97 MK3 Jetta TD - Rear Wheel Bearing Gets loose 150km - w/Playż?

[Golf/Jetta]

I recently replaced my rear wheels bearings after 2 years of service of tightening tightening season after season. (result in cracking chipping). replaced them with NEW OEM bearing, greased and packed the **** out of them. Tighten, rolled, loosened, tighten, rolled, loosened, and tightened back up to snug, till there was no play (10ft. lbs). nice ride home (wet road).. now after 150km on them, they decided to get a little noisy (dry roads). Jacked up the front and found no play.. Jacked up the rear and a little play was found on both side. WTF. never had this problem till i got this car.. my 87, 92, and 94 doesn't do this.

[Henchman]

I have a lot of experience in this subject, unfortunately.  First, what was the condition of the spindles?  Were they mint?  Any scoring or wear and they need to be replaced.  You should be able to get used replacements for $20 or less (like from me for example ).  Also, the drum play in intergral part in the bearing/wheel setup.  If the previous bearing seized at all, it then turns on the spindle or the inside of the drum, or both.  I've had a bearing wear thrown the outside race seat and the whole wheel fall off.  Also, make sure all the parts from the bearing package are still there, especially the locking cap that goes over the axle nut and works with the cotter pin.  They often go missing on bearing re & re 's or dring the failure.  When I tighten my bearings, I use this procedure  (this assumes that the spindle is fine, bearings have been cleaned or replaced and repacked, rear seal in good condition, races properly seated in a known good drum).  Mount drum with bearing, washer, nut, tire with lug botls,  tighten axle nut slowly while spinning the tire slowly.  Do so until the tire starts to stop.  Tighten a bit more until tire is hard to turn.  At this point the bearings are seated, but if you drive like this you'll burn them off in 5 miles.  At this point I slowly back off the axle nut while turning the time until I can wobble the wheel ever so slightly.  Then I snug the nut back up a little bit until the wobble is just gone.  At this point the wheel should spin freely and have no (or VERY little wobble).  At the locking cap, cotter pin a dust cap.  Go for a drive and check for excess heat from the bearing every few miles.  If you find it getting hot, back it off 1/2 turn and that should fix it.

If you are carefull, you can pick up everything that you need for a complete spindle/bearing/drum replacement for less than &150.

Ian

[smutts]

  Yup, knackered spindles, stub axle. Mine have zero play rocked 3 & 9 o'clock, 5mm play 12 & 6 o'clock (with the handbrake off mind). The bearing never will run right, and will keep on failing. About every 15,000 miles for me as I've not got round to doing the stub axles.
Mind you, 10 ftlb, 100 miles till bearing death is about right.

[Smokey Eddy]

aren't they supposed to be like finger tight on the rear? thats what i did anyways. I read a spec that said something like 7 inch pounds... basically the weight of your hand on a 1/2 inch ratchet....

[Vincent Waldon]

The Bentley is actually pretty specific on the correct adjustment proceedure for the rear bearings:

Adjusting Rear Wheel Bearings

The rear wheel tapered roller bearings must be adjusted to work smoothly and minimize wear. This adjustment must be made any time the rear brake drum or rotor has been removed. Other periodic bearing adjustments to compensate for wear may help to increase bearing life or give early warning of excessive wear and the need for replacement. The only materials needed are a little extra multipurpose grease for the grease cap, and new cotter pins.

To adjust:
1.   Raise the rear of the car, support it securely on jack stands which are designed for the purpose, and remove the wheel.
2.   Carefully pry off the grease cap in the center of the brake drum or disc, remove the cotter pin and nut lock, and then loosen the axle nut.
3.   If the wheel bearings, especially new ones, have just been installed, temporarily torque the axle nut to 10 Nm (87 in. lb.), while turning the brake drum or rotor by hand. Then loosen the nut slightly.

CAUTION-

Avoid overtorquing the axle nut, as this may damage the bearings and bearing races.

4.   Tighten the axle nut again, slowly and in small increments while turning the wheel, until the thrust washer can just barely be moved back and forth with a light push on the tip of a screwdriver, as shown in Fig. 6-6.

NOTE-

Do not twist or pry with the screwdriver. Use hand pressure only.


Fig. 6-6.   Wheel bearing adjustment being checked.  Axle nut is tightened correctly when thrust washer moves only with slight pressure.

5.   After the wheel bearings are correctly adjusted, install the nut lock so that its projections do not cover the cotter pin hole. If necessary, tighten the axle nut slightly so that the nut lock will align with the hole in the stub axle. Then install a new cotter pin

[Smokey Eddy]

Yes so 10 FT.LBS is way too much.
10Nm is barely anything correct? ten newtons of force at a 1 metre lever length...

[catlin_cava]

I blew thru 3 sets of wheel bearings in my MK3 in less then 100kms of the first set going...I got mad at the end and sold the car. I could not figure out why they kept blowing, the spindal was fine and the hub was fine. Id packed them and pout them in and get about 3kms and you could hear it whinning again...

[Henchman]

I blew thru 3 sets of wheel bearings in my MK3 in less then 100kms of the first set going...I got mad at the end and sold the car. I could not figure out why they kept blowing, the spindal was fine and the hub was fine. Id packed them and pout them in and get about 3kms and you could hear it whinning again...

i would guess internal wear inside the drum causing the race to sit incorrectly/move.

To adjust:
1.   Raise the rear of the car, support it securely on jack stands which are designed for the purpose, and remove the wheel.
2.   Carefully pry off the grease cap in the center of the brake drum or disc, remove the cotter pin and nut lock, and then loosen the axle nut.
3.   If the wheel bearings, especially new ones, have just been installed, temporarily torque the axle nut to 10 Nm (87 in. lb.), while turning the brake drum or rotor by hand. Then loosen the nut slightly.

CAUTION-

Avoid overtorquing the axle nut, as this may damage the bearings and bearing races.

4.   Tighten the axle nut again, slowly and in small increments while turning the wheel, until the thrust washer can just barely be moved back and forth with a light push on the tip of a screwdriver, as shown in Fig. 6-6.

That's more or less what I said!  Sure, they didn't write it late at night, possibly after having a few adult beverages or forget to spell check.....  Other than that, word for word!

Ian

[smutts]

Every water cooled VW I have owned has had knackered rear axles. They are made of some sort of steel with the hardness of chocolate. The very hard steel of the bearing races fret against this each time you go round a corner. Chocolate chews away at 6&12 o'clock. Now the bearing isn't aligned perfectly and the little death of wheel bearing comes to visit. This is why a perfect new bearing, set up perfectly on a knackered axle has no play if you wobble the wheel at 3 & 9 o'clock, and lots at 6 & 12 o'clock. It's good to know that some of you guys are actually going around corners now and then.
Google Earth Dartmoor Devon to see what I am up against.

[catlin_cava]

The drum was new, the car drove fune for 2000kms then it started blowing bearings for no reason.

[rabbitman]

Can I have some chocolate spindles? I had to laugh at that one..........