Wheel Bearing & Driveshaft VW Passat 3BG

Dear DIY enthusiasts,

The wheel bearing on the front left side of my Passat 3BG, manufactured in 2003 (PD engine, 130 hp), needs to be replaced. I have a few questions and comments about this.

The drive shaft came out without opening the "evil screw" . Simply unscrew the jointed shaft from the transmission. Then, you can easily slide it out. I used a special tool (a threaded rod with a bell and matching bearing spacers) to remove the old wheel bearing and press in the new one. In the first step, the wheel hub is pulled out by screwing two oiled special screws into the wheel hub (the screws rest on the wheel bearing housing). This time, the inner wheel bearing ring remained nicely inside the wheel bearing (or there are two bearing rings with different diameters -> pay attention to the installation position!), so it no longer had to be pulled out of the hub. The wheel bearing is then pressed out using the threaded rod of the special tool. Gentlemen, that was quite a feat, even though the thread was properly oiled and the 32mm nut with fine threads exerts considerable force on the bearing.

Leider hat es dabei auch mal "Knack" gemacht. Beim genaueren Hinsehen habe ich scheinbar den ABS-Sensor übersehen. Ragt dieser denn aus dem Radlagergehäuse in Richtung Antriebswelle? Es sieht so aus, als wäre dort beim Auspressen etwas abgeschert. Wenn ich das richtig verstanden habe, ist der Sensor nur in das Lagergehäuse gesteckt und kann mit einem passenden Maulschlüssel ausgebaut werden. Ist is this correct?

"At the same time, I'm going to replace both joints of the driveshaft. Unfortunately, the Etzold manual doesn't say a word about disassembling the driveshaft (formerly, the Etzold manuals were quite good, but now it seems they are only suitable for changing light bulbs). I removed the outer joint by inserting a suitable round steel rod into the opening of the central screw and then screwing the central screw in. This releases the joint without much force. How do you actually separate the inner tripod joint from the shaft? It's not strictly necessary, because you can also slide the bellows over from the outside. How does this split ring work, which sits on the shaft in a groove? Does it absolutely have to be replaced (it is included in the repair kit)? Can it be easily removed and installed?"

According to the Etzold manual, when installing the driveshaft, you should secure the inner tripod joint with tape to prevent it from shifting. I don't understand this. What should one pay attention to in that case?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Quote:

How exactly does this retaining ring work, which sits in a groove on the shaft? Does it absolutely have to be replaced (it is included in the repair kit, at least)? Can it be easily installed and removed?

"If you push the joint out with a screw, yes. Because, if you're unlucky, you might crush the retaining ring. It's important that the new retaining ring doesn't get stuck in the groove. Replacing it isn't a problem. If the groove is damaged, it needs to be repaired."
The "deduct method," on the other hand, preserves everything intact, but is not recommended for beginners.

Quote:

The Etzold manual states that when installing the driveshaft, you should secure the inner tripod joint with tape to prevent it from shifting. I didn't understand this. What should one pay attention to in this case?

Secure it because the bearings in the tripod joint may come loose. Depending on the vehicle, these are not secured, which allows the joint to separate.

Autoservice wrote:

It is important that the new retaining ring does not get stuck in the groove.

Where should the new retaining ring go then? Is it pushed onto the shaft from above together with the washers, and then is the joint pressed onto the shaft? Here it says that the new retaining ring should be clipped into the groove: http://passat3b.de/tips/antriebswellenmanschette.pdf

It's all in the description. You either slide it over or carefully insert it sideways into the groove. The important thing is that it should be able to move freely within the groove afterwards, so that it can perform its function. If it gets stuck (e.g., due to a burr formed during pressing) in the compressed state (when attaching the joint), it cannot fix the joint and is therefore ineffective.

Hello fellow enthusiasts,

Today is a bad day. My CV joint boot on the right side needs to be replaced, which requires removing the driveshaft. Since the driveshaft came out easily on the left side without removing any tie rods, I tried the same approach on the right side. Unfortunately, the shaft won't come out without additional measures. Then, I decided to tackle that "evil" screw, and now I've learned my lesson. After reading recommendations in various online forums suggesting that you should first grind off the screw head and then remove the remaining part with a nut and washers, I hoped it would work for me too. The screw head broke off with some force. After attaching the nut with washers, the screw snapped 3 mm inside the bearing block . It didn't require particularly high torque to cause the break. The material was simply very soft.

Okay, here are my questions: Is it realistic to drill out the screw without damaging the bearing block? Is the screw also rusted in place within the long section between the control arm bushings, or is it sufficient to only drill out the outer areas? I have a good quality 10mm cobalt drill bit available. However, you can only access one side with the drill.

You could also consider using a standard puller in combination with a piece of round metal as an alternative. However, you would need to attach a strong sheet of metal to the bearing block in the area where the puller hooks are located, because the hooks cannot grip the block properly. Would that work? Is a workshop still able to remove the remaining pieces using specialized tools (if so, I would reassemble everything and just have them do it)?

I don't want to remove the lower control arms because the garage with the pit is not yet finished . I'm not comfortable working on the car in the street using only one jack.

What do you mean by "bad screw"? Are you referring to the combination screw on the wheel bearing?
hg
Herbert.

Herbert wrote:

What do you mean by "bad screw"? The combination screw on the wheel bearing? hg Herbert

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Hello Herbert,

The screw located at the top of the wheel bearing housing or body, which secures the two upper control arms.

I bought the replacement screws from the dealer this week. I told the salesperson that I needed the "bad screw." Then, he went laughing into the stockroom, came back with the new screw, and said: "Now I know why it's called the bad one. It's completely black ." Nowadays, the replacement screws are protected against corrosion with a coating. However, the one in my wheel bearing housing is still the original one without protection.

Are the M10 screws located on the inside top of the beam?
hg
Herbert.

This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YzAWL_IFT0

Quote:

Is it realistic to drill out the screw without damaging the bearing block?

Probably not. You have to remove the wheel hub assembly with the control arms, and you need to try to drive out the broken bolt.
How did you come up with the idea of breaking off the screw head? By the way, the driveshaft should actually be removable without disassembling the shock absorber.
Sure, here's the translation:

"Best regards," or "Sincerely," (depending on the context).
Herbert.

Herbert wrote:

You must remove the wheel bearing housing along with the control arms, and you must try to drive out the broken bolt.

Here's how it can also be done, if you have the right tool (costs about €500): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh9rYNnyV4s. Or just leave it like that. The screw is definitely still tight (not entirely serious).

Herbert wrote:

How did you come up with the idea of breaking off the screw head?

Thanks to the instructions found on other DIY forums.

Herbert wrote:

By the way, the driveshaft should actually come out without removing the shock absorber.

I thought so too. But it doesn't want to go on the right side, not even if I force it.

"A little force with a crowbar or pry bar can pop the joint out, with an assistant holding the steering wheel against the stop. Alternatively, loosening one of the lower tie rod ends also works well."

I'm not going to deal with this problem of things getting stuck.
The only thing that helps is a lot of patience, a rust remover (which should ideally be left to work for 1 day), and a hairdryer – so far, I haven't broken off any screws.
If you have an air hammer (or a hammer and punch), try using it to knock it out! Please drill with a lot of patience, feeling, so that the drill bit doesn't break, and most importantly, drill straight in the right direction .

For expanding the driveshaft, use RLF (a specific type of tool), and not DuHupe (another type of tool).
Regarding the damaged wheel bearing housing: there's already information in the article on Motortalk about how to remove it. That "cherry" with the screw head seems a bit out of place there. The housing needs to be removed; hammering around inside the wheel well won't achieve anything.
Sure, here's the translation:

"Best regards," or "Sincerely," (depending on the context).
Herbert.

Quote:

Using a bit of force with a crowbar or pry bar, the joint can come loose if you have an assistant who holds the steering wheel against its stop. Alternatively, loosening one of the tie rod ends at the bottom also works well.

You're absolutely right! Loosening the upper control arms is complete nonsense – unfortunately, that's what Volkswagen states in their repair manual (RLF).
Loosening the lower rear control arm at the wheel bearing housing and pivoting the front of the wheel inwards is sufficient for every Passat 3B.
The same applies to replacing the front wheel bearing.

To remove the screw fragments, patience is now required, as mentioned before. Alternatively, you can inquire about a specialized tool, possibly borrowing one.

Hello,

First of all, thank you for the tips. This forum is simply the most knowledgeable! Looking back, it's really foolish to believe that you can get the stuck bolt out in the way described (another experience learned). I have now removed the lower rear handlebar, and voila, the shaft then comes out easily. However, the rubber-metal bearing on the engine mount has failed (it now has a lot of play). Fortunately, I had a Hazet puller for the joint. With that, you can push it out. However, you need to hold the joint on the wheel bearing housing side with an Allen key. If the thread gets stuck there, you'll have another problem at .

The question is whether the bolt on the lower control arm comes out easily from the engine mount. If it does, I could replace the control arm at the same time.

Here's another question about the driveshaft boot. How do you get those large clamps onto the bellows? I always fail because the clamp rotates when I try to snap it on. The smaller clamps aren't a problem.