Replacing front wheel bearings yourself

The front left wheel bearing is defective on my Passat TDI, manufactured in 1994.

Can I change it myself?

I heard that the old bearing needs to be pressed out and the new one pressed back in. Can this be done yourself, or could you potentially take the wheel bearing housing to a workshop and just have them press the parts in and out?

Is the rest of the assembly process difficult? (I'm not inexperienced.)

Thank you, BASTI.

Hi Basti,

It's sufficient to have a sturdy vise, a hammer weighing 3+ kg, and appropriately sized punches or sockets to knock the old bearing out of the housing. A soldering lamp is very useful.
In my opinion, this is the most critical part of the job, as it requires a firm and precise touch, without risking damaging the bearing housing with a misplaced impact. Warm up the edges of the bearing seat slightly, and add 1 drop of transmission oil to help you remove it more easily.
Installing the new bearing is a piece of cake if you keep the following in mind:
- new stock in a plastic bag (due to...) Ice layer! 1 hour in the freezer.
- possibly Remove raised areas with sandpaper (grit size 240).
- Briefly smooth the bearing seat with fine-grit sandpaper.
- Remove all sanding residue with a thinner.
- Grind off 0.5mm radially from the outer ring of the old bearing; this will be used to drive in the new one. Remove the inner ring.
- Gently warm up the enclosure before installation.
- Apply graphite paste to the new bearing and tap it into place using the old bearing.

It is important to ensure that no force is applied to the inner ring of the bearing during installation, as this can damage or even destroy the bearing.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello,

I use a [tool/device] for pressing in wheel bearings.
M12 threaded rod, 2 nuts, one heavy-duty.
U-shaped steel beams with a 12mm hole in the center, used as counterweights.
a large nut (starting from SW36) in the old wheel bearing housing.
I, however, don't plan to grind that down, as the hole is located on the wheel.
The outer frame is usually slightly larger. The withdrawal of...
Using threaded rods with the Lagers always worked very well. By the way, Hazet makes a tool that works similarly.
Of course, much more elegant than my solution 1.

Best regards,
Jürgen

P.S.: With a little patience, you can even do this with...
Install a built-in shock absorber and/or a bike rack!

Hello Jürgen,

For smaller warehouses, I have a similar setup to yours.

"I have a question about replacing a bearing with a built-in housing: How do you remove the old bearing, especially considering the surrounding structure and any metal plates or shims that might be in place?"
Unfortunately, the M12 tool failed for me when I was trying to remove the bearing from my A3; it was simply too tight.

Best regards, Rainer.

How about the crash? It probably needs to be adjusted with the bicycle hub housing removed, right?

Or is it better not to remove the casing, or does that cause problems with extracting the components?

Hi,

Basti911 wrote:

How about the crash? He probably needs to be adjusted when the bicycle wheel bearing housing is

disassembled, right?
not if you mark the installation position beforehand, for example, with a marker

Basti911 wrote:

.

Or is it better not to disassemble the housing, or does that cause problems with removing the components?
Theoretically, you're right, but I couldn't figure it out without taking it apart (the custom-made removal tool I built only works for smaller bearings).

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,
I did this years ago on a G1, initially without removing the old bearing from the outside. It was quite a challenge to get it out of the housing afterwards. So, I would always recommend sanding it down as a precaution, even if it's not strictly necessary for some cars.
Christian

Hello Rainer,

I have had various experiences with expressing myself.
done:
- With Opel, Fiat, Renault, and Peugeot, things went like this:
M12 threaded rod.
- For VAG vehicles, I used a large, three-arm puller.
- Once, while working with a polo shirt, I had everything set up on a single press.
need to be pressed out because the wheel bearing is seized.
The weld failed - it only came apart after approximately 20 tons of force.

Best regards,
Jürgen

Okay!
As far as I understand, I need to remove the wheel bearing housing and mark the seating position beforehand. Then, I need to try somehow (e.g., using the M12 threaded rod) to get the bearing out of the housing.
I suppose it doesn't matter if we damage the old stuff a little bit, does it?

Can I simply 'push' the new one in using the M12 rod?

Are there any other parts that need to be replaced when changing the wheel bearing, or do I need a complete wheel bearing kit, or is just the bearing itself sufficient?

Where do you buy your spare parts?
I've always bought them from DUW-repair so far.
Or do you know of anything cheaper (probably not from the VW/Audi group!)?

Sure, here's the translation:

'Anything else?'
I also posted about the same topic in another forum, but there, I received unanimous advice not to do the change myself.
With your tricks and a bit of craftsmanship, surely this should be achievable, right?!

Thank you, BASTI!

It would be great if I could also get a well-informed answer to this post!

Basti911 wrote:

Good! As far as I understand, I need to remove the wheel bearing housing and mark the seating position beforehand. Then, I need to try somehow (e.g., using the M12 threaded rod) to get the bearing out of the housing. I suppose it doesn't matter if you demolish the old one a little bit in the process, does it?

No, because if it weren't broken, you wouldn't be installing a new one .

Quote:

Can I simply "push" the new one in using the M12 rod?

A matter of taste. I prefer the "old-fashioned method of knocking bearings in," because it allows you to install bearings that are initially stuck.

Quote:

Are there any other parts that need to be replaced when changing the wheel bearing, i.e., do I need a complete wheel bearing kit, or is the bearing itself sufficient?

The kit consists of:
- self-locking axle nut
- Graphite grease
- Storage
- Retaining ring.

Therefore, I would always recommend buying the complete kit. My last one was from ATU.

Quote:

With your tricks and some basic craftsmanship, surely this should be achievable, right?!

Yes, if you:
- Make sure you have enough grease in the arms, a pipe as an extension, and a STURDY wrench for the axle nut.
- Have someone help you by pressing the brake pedal while you loosen and tighten the axle nut (only jack up the car after you've loosened the axle nut a quarter turn).
- secure the brake disc to the hub using the wheel bolts when loosening the axle nut, and don't misuse those poor M6 bolts.
- Make sure you only apply load to the axle after the axle nut has been tightened to at least a semi-tight state (the wheel bearing consists of 2 inner rings, therefore the axle nut must be tightened before applying any load).

Best regards, Rainer.

Sorry, that I want to ask something again now:

I have this clever 'self-help' book that says you shouldn't use a pin to knock out the wheel bearing.
It doesn't really matter if something breaks inside the mechanism, as long as the casing isn't damaged.
When I think about how to remove the bearing using an M12 rod, I seriously start to question my own physical strength, because that bearing is definitely going to be stuck in there really tight.
Shouldn't it be better to remove it from the back using a pipe, as you described?

What should be lubricated with the graphite grease, or rather, which part?

The aforementioned book shows two retaining rings. Do both need to be replaced? How do they work, and how are they installed?

Are there any issues with the ABS sensor during installation or removal?

Thank you again for the great tips!

Best regards, BASTI!

I still don't quite understand the issue with the camber, as the wheel bearing housing is actually only bolted to the suspension arm at a specific point, and that's where the camber should be adjusted.
It would be great if you could tell me again exactly what needs to be marked or indicated so that the measurement remains accurate afterward!

Basti911 wrote:

Sorry, but I want to ask something again: I have such a clever "self-help" book that says you shouldn't knock the wheel bearing out with a pin.

Hmm, well, the enclosure must not be damaged.

Quote:

What needs to be lubricated with the graphite grease, or better, which part?

Okay, so the inner part of the bearing housing and the axle shaft. In short: the things that cause problems if you don't do them .

Quote:

In the aforementioned book, 2 retaining rings are shown. Do both need to be replaced? How do they work, and how are they installed?

It can be seen when disassembled.

Quote:

Are there any problems with the ABS sensor during installation or removal?

Just unplug the cable.

Quote:

I still don't quite understand the issue with the camber, as the wheel bearing housing is actually only bolted to a specific point on the suspension arm, and that's where the camber should be adjusted. It would be great if you could tell me again exactly what needs to be cracked, or marked, so that the measurement is still accurate later!

Well, you'll have to figure out for yourself how to keep the fall consistent.
Best regards, Rainer.