How to replace your MkIV's front wheel bearings

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
I've got two front wheel bearings on a MKIV GTI that I can't get out with my slide hammer. I hit the passenger side more than 200 times, as hard as I could. My roomate took a crack at it for a few minutes. What sort of shops have a press that would remove these bearings from their spindles? I seriously can't keep banging on the wheel bearing like this... it's exhausting... ! Can these things weld themselves in to the point where you have to replace the whole spindle?
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
I haven't done this on my Jetta but here goes;
heat-cold-PB Blaster or better penetrant-dremel (cut away some material w/out damaging the spindle.
or take the unit (?spindle) to a parts place with a machine shop. NAPA should have one close
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Thanks, I'll try a torch on it at some point. I don't think PB will be able to do any good in this case, but I'll give it a try too. (not at the same time as the torch) ;)
 

almus

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Location
kingston,nh
TDI
2001 jetta tdi, 2011 wagen,2003 wagon,2013 wagen
slide hammer

The Hub gets pulled off with the slide hammer.
In doing that you rip out the center of the
bearing.

Make sure you remove the circlip.

Never tried removing the actual bearing with slide hammer.
I used a puller. I have also removed the whole
knuckle and then pushed it out with a press.

A cheap set of 3/4 drive Chinese PRC giant sockets
make a great set of drives to push stuff out
for jobs like this.





I've got two front wheel bearings on a MKIV GTI that I can't get out with my slide hammer. I hit the passenger side more than 200 times, as hard as I could. My roomate took a crack at it for a few minutes. What sort of shops have a press that would remove these bearings from their spindles? I seriously can't keep banging on the wheel bearing like this... it's exhausting... ! Can these things weld themselves in to the point where you have to replace the whole spindle?
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Oh I get how this is all supposed to come apart... Mine just won't. I just tried taking the torch to the hubs, but had no luck with that either. I guss its time to take the spindle off!
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
I lied. I came in the house exhausted for the umpteenth time today with bruised hands (from excessive slide-hammer use) to type that last post. I thought about trying to find a way to press the hub out from the other side, and when I checked to see if the hub had cooled down, I noticed it was actually a little bit loose. Another 30-40 whacks with a hammer and it popped off. My hardened washer is bent all to hell, but the hub is finally off!!! Finally, time to get back to work!!!
 

almus

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Location
kingston,nh
TDI
2001 jetta tdi, 2011 wagen,2003 wagon,2013 wagen
I am surprised that the slide hammer didn't work
in ripping out the inner race. You are using
a small diameter on the other side of the slide hammer
correct? Just so it contacts the metal of the inner
race? Not any larger? I usually use a short
(impact) socket that just matches

(also please post a photo of the size of your bicep.... ;) )

Definitely take the spindle off if you can---
but with the spindle removed, it is a bit harder
to remove the hub as there is nothing to
really hold onto easily, and the hub is sort
of "in the way"
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Well the washers I chose are the right size, it worked eventually on the driver's side but the passenger is still suck after repeated heat cycles and many many very strong whacks. I even got a friend to help, we took turns hitting it as hard as possible... One of us would hold the hammer in place, the other would use both hands on the weight. Damn thing won't budge. It was driven on repeatedly as it was going bad, must have formed a pretty good bond with the knuckle!!

Oh and I don't have pictures of my biceps handy, but I am a pretty strong rock climber...
 
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eddie_1

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Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Location
Hannover, Germany formerly Toronto & NY
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 TDI tuned to 170HP, A6 Wagon 2008 TDI 2.7L tuned to 340HP
Hey bro, sorry to hear the trouble you are having. I did both mine couple months ago. What´s wierd is usualy pulling out the hub part with the slide hammer is the easy part. The inner race comes off stuck to the hub and the outer race stays behind in the knuckle. In your case it sounds like you cant even get the hub off. I guess if nothing works I would take the knuckle off and take it to someone who has a press. (I actually had to do that one my first one, coz I busted the harbor freight tool. Later got the nut welded back on). I had to disconnect the tie rod end and the lower control arm to remove the knuckle from the strut. Mark the position of the lower control arm on the bolts (spray paint) and the number of threads the of the tie rod on the steering side. I actually could not get the lower tie rod nut off so had to grind it off and buy a new one. ~$20 Moog.
 

almus

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Location
kingston,nh
TDI
2001 jetta tdi, 2011 wagen,2003 wagon,2013 wagen
What exactly were you heating? The hub? The knuckle???
There is no bond with the knuckle that you are breaking at this
stage of the operation. You are trying to just rip out the inner race--
heating the knuckle isn't going to buy you anything.

Well the washers I chose are the right size, it worked eventually on the driver's side but the passenger is still suck after repeated heat cycles and many many very strong whacks. I even got a friend to help, we took turns hitting it as hard as possible... One of us would hold the hammer in place, the other would use both hands on the weight. Damn thing won't budge. It was driven on repeatedly as it was going bad, must have formed a pretty good bond with the knuckle!!

Oh and I don't have pictures of my biceps handy, but I am a pretty strong rock climber...
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Hey bro, sorry to hear the trouble you are having. I did both mine couple months ago. What´s wierd is usualy pulling out the hub part with the slide hammer is the easy part. The inner race comes off stuck to the hub and the outer race stays behind in the knuckle. In your case it sounds like you cant even get the hub off. I guess if nothing works I would take the knuckle off and take it to someone who has a press. (I actually had to do that one my first one, coz I busted the harbor freight tool. Later got the nut welded back on). I had to disconnect the tie rod end and the lower control arm to remove the knuckle from the strut. Mark the position of the lower control arm on the bolts (spray paint) and the number of threads the of the tie rod on the steering side. I actually could not get the lower tie rod nut off so had to grind it off and buy a new one. ~$20 Moog.
Thanks Ed... this car has 180K on it and the bearing had been making some noise for a while now... I think this bearing is more stuck than normal.

Yes, like you said I can't even get the hub off on the passenger side. I will be taking the knuckle off if I can't get it today... it is hard to get motivated to go out there- I'm sore from hitting it so many times yesterday!

I like the paint idea for the tie rod... I've got some replacement tie rods here so it shouldn't be a big deal to take the knuckle off and press out the hub... I'm just disappointed that I can't pull it out with the hammer! :D
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
What exactly were you heating? The hub? The knuckle???
There is no bond with the knuckle that you are breaking at this
stage of the operation. You are trying to just rip out the inner race--
heating the knuckle isn't going to buy you anything.
I was heating the hub with a torch, the hub is frozen on the inner race. So, heating the hub helps it change size slightly which might just help me get it out. I was having no success on the driver's side until I used heat, and it eventually gave up with heat. So, with my extremely limited experience, I would say that the heat was helpful in this case.

Careful not to catch the grease in the bearings on fire... if they just start to smoke the fire should go out on it's own, but I'll bet there could be trouble if you kept the flame on it for too long.
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
:eek: Much ado over nothing... I left the driver's side soaking in a rust breaker last night and it came of in 20 hits this morning!!! :eek: :)
 

almus

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Location
kingston,nh
TDI
2001 jetta tdi, 2011 wagen,2003 wagon,2013 wagen
Stubborn bearing

Amazing---The bearings must have been really shot/seized.

Removing the hub with the knuckle off is not that easy;
there is no real way to support the knuckle under a press.
There are no flat planar surfaces or anything. That is why VW makes
that crazy-a$$ tool.

Congratulations. Hopefully that was your only requisite
homage to Murphy for the job.



:eek: Much ado over nothing... I left the driver's side soaking in a rust breaker last night and it came of in 20 hits this morning!!! :eek: :)
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Next, you get to remove the remainder of the bearing, and it's gonna fight you every step of the way.
Oh man, I never imagined how much it was going to fight...
Congratulations. Hopefully that was your only requisite
homage to Murphy for the job.
Well, not exactly. I broke my Harbor Freight bearing puller trying to get the bearing out!! It took about 3 minutes of impact-hammering to bust the pin and threads out of/off off the nut off the big honkin' HF bolt included in the bearing puller kit. Check this out... :mad:

I'm taking both knuckles off and delivering them to a machine shop tomorrow morning. :rolleyes:
 
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scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
Looks like you got the 'newer' version of the HF tool... hope you kept your receipt. Also doesn't sound like a great time with that GTI, you have my sympathies.

I suppose it would be worth a writeup on how to use a hydraulic press to remove the bearings if/when the on-the-car method does not work. I resorted to that method for my first wheel bearing as we didn't have a slide hammer, and it worked well... if you've got a press.
 

manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Looks like you got the 'newer' version of the HF tool... hope you kept your receipt. Also doesn't sound like a great time with that GTI, you have my sympathies.
Thanks! I didn't keep my receipt, but it's no problem because I just took the broken bolt to the machine shop along with my steering knuckles. They said welding it might make it brittle but they could make me a new one... so my HF bearing puller should be even stronger than ever with a new, properly welded nut.

I suppose it would be worth a writeup on how to use a hydraulic press to remove the bearings if/when the on-the-car method does not work. I resorted to that method for my first wheel bearing as we didn't have a slide hammer, and it worked well... if you've got a press.
I'm not sure, but now that the knuckles are off the car and I can see them in good lighting conditions, I may have discovered that I did something wrong in the procedure by choosing a disk that is too big to fit through the back side of the knuckle. I was sure the disk I had chosen was smaller than the bearing itself, but it looks as though it may not have cleared the lip on the backside of the knuckle. Anyway... I'll "post a fix" when I'm sure I know what went wrong...
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
On mine, that nut is welded on.
Ditto, I think the 'newer' version is welded and pinned... but not as well. I've now got a stick welder so should mine ever come apart, I'll dress everything with a grinder and weld it back together. But I haven't had to redo a wheel bearing; everything seems okie dokie smokie with both sides since they were done.

I'm not sure, but now that the knuckles are off the car and I can see them in good lighting conditions, I may have discovered that I did something wrong in the procedure by choosing a disk that is too big to fit through the back side of the knuckle.
D'oh! :eek:
 

eb2143

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
None
Ut oh

My final original wheel bearing, driver's side front, sounds like it's on the way out. Passenger side was a hum @ 140,000; what I believe is the driver's side is more cyclic (whap whap whap) and does sound like tires, except the sound remained when I swapped to my winters.

If only it was warmer out...I might pay someone to do this.
 

eb2143

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
None
My Story and 2 cents

I had bearing hum while drifting left, but barely perceptible hum while drifting right. There was no perceptible play @ 6&12 in either wheel. I did not try the jackstand/5th gear method. The FR bearing was replaced 70,000 miles ago, so I decided to replace the original FL.

I replaced the FL with a NSK bearing packaged by Rein Automotive. No change!

I replaced the FR with a SKF bearing today, and the noise is gone. The SKF bearing with 70,000 miles (that I didn't install) was toasted, both sides looked bad, with the outer ball bearings corroded, purplish discoloration indicating high heat, and three bearings digging into the race. On the driver's side, what my records indicate is an original bearing looked excellent, but was labeled RKF, which surprised/confused me.

Anyway, moral of the story: It's really, really hard to figure out which bearing to replace, especially when you replace them shortly after you begin hearing the noise. I could have SWORN the noise from coming from the front left/driver's side. In my searching, I did find several gurus saying that they feel the breakdown is about 75/25 outside bearing v. inside bearing failure. In other words, if you're not getting any clear signals from play in the wheel or the 5th gear jackstand method, the odds are the bearing that is loaded when the noise is heard is the bad bearing (i.e. hum whilst drifting left = bad passenger-side bearing).

Another note: There was a surprising level of variance between the NSK and SKF bearings I put in. The NSK was much stiffer to turn and the inner and outer races were locked in place. The SKF was very easy to turn right out of the box and the two halves of the inner race had play in them (i.e. if you used your fingers press apart the two halves of the bearing, the SKF would separate about .5 mm whereas the NSK was tight).

My 2 cents on the job:
1. Not a bad job if you have all the right tools. I think this write-up actually makes it seem like more of a b*tch than it is, but maybe I got lucky. This is a good write-up and I used this write-up primarily, but cross-checked these:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1722551
http://www.gtishrine.com/wheelbearing.php

2. I echo several that it's a great idea to reconnect the carrier to the control arm using a ball-joint bolt and nut plate so that the carrier isn't flopping around when you're pressing/pulling.

3. My driver's side stub axle was reluctant to come out of the hub, so just be aware that you'll need to counterhold the puller with more than your hand if this is the case (the hub will likely start spinning before the axle pops out). I positioned my breaker bar as a counterhold with success.

4. I never felt the need for impact tools. I have them, but didn't use them. The possible exception to this is for retorqueing the axle nut, but I think I got close to 200 ft/lbs with a 18'' breaker bar. The bearing and hub can be pressed in with a short socket wrench with great control, but I did need a breaker bar to get the bearing removal started.

5. Small point, but the estimate that 25 Nm is close to 20 Nm + 1/4 a turn for the ball joint well off. The 1/4 turn puts you much higher than 25 Nm, was at least 45 Nm according to my tw. Don't want anyone's ball joint to fall off, although 25 Nm is probably fine.

6. I tried the slide hammer to remove the hub, briefly, and it didn't work for me. I didn't really like how I felt like I was beating on everything either. I borrowed a very simple home-made brace from Powder Hound that allows easy use with a puller. Basically, the brace has two legs that sit on flat carrier surfaces on either side of the hub. The two legs are connected by a bar against which you can press your puller's bolt. Anyway, hard to explain but works great.
 
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scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
It's really, really hard to figure out which bearing to replace
Sure is, and it sucks to do one side only to find out it's actually the other one that's bad. Put it up on jackstands in 5th gear; you'll be able to tell what bearing's gone bad pretty quickly.

1. Not a bad job if you have all the right tools. I think this write-up actually makes it seem like more of a b*tch than it is, but maybe I got lucky.
This job seems highly variable. Mine wasn't too bad, yours doesn't sound too bad. Plenty of other folks have had a horrible time of it. I'd rather prepare you for the worst and let you be pleasantly surprised.

5. Small point, but the estimate that 25 Nm is close to 20 Nm + 1/4 a turn for the wheel bearing is well off.
Probably. It was for the balljoint nut plate, not for the wheel bearing. Balljoints on my car are still tight.

Glad you found this writeup useful.
 

djamwolfe

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Location
Flint, MI
TDI
2000 Jetta
Well I guess ill be doing my wheel bearings tomorrow using these how-to's.
For me it was real easy for me to figure out wich side it was.
Bad Wheel Bearing <<Youtube video
 
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manual_tranny

Smyth Performance- Intern
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
New Bedford, MA
TDI
2001 Golf @182K; 2000 Jetta @290K
Well I guess ill be doing my wheel bearings tomorrow using these how-to's.
For me it was real easy for me to figure out wich side it was.
Bad Wheel Bearing <<Youtube video
Hey man I'm moving to Flint, so I'm up there all the time recently. (going back to school at Kettering) If you need a hand with that write me a PM and I'll bring my tools up there ASAP. Good luck!
 

djamwolfe

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Location
Flint, MI
TDI
2000 Jetta
Well i went to HF today and got the WB kit, and new bearings will be here on Monday. Im pulling everything apart tomorrow - Already got the turbo out today, so Monday night will be a whirlwind assembly night with both the turbo and bearings.
 

727driver

New member
Joined
May 8, 2008
Location
BC
TDI
03 Jetta Wagon
Thanks to the OP and the rest of you for the information in this thread. Gave me the info needed to R&R my wheel bearings with no problems. Also installed the IDparts front end refresh kit thanks to this site!
 

ourpobox

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2011
Location
Lake Anna, Spotsylvania, VA
TDI
'02 Golf 1.9T Auto / -00 Golf 1.9T Manual (370K+) / '01 Jetta Auto
Hi All,
I did the front wheel bearings on my 2002 Golf yesterday. Biggest headache was the antitheft lugnuts and the absence of an adapter! :-0

The one tip I'd add to this excellent writeup is that, on the second wheel, between backing the shaft out and using the slidehammer, we reconnected the balljoint plate and it made the sldehammer a LOT more effective. The first side took 20+ hits to pull the hub. The second side, with the balljoint plate reconnected for more efficient use of the force of the slide hammer took only about 5 or 6 hits to pull the hub. Big difference when the full force of the slide hammer is going to the intended outlet. :)

Otherwise, I felt the writeup above is nearly flawless! Thanks a million! I learned a lot and am prepared to tackle it again when it needs it. Next job: Rear bearings.
 
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