92 Cabriolet front wheel bearing

Hello -
Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
that's now been developed with the seals already in place?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

It's been like that since the mid-to late 70's for the Dasher, Rabbit, Golf,
Jetta, Passat, etc. Sounds like you need a manual for your car which shows
how the bearing is to be replaced.


"Mike" > wrote in message
m...
> Hello -
> Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
> seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
> bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
> seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
> that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Mike

If you do not know how the bearing is assembled you are in for an
adventure replacing it. Did you buy $300 worth of tools? You need a
3/4" ratchet or breaker bar with the correct socket to remove the
drive shaft nut which is torqued to about 300 lb/ft. You need the 12
or is it 6 point internal bit to remove the 6 drive shaft bolts. You
need a press to press out the bearing and press in the new bearing.
You need some internal clip pliers. You need bandaids and antiseptic
ointment. The list goes on and on.

(Mike) wrote:

>Hello -
>Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
>seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
>bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
>seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
>that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Mike


Jim B.

That about covers it for the DIYer. If you have all the tools and know-how
like us old farts then both sides can be done in 1 hour and ready for the
alignment rack.

> wrote in message
...
> If you do not know how the bearing is assembled you are in for an
> adventure replacing it. Did you buy $300 worth of tools? You need a
> 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar with the correct socket to remove the
> drive shaft nut which is torqued to about 300 lb/ft. You need the 12
> or is it 6 point internal bit to remove the 6 drive shaft bolts. You
> need a press to press out the bearing and press in the new bearing.
> You need some internal clip pliers. You need bandaids and antiseptic
> ointment. The list goes on and on.
>
> (Mike) wrote:
>
>>Hello -
>>Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
>>seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
>>bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
>>seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
>>that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
>>
>>Thanks in advance,
>>Mike
>
>
> Jim B.

Mike wrote:
>
> Hello -
> Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
> seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
> bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
> seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
> that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Mike

Front wheel bearings are sealed:
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/Cheap...lBearing.shtml

--
Roger

The other guys covered this pretty well, the only thing that I'll add is
that after swapping engines, transmissions, axles and putting a new
headliner/pad/top on my Rabbit convertible (and a million other little
things) all by myself, I paid someone else to do the wheel bearings. Roger's
got pretty good instructions on how to do it but I don't have much
experience with a shop press. so figuring in the cost of a press and my lack
of knowledge I decided to let the experts do this one. It sounds like you
expected to find "normal" bearings so I recommend that you pass on this one
too.

HTH
Steve

"Roger Brown" > wrote in message
...
> Mike wrote:
>>
>> Hello -
>> Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
>> seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
>> bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
>> seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
>> that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Mike
>
> Front wheel bearings are sealed:
> http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/Cheap...lBearing.shtml
>
> --
> Roger

In article >,
"sehaare" > wrote:

> The other guys covered this pretty well, the only thing that I'll add is
> that after swapping engines, transmissions, axles and putting a new
> headliner/pad/top on my Rabbit convertible (and a million other little
> things) all by myself, I paid someone else to do the wheel bearings. Roger's
> got pretty good instructions on how to do it but I don't have much
> experience with a shop press. so figuring in the cost of a press and my lack
> of knowledge I decided to let the experts do this one. It sounds like you
> expected to find "normal" bearings so I recommend that you pass on this one
> too.
>
> HTH
> Steve
>
> "Roger Brown" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Mike wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello -
> >> Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
> >> seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
> >> bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
> >> seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
> >> that's now been developed with the seals already in place?

You can also rent a special pressing tool and replace the front bearings
on the car and without removing the axle from the transmission. You can
rent the tool from RapidParts in NY. Rental, shipping both ways and new
bearings will probably run you about $100-120. The Rapid Parts rental
also includes a socket for the front axle nut (although it's 1/2 inch
drive... 3/4 inch drive socket or an impact gun is better) and heavy
duty circlips. I did this several years ago and have a writeup if you
want it. Email me if so.

--

Take out the invalid if replying by email

Is a front wheel bearing job on a '92 Cab really that much different than on
my '87 GTI? 300 ft-lb?! The axle nut on my GTI is torqued to 170 ft-lb and
is easily manageable with a modest 1/2" drive breaker bar. I'm not familiar
with the '92 Cab, but I'd be surprised if the torque spec would be that much
higher. The bolts holding the inner CV joints to the drive flanges are
internally wrenched 12-point "triple square" bolts. I think this bit is now
available at Sears, but you can also get one from Snap-On or Mac (as I did)
for around $10. The driveshafts can be removed from the hubs without
affecting the alignment by separating at the lower ball joint, after which a
Schlay (or equivalent) "on car" wheel bearing tool can be used to press the
bearing in and out without removing the hub from the car. I bought mine, but
I think this tool can be rented too. It works very well. What the heck are
the "internal clip pliers" used for?
--
Kent
1987 VW GTI 8V, original owner, 221,500+ miles

> wrote in message
...
> If you do not know how the bearing is assembled you are in for an
> adventure replacing it. Did you buy $300 worth of tools? You need a
> 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar with the correct socket to remove the
> drive shaft nut which is torqued to about 300 lb/ft. You need the 12
> or is it 6 point internal bit to remove the 6 drive shaft bolts. You
> need a press to press out the bearing and press in the new bearing.
> You need some internal clip pliers. You need bandaids and antiseptic
> ointment. The list goes on and on.
>
> (Mike) wrote:
>
> >Hello -
> >Went to purchase a replacement wheel bearing and asked for the grease
> >seals and the guy at AutoZone told me they are "built" into the
> >bearing assembly?? Has anyone else run into this? Are new grease
> >seals not needed when replacing the old bearing with a newer bearing
> >that's now been developed with the seals already in place?
> >
> >Thanks in advance,
> >Mike
>
>
> Jim B.

You are correct. The Rabbit show 173 lb/ft to tighten. I does not list
how much torque to break loose. What holds the bearings in place? Snap
rings. So how do you remove the inner bearing race that is stuck on
the hub?

"Kent" > wrote:

>Is a front wheel bearing job on a '92 Cab really that much different than on
>my '87 GTI? 300 ft-lb?! The axle nut on my GTI is torqued to 170 ft-lb and
>is easily manageable with a modest 1/2" drive breaker bar. I'm not familiar
>with the '92 Cab, but I'd be surprised if the torque spec would be that much
>higher. The bolts holding the inner CV joints to the drive flanges are
>internally wrenched 12-point "triple square" bolts. I think this bit is now
>available at Sears, but you can also get one from Snap-On or Mac (as I did)
>for around $10. The driveshafts can be removed from the hubs without
>affecting the alignment by separating at the lower ball joint, after which a
>Schlay (or equivalent) "on car" wheel bearing tool can be used to press the
>bearing in and out without removing the hub from the car. I bought mine, but
>I think this tool can be rented too. It works very well. What the heck are
>the "internal clip pliers" used for?


Jim B.

I've always assumed that the breaking torque should be roughly the same as
the tightening torque. And yeah, now I remember the circlips after referring
to my Bentley; it's been quite a while since I changed my bearings (so to
speak).

If you haven't used the on-car wheel bearing tool before, it's pretty slick.
First you need to remove the caliper and rotor, of course. You then remove
the control arm bolt and remove the ball joint from the knuckle. This allows
you to swing the strut and knuckle out to remove the axle shaft. This
maintains the alignment. The hub is then removed by threading a couple of
long bolts through 180 degree opposing holes the hub so they bear against
the steering knuckle. As you alternately turn these bolts in, the hub is
slowly pressed out. The old bearing is destroyed during this process. The
instructions say to remove the inner race from the hub using a bearing
separator. I vaguely recall that I was able to sneak the sharp claws of a
small two-arm puller under the race to pull it off. The old bearing is
pressed out of the knuckle using a long bolt and nut, along with a properly
sized pusher washer and cup that come as part of the tool. The new bearing
is pressed into the knuckle, and the hub is pressed into the new bearing, in
a similar manner.

I know of a couple companies that sell this type of tool. Schley Products,
Inc. (www.sptools.com) is where I bought mine, but it's been a few years. I
also notice that Zelenda Automotive (www.zelenda.com) sells a similar but
fancier tool made by Hazet. They are made for many different model cars, and
I'm sure there are other sources. This tool is probably not the best
investment for the DIYer that changes a single set of bearings every ten
years, but if you have several cars or can share the cost among friends, it
might be reasonable to invest in one.

--
Kent
1987 VW GTI 8V, original owner, 221,500+ miles

> wrote in message
...
> You are correct. The Rabbit show 173 lb/ft to tighten. I does not list
> how much torque to break loose. What holds the bearings in place? Snap
> rings. So how do you remove the inner bearing race that is stuck on
> the hub?
>
> "Kent" > wrote:
>
> >Is a front wheel bearing job on a '92 Cab really that much different than
on
> >my '87 GTI? 300 ft-lb?! The axle nut on my GTI is torqued to 170 ft-lb
and
> >is easily manageable with a modest 1/2" drive breaker bar. I'm not
familiar
> >with the '92 Cab, but I'd be surprised if the torque spec would be that
much
> >higher. The bolts holding the inner CV joints to the drive flanges are
> >internally wrenched 12-point "triple square" bolts. I think this bit is
now
> >available at Sears, but you can also get one from Snap-On or Mac (as I
did)
> >for around $10. The driveshafts can be removed from the hubs without
> >affecting the alignment by separating at the lower ball joint, after
which a
> >Schlay (or equivalent) "on car" wheel bearing tool can be used to press
the
> >bearing in and out without removing the hub from the car. I bought mine,
but
> >I think this tool can be rented too. It works very well. What the heck
are
> >the "internal clip pliers" used for?
>
>
> Jim B.