Radlager und Gelenkwelle Vorderachse Passat 3bg | Posts 16+

I think I'm getting old and should probably end my career as a mechanic soon. Now, I can't seem to get the new drive shaft joint onto the shaft on the wheel side. Before, a well-aimed blow to the joint would allow it to be pushed further until the retaining ring clicks into place. Now, the joint simply stays 2 cm away from its installed position, even with hammer blows. Am I being too cautious or am I just not smart enough (or both)? I'm increasingly realizing that it's worth buying a whole new drive shaft right away. I always spend hours on these jobs...

Perhaps both .
Have you ever tried fitting the joint without the retaining ring to see if it even fits?

Is the meshing still intact? If not, needs rework.

Too old, certainly not; rather, such work is done too rarely.
Do you know any Mechis who are over 60, and still do everything on the car themselves as the boss? They deserve HUGE respect from me.

The big clamp: Use brake cleaner or gasoline to verschandeln the area around the ring and your hands, so you have more grip. Now, take a small flathead screwdriver that fits through the hole in the ring, use the tip to grab the end of the ring, and slide the outer ring along the screwdriver so that it moves precisely towards the end - now the ring is slightly pre-tensioned. Now you can use your grandpa's pliers to tighten the ring – with a delicate touch. If necessary, side cutters will also work. Normally, there is a special ring clamp for this, which I hardly ever use myself.

T3Surfer wrote:

Definitely not too old, rather it's just that such work is rarely done.

You hit the nail on the head! I have terrible muscle soreness . To summarize, I couldn't get the joint onto the shaft with the new retaining ring. Fortunately, in another forum, I read that someone had the same problem with an SKF joint. The retaining ring included in the set apparently isn't the right one. It looks different and protruded quite a bit. The old one was grooved, while the new one wasn't. I simply used the old one and was able to slide the joint onto the shaft without force until it clicked into place.

I managed to get the large clamp on the inner joint of the bellows beam into place, just barely, using screwdrivers as described. The large clamp for the SKF joint went on without any problems. I believe that the clamp included in the boot kit for the inner joint (not from SKF) was simply the wrong size.

However, there are still two issues remaining: I'll have the last stubborn bolt removed by a workshop. Removing the lower control arm wasn't a particularly good idea either. To install it, you need to hold it in place with a small Allen key. This is especially fun when the joint has been sitting unused for 10 years. Despite cleaning the threads and using thread locker, the Allen key on the joint became stripped after only three turns. Fortunately, there's a workshop nearby that I can still drive to myself, even though I'm missing part of the stubborn bolt and the lower, rear control arm isn't fully tightened.

My conclusion is: This kind of difficult job simply isn't worth it anymore. Especially because repair manuals don't explain anything properly anymore. And when I read in other forums that some people supposedly can remove the driveshaft from a 3BG in 15 minutes without a lift, I just can't believe it. I spent yesterday evening and all day today working on it.

Quote:

For installation, a small Allen wrench must be used to hold it in place.

The cone must be dry, and the control arm is pre-tensioned using a suitable shim (e.g., a piece of wood). Then, it is possible to tighten the nut without the ball joint rotating . Sometimes, simply thinking about it helps .

Autoservice wrote:

The cone must be dry, and the control arm is pre-tensioned using a suitable shim (e.g., a piece of wood). Then, you can also tighten the nut without the ball joint rotating . Sometimes, simply thinking about it helps..

After 9 hours of torture, the brain simply doesn't function correctly anymore. Please excuse me ... Last night, I also realized that you can push the joint into the bearing block using a puller, since the bolt is conical. It makes sense that an Allen key of size 5 is not suitable for holding a high-strength 18mm nut in place when tightening it.

Since all the workshops are closed today, I'm going to take another hour and try to deal with that stubborn screw or its remnants. I have a heavy electric AEG hammer drill/impact driver. Then, I'll insert an internal Torx screw into the bearing block on the drive shaft and hold it in place with the hammer drill. Hopefully, I'll get lucky and something will happen.

Quote:

The old one was grooved, and the new one wasn't.

The notches are marks from the last installation.
For attaching the ear pads, you can either use a special pliers tool (which doesn't cost much), or bend a nail into a U-shape that fits around the ear, and then clamp it with a water pump pliers.
Do not damage the wheel bearing housing by hammering on the screw bolt. If you're unlucky, the end of the bolt may expand, or the bore may be damaged. Remove it, apply Caramba (a penetrating oil), and either use a press or a separator tool to push out the remaining bolt. You might carefully heat the housing with a soldering iron.
hg
Herbert.

Herbert wrote:

For the earcups, you can either use a special pliers (which doesn't cost much), or bend a nail into a U-shape that fits around the ear, and then clamp it with a water pump pliers. Do not damage the wheel bearing housing by hammering on the screw bolt. If you are unlucky, the end of the bolt may expand, or the bore may be damaged. Remove it, apply Caramba, and either use a press or a separator to push out the remaining bolt. You might carefully heat the housing with a soldering iron.

Hello Herbert,

"I have the specialized pliers for that. The problem with the clamp was that the first possible interlocking point was about 1 cm away from the mating piece. In my opinion, this is due to a poorly sized clamp. Usually, there are several teeth arranged in sequence so that you have some leeway."

I tapped the stuck screw in the threaded area again. Nothing happened. Before trying to widen the screw with a hammer, I'll take it to the workshop.

I also couldn't get the lower control arm to tighten properly. I had the entire car resting on it. The bolt just spins freely. I can't get the nut either onto or tightened, even though it's still in the upper threads. I'm giving up and have decided to leave this to a workshop...

Quote:

I also couldn't get the lower control arm secured. I had the entire car resting on it. The bolt just spins freely. I can't get the nut either onto or tightened, even though it's still in the upper threads.

"Ask me what I did there. If you have to remove a nut like that, you might need to use rust remover and repeatedly turn it back and forth until the screw comes loose from the threads. Important: The rust remover should not get on the cone... because then it won't stay tight."

Quote:

I'm giving up and have decided to leave the whole thing to a workshop...

A wise decision - to the delight of the workshop , but it's better to admit it than to cause even more damage.

Next time, please ask us before you start the work .
At the very least, we would have guaranteed that you wouldn't have to deal with that top screw .

Autoservice wrote:

Ask me what you were doing there. If you have to remove a nut like that, you may need to use rust remover and repeatedly turn it back and forth until the screw can be easily unscrewed from the thread. Important ---> The rust remover should not get on the cone... because then it will no longer hold securely.

Hello,

I tried again to have the entire weight rest on the lower rear control arm using support stands (with the shock absorber completely compressed). Before that, I flooded the cone and ball joints with brake cleaner. When you turn the nut with an 18mm socket, the bolt turns without any effort. You can simply rotate it back and forth. The workshop will probably have to cut off the steering linkage. I suspect that the ball joint is no longer in good condition and therefore there is no additional friction surface. In a repair manual for the Audi A2, it states that you should use a 5mm Allen key to hold it in place when tightening. Therefore, in my opinion, it's clear that when loosening the lower control arms, they should be replaced (especially with almost 300,000 km of mileage). The Allen key simply wears out over time.

Autoservice wrote:

A wise decision - to the joy of the workshop:wink:, but it's better to admit it than to cause even more damage.

I'm already dreading the repair bill. But I'm also having the rear lower control arm replaced on the other side at the same time, because in my opinion, the engine mount needs to be lowered anyway to get the screws out.

Autoservice wrote:

Next time, please ask us before you start the work . At the very least, we would have guaranteed that you wouldn't have to deal with that top screw

.

Hindsight is always 20/20. The workshop should simply replace the troublesome bolt on the other side. If the other control arms need to be replaced later, I can do those myself again. I just assumed that the driveshaft would come out easily, like on the left side. Last Thursday evening, right before Easter, I was stranded on the road with a stuck driveshaft and thought: "I can handle this, with that troublesome bolt." Without setbacks and experimentation, there's no learning . Next time, I'll ask here beforehand, promise.

Quote:

However, I'm also going to replace the rear lower control arm on the other side right away, because in my opinion, the engine mount needs to be lowered anyway to get the screws out.

It should also work without lowering it. Once the screw is out of the first hole, it can be removed at an angle.

Autoservice wrote:

Quote: However, I'm also going to replace the rear lower control arm on the other side right away, because in my opinion, the engine mount needs to be lowered anyway to get the screws out. It should also work without lowering it. Once the screw is out of the first hole, it can be removed at an angle.

Correct!

Well, I'm certainly relieved to know that I'm not the only one with this problem.

Today I was at the workshop, but I won't get an appointment until early June. So, I ordered a new lower control arm today and will install it myself. Since you can easily access it with a grinder, I'll simply cut off the nut of the old control arm that isn't tightened. Thanks to your help, I can easily replace the bolt on the engine mount (and of course tighten it only when the car is fully compressed). The master mechanic at the workshop told me that this bolt is a real disaster. He has this €500 special tool from Klann, but even that doesn't guarantee that it will come out. He said it's especially important to secure the slots with special steel inserts. The pin of the Klann tool is inserted using an impact wrench. He once had a case where part of the wheel bearing housing was sheared off during this process. If the pin doesn't move easily, he prefers to remove the wheel bearing housing.

Once the new lower control arm is installed, I should definitely be able to drive again temporarily. Because that old screw is tighter than a new one (not entirely serious, please don't try this). Probably it would last forever like that anyway.

How do you actually tighten the tie rod screws with a torque wrench, and what is that attachment called that allows you to access hard-to-reach screws using a torque wrench?

I honestly never use a torque wrench for that ; I do it by feel .
Loosen the thick bolt on the lower control arm and secure it with an impact wrench - the small Allen key in the middle is unnecessary thanks to the impact wrench . The impact wrench might help if your bolt isn't tightened properly yet!

Of course, don't set it to maximum power when attaching things, because the impact wrench has a lot of torque. I usually tighten them by hand at the end.
So far, I have been able to remove every "stubborn" screw, but it requires a lot of feel to know at what torque it might break .
If nothing else works, patience and plenty of rust remover are the key – let it soak in for at least a day, preferably longer. In between, keep spraying it. Then, carefully warm the area with a heat gun and gently tap on the housing with a hammer. Eventually, the "Bose" screw will start to move – just be patient! I don't have any specialized tools for that particular screw, but so far, I haven't needed them. Sometimes I use an air chisel (which makes a lot of noise) with a loose nut on the "Bose" screw; often, this helps loosen it enough to turn.

T3Surfer wrote:

Loosen the thick screw on the lower control arm and secure it with an impact wrench - the small Allen key in the middle is unnecessary thanks to the impact wrench. The impact wrench might help if your screw isn't tightened properly yet.

Okay, in my case, only one open-end wrench fits onto the nut of the lower, rear control arm. Directly above it is the driveshaft joint, so no socket wrenches fit. Only a flexible socket extension will work .

T3Surfer wrote:

If nothing else works, the only solution is patience and a lot of rust remover; let it soak in for at least one day, preferably longer. In the meantime, spray it repeatedly, then carefully heat it with a hot air gun and tap on the housing with a hammer. Eventually, the "Bose" screw will start to move – just be patient! I don't have any special tools for that stubborn screw, and haven't needed them so far. Sometimes I use an air chisel, which makes a lot of noise, with a loose nut on the "Bose" screw; often, this causes it to loosen enough to turn.

Well then I know where my coffee trip will lead me this weekend .

To be honest, I believe that WD40 is as effective for rusted screws as homeopathy is for a cold. There's no doubt that it significantly reduces friction on threads and other surfaces, but not a single drop of it penetrates the rust layer between the stuck screw and the wheel bearing housing. I've been spraying the bolt with WD40 every week for weeks. If that had worked, the screw should have come out easily. The exposed edge area in the wheel bearing housing, up to the fracture point of the remaining screw, was 100% free of WD40. Nothing penetrates there unless there are cracks caused by using a pneumatic hammer or similar tools.