed
Thanks for this . I did mine it went well. I looked at bearing puller. HF one is crap. For 3$ more I got a good one from Amazon brother had prime so free shipping. I did put bearing and hub in freezer first . They'd slide in without effort , only thing I regret is my HF snap ring plier, I bent em in half, so I had to borrow friends snap on ones. I will have a pair for next time.i
 

natchie

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Apr 29, 2014
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NY Hudson Valley
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02 Jetta
Just finished both sides on my 2002. Just FYI, in the current HF bearing removal kit 66829, the #13 doesn't work to remove the bearing because it lands on the shoulder on the inside of the knuckle. You've got to use the #7 or #8 to press on the inner race to remove the bearing.

I also noticed that the #13 and #14 are the same size, which are the ones that should be used for installing the bearing. They both are slightly smaller than the OD of the outer race so they fit in the housing, but are also perfectly sized to land on the outside of the shoulder and won't get cockeyed.

idk if they changed the numbering order in the kit or what, but #13 in the one I just bought definitely won't get your bearing out.
 

Torque!

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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.
 

ymz

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Oh, Also, IMO you shouldn't use the impact gun to install the new bearing.
You obviously have no professional training in this field. Didn't you know that the first thing they do in automotive trade school is graft an impact gun onto the students' dominant hands?

Yuri
 

steve6

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Beaverton, ON
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2003 jetta tdi
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.
You should check it immediately and re-torque the bolt. As discussed in various pages of this thread is this bolt needing to be re-tightened or tightened with an impact gun.. if it isn't tight, it will come apart in less than a few days and need replacing again.

Using a good slide hammer will put out the hub from the bearing after you remove the axle.
 

scurvy

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Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Would pushing on the passenger side axle damage the driver side bearing I just finished?
...no. Are you aware of how the half-shafts/axles/CV joints are situated? There's a transmission between them.

It has a high pitched hum and I am not relishing the idea of doing this job again.
I would start with the simple stuff - like rotating your tires and spending time on proper diagnosis - before redoing the wheel bearing job. But if the noise persists after rotating and it is speed related, it very well could be improper wheel bearing installation. Could also be a damaged CV joint.

In retrospect I should have undid both sides before I starting re-assembly.
Why? :confused: This wouldn't have any benefit to the job.

This article doesn't necessarily suggest that as it covers the steps to do either side.
As mentioned before, it isn't mentioned because there's no reason to do it.

You should check it immediately and re-torque the bolt. As discussed in various pages of this thread is this bolt needing to be re-tightened or tightened with an impact gun.. if it isn't tight, it will come apart in less than a few days and need replacing again.
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.
 
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