Mk3 Golf TDi 1996 GL: Rear Wheel Bearing (Tool Question: Races)

**amad** · 04-10-2016,04:37 PM

Hi guys,
I want to replace a wheel bearing myself. Mechanic showed me how to grease one properly by using good quality bearing grease in the palm of one hand and scooping it with the roller bearing in the other hand. I have a haynes manual. BUT....
I dont have a 29mm and a 36mm socket to gently knock the new races into the hub thingy. I am too much of a cheap git to buy sockets for this job. Is there a cheap pressing tool on ebay or can I improvise? OR can i get away with just leaving the races in? I am going to use that bearing grease that is for higher temperatures etc. Also how do i know if my nut is at the right tightness/looseness? Is there a torque setting?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Amad

**zollaf** · 04-10-2016,05:15 PM

sorry dude but you are asking the wrong questions here. a taper roller bearing is the sort of thing that is the bread and butter of garages, anyone can change them and know how to tighten them correctly. google about the nurse that was killed when a friend did her bearings. practised in a scrap yard, got it wrong on her car and boom, dead. no, you cant leave the race in, yes you do need the right sized socket at the least or preferably the right bearing inserting tool thats not hardened steel so wont risk damage to the race and no, there is no torque setting. best left to a pro to fit and tighten them.

**Rob69** · 04-10-2016,07:05 PM

+1 for above ! Pay a man to do it. It is a straight forward relatively quick job for a garage. Since this would be your first time, you should also have a dial gauge to set up the correct axial end play, manual setting without one requires experience and judgement.

**niall campbell** · 04-10-2016,07:24 PM

you should also consider getting the rear wheels balanced as well, this affects bearings

**amad** · 04-10-2016,10:29 PM

Thanks gents. I have had my bearings replaced quite a few times. The first time, i got them replaced in a garage close to where I lived. The mechanic didn't put any wheel grease on. So there i was driving towards the M1 on the M62. I heard a rumble. It got loud and before I could pull over the wheel came off. Brakes stopped working. In the mirror i saw my n/s back wheel roll towards the hard shoulder. All the cars behind me slowed right down. As my brakes didnt seem to work, i used gears to slow me down and go from fast lane to hard shoulder. The car was pretty stable and sturdy. Luckily i was on a slight uphill so i just switched off in 1st gear when i was dead slow.
I got bearings replaced in Ilford another time. Again, mechanic forgot to grease one side but this time i was on a normal road and heard the most terrible grinding sound. Went to a garage near my home as i was close to home. I got them rechanged.
The last time i got bearings replaced the mechanic actually used a large hammer to force in races along with the bearing... I complained to his boss, who as i learned later fired him. The bearing was again replaced while i was watching. Even still the guy did not pack grease properly. Again the boss had to do it for him. The same guy tightened the bearing nut... I loosened it when i got home. Had no problems for more than 4 years..... until now.

I will agree that a professional will do a better job. The problem is out of the 4 individuals who have touched my bearings, 3 of them screwed it up. It is understandable why i am **** about my bearings. I just thought it would be straight forward job.

**zollaf** · 04-10-2016,10:48 PM

wow, thats a tail of complete incompetence. right, so you need a socket to drift the bearings in, or use an old bearing race, one you have just removed. if you slice it with an angle grinder then it wont get stuck in the hole. you can also use a brass or copper drift, or the right sized socket. tap the race in makign sure it stays square as it goes down. it should not take much effort. when it is seated the note will change when you hit it. ensure it is tapped down all the way, do not use too much effort.. grease the bearing up and fit into the outer race. never mix the races up, use the outer and inner as they come. they are ground as a pair and swopping them over will lead to a shorter life (the bearings, not yours). so now fit the outer race and the washer and nut. put the wheel on and tighen at least 2 bolts a little bit. now tighten the lock nut whilst turning the wheel, make sure the bearing doesnt start to grab. about hand tight with a socket is about right. shake the wheel and you should be able to feel a tiny tiny amount of play top and bottom. less than 1/2 a mm, but enough just to feel its loose and not tight. now fit the castle washer and split pin. taper roller bearings need some movement to allow grease to flow and to allow for heat expansion. too tight and it will bind and detroy itself. too loose and not much will happen other than the back end of the car might feel a bit looser than usual. you may get an advise on an mot for play in them, thats fine, my 80 always does as do my landrovers which use the same bearing set up..

**amad** · 04-10-2016,11:12 PM

Thanks zollaf. You hit the nail on the head. I got an MOT advisory about slightly play. When i drive through the rotherhithe tunnel, i wind down my windows to listen to my wheels and didn't notice any noise from my wheels. unless i am wrong, bad bearings make a squeaky noise before they go completely. I will leave the bearings as they are for the moment. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This particular mot guy gave me lots of advisories as he is meticulous and thorough. I changed the tyre close to the legal limit immediately. Just need to change inner boots on both sides as they are just about splitting and a lil bit of grease is showing. I am not too bothered about rust on a 20 year old car (another advisory) or the slight leak of exhaust gases.... will probably have a look when i do an oil change in a month or two.

**Crasher** · 04-10-2016,11:25 PM

This guy thought he knew what he was doing changing a Golf 3 drum brake rear wheel bearing as he "practised" in a scrap yard...

Woman medical student died in crash after driver bolted wheel-nuts too tightly | Daily Mail Online

**amad** · 04-10-2016,11:35 PM

Yup, my guess is he didn't use any grease either. Also, she most likely had her brakes fail, as i did when my wheel broke off. not everyone is quick thinking enough to use the gears to slow the car down or she might not have had the time. I remember sh!tting myself when the brakes didn't work. luckily my dad taught me to drive the old fashioned way of using gears to slow down. brakes were for unexpected events in his opinion. I am surprised she lost control. my golf was really steady at 70 mph on 3 wheels on the m62.

hmmm. he had it too tight