Anyone ever done this job , is it a garage job only to press the bearing and remove the one on the Hub or is it posible to DIY it with just general tools.

The Haynes manual shows an extracter tool being used but doesnt mention any specialist tools for the outer bearing just a metal tube.

Never removed a strut before so this job seems complicated to me. Proberly will make ense when I take the strut off.

Cheers

if you have never done one then its worth doin it with some one who has

i do mine all the time on my own and its a simple enough job but if its your first time you will probably struggle a bit,

also handy to have a bit of heat handy i've always found

if you have never done one then its worth doin it with some one who has

i do mine all the time on my own and its a simple enough job but if its your first time you will probably struggle a bit,

also handy to have a bit of heat handy i've always found

Cheers - I've already tried the tie rod bolt and the anti roll bar nuts and they turn no bother , just gonna have to pick up a 18mm socket for the top mount nut and a ball joint splitter for the TCA. Proberly will end up just dropping off the hub/strut at a Garage with a GSF bearing kit and letting them do it.

* Quick question - If I wanna take the strut to a garage for a bearing change will I have to take the whole assembly including coil springs (dont wanna splash out on compressors).

Cheers

it's possible with a vice and a big-fuckoff-hammer! But if you have a friendly local garage nearby it's probably less hassle to take the strut into them and get them to swap the bearing over, wont take long with a press.

it's possible with a vice and a big-fuckoff-hammer! But if you have a friendly local garage nearby it's probably less hassle to take the strut into them and get them to swap the bearing over, wont take long with a press.

Tis what I did, lad did it for me with the proper equipment for a fiver. Bearings are easily damaged!

it's possible with a vice and a big-fuckoff-hammer! But if you have a friendly local garage nearby it's probably less hassle to take the strut into them and get them to swap the bearing over, wont take long with a press.

wish id thought of that when i changed mine

Cheers for replies -all v.helpful. Phoned around today and the price to press the bearing in is approx £20. However phoned a local scrappy where I know they have a mk3 and they said I could have the whole stut / shabang for £30 except for brake calipers (which I dont need).

I also dont need the coils or shock but as I,m not too clued up about the Mcpherson strut i presume that these cant be removed unless you have spring compressors , so I'll just have the whole thing and just slot it in.

I got a whole strut fro £7 from a scrappy near me, but i had to take it off myself.

Worth it though.

where are you docbooze?

i wish people would put it... then locals can help. I havea vw press which will fit bearings easily

where are you docbooze?

i wish people would put it... then locals can help. I havea vw press which will fit bearings easily

Cheers for the offer but I'm in Durham which is a fair trek from Sheffield. Cheers anyway though.

Also yeah £30 does seem a bit steep considering I'm the one who's gonna struggle with getting the bolts off but might be able to haggle him down to £20.

This mk3 in the scrappy is a mk3 Gt is it ok to put that full strut/springs into a mk3 1.05 genesis?

Cheers

but how do you know the bearing in the strut at the scrappy is going to be any better? I'd just replace with a new one for piece of mind.

but how do you know the bearing in the strut at the scrappy is going to be any better? I'd just replace with a new one for piece of mind.

Definitely, the one from the scrappy could have been sat around for a long time and could be completely f***ed. Pay the £20 to get a new one pressed in or arse about and do it yourself as I did.

Sal. x

Just take the "Hub" (i think its called that) .. off and then take it down to a garage with your new VW bearing .. (wouldnt advise one form GSF there pants and wear out really quick) and ask them to pop the bearing in . Then go back and put it all together ..

Stevie

http://www.pololand.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1031

doesnt matter if you cant speak french the pictures do the talking.

great reference webiste. loads of 'how to' threads

http://www.pololand.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1031

doesnt matter if you cant speak french the pictures do the talking.

great reference webiste. loads of 'how to' threads

Cheers thats the type of guide I've been after. Also gonna take all the good advice and just gonna get a new bearing plus that scrappy used hub and have a crack at that guide or take to a Garage.

Cheers

Set about changing the bearings on my '96 1.9D today.

Wonder why some eejit at VW decided to use 18mm bolts & nuts on the suspension strut mount?

I mean, 17s and 19s have worked fine for most other applications like that, and it's not as if they have to be such a precise size for clearance and access in that area! It's almost as bad as French manufacturers and their annoying stabs at unique screwhead patterns.

Anyhoo, I now own my very first 18mm socket - after 30 years playing at mechanics! At least an old 11/16" imperial socket whacked onto the other end worked no probs for undoing the bolt after another cheap adjustable (shifter) spanner bit the dust...

Eventually the hub rotor was removed and the problem was clear - worn to excess within the inner bearing race with clear signs of friction and overheating! No wonder the last set of bearings didn't last long, and they were only put in by the previous owner last year! Cue new hubs from eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=001

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=019

No complaints about sorting these wee details considering the low price I paid for the car, as it should continue to run a lot smoother for a while, but I wouldn't trust scrappy bearings unless you like changing 'em regularly...

Set about changing the bearings on my '96 1.9D today.

Wonder why some eejit at VW decided to use 18mm bolts & nuts on the suspension strut mount?

I mean, 17s and 19s have worked fine for most other applications like that, and it's not as if they have to be such a precise size for clearance and access in that area! It's almost as bad as French manufacturers and their annoying stabs at unique screwhead patterns.

Anyhoo, I now own my very first 18mm socket - after 30 years playing at mechanics! At least an old 11/16" imperial socket whacked onto the other end worked no probs for undoing the bolt after another cheap adjustable (shifter) spanner bit the dust...

Eventually the hub rotor was removed and the problem was clear - worn to excess within the inner bearing race with clear signs of friction and overheating! No wonder the last set of bearings didn't last long, and they were only put in by the previous owner last year! Cue new hubs from eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=001

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=019

No complaints about sorting these wee details considering the low price I paid for the car, as it should continue to run a lot smoother for a while, but I wouldn't trust scrappy bearings unless you like changing 'em regularly...

Aye got myself a new hub of GSF as most scrappy's are not keen on yer splitting up the suspension strut as it makes it harder for them to flog it. Been looking at that great French guide on wheel bearing changes (cant beat guide with pics) . Now trying to put one of those homemade bearing press tools together. It's pretty east to get the threaded rod and bolts (even B&Q do 12mm threaded rod for £2) but I cannot find anywhere where I can buy 2 large thick steel washers/disks like that bloke in the pics is using. I know that a lot of wheel bearing guides say "use the old bearing as a spacer" but surely any spacer used for pushing on the outer race will have to be just slightly smaller than the new bearing. I'm tempted to just call into an engineering workshop and see if they can knock us 2 steel disks up for a couple of quid (cant believe you cant buy a simple tool like this anywhere it would sell like hotcakes!!!!!!

Cheers)

Which web site did you see that on?

Which web site did you see that on?

There is a link below to a French equivalent of Club Polo (its in French but the pics are great). The bloke there is showing how to change a front wheel bearing on a mk3 polo the easy way.

It looks a lot simpler than I thought if only I could get hold of a large thick 60mm washer. I have socket that is excatly the same diameter as the inner race on my new bearing but I cant find anything online that looks even close to what he is using for the outer race (the pushing the bearing in bit).

Might just take the bearing down to my local builders merchants and see if he can find any kind of steel washer that would do.

cheers........

Here's the link to that French guide http://www.pololand.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1031

Edited 5 March, 200818 yr by Docbooze

The pics on the French site - despite being 'pololand' - actually look like hubs from a Peugeot.

I only say that cos I had the joys of fitting new bearings to the wife's 306 last year, and that's what they look like.

Is there a Polo model with that style of hub? Then some 309/306 parts should fit I'd imagine.

Anyway - still a good pictorial guide as the proceedure's pretty much the same for most wheel bearing replacements...

Daft thing happened in Partco today tho.

I was after new lower ball joints too, and the lass behind the desk asked for the reg. no of my car, despite telling her it was a '96 Polo. As you can imagine, she misheard me and put in the wrong reg. no.

It obviously came up as a Peugeot, and she went off to get the parts. Nowadays I always open the box to see if the part actually looks similar to the one I've just removed.

The giveaway something was wrong was when I noticed the ball joint shaft was for a pinch bolt mounting, not a screw thread like on mine.

Eventually got a new one for the nearside, but as usual, will have to go back tomorrow for the offside one when the order comes in...

Thanks for the link Doc.

I'm doing my sons Mk4 shortly and the photo 'how to' is very helpful. Why not just buy a socket with the right diameter. It might come in handy in the future.

The guide has a flaw to it. Did you spot it?

When he uses the home made press gismo to pull the hub back on he might have damaged the new bearing. When you pull it back on, the counter force should be applied to the 'inner race'. Is he using his washer on the inner circlip? My french isn't very good but does he point that out??

Anyway I'm off to B&Q to buy some threaded rod.

My son can buy me a bearing seperator (if I need it - which I think I will!!)

BTW

What are your thoughts on using heat to sweat the failed inner race from the hub? As opposed to either brute force of a bearing seperator that is.

Edited 6 March, 200818 yr by gazza1286

Yeah - When the hub goes into the newly installed bearing then the contact support should be inner race only.

Just looking at my new wheel bearing i see that the outer race is only a few mm so might get lucky with a socket but above 40 mm these sockets start to get pricey.

Been quoted £10-£15 for the bearing pressed if I just take the suspension strut in to the garage but honestly how many of us hate paying for work regardless of the price if we can get away with doing it at home. (Also I dont really fancy transporting a strut with coiled spring).

* About the Heat it would proberly make an old inner race removal from the hub easier and any alternative to brute force with a chisel is always a better option in my opinion.

Cheers.............

Doc

were you able to source some 60mm washers?

I'm planning on acquiring an offcut of 60mm tubing from a local garage which makes stainless exhausts.

I've got an old socket (about 30mm) which fits the inner race for hub pressing support. For the outer race (pressing new bearing in) I'm just gonna use the old bearing but i'm gonna see if I can file it down slightly so I'll be able to get it out of the hub that 1/2 inch or so that it will go in. I'm putting on a new hub as well so the old one will come in handy in some way.

*The biggest washers I could find are only 25mm across but I'll use them for supporting the socket on the threaded rod.

I looked all over and I think to find a 60mm round plate washer you would proberly have to get one made or you might get lucky and find one in an old washing machine or even somewhere on the polo that you could take off just for this job.

Cheers

BTW

What are your thoughts on using heat to sweat the failed inner race from the hub? As opposed to either brute force of a bearing seperator that is.

This may, at first, sound a bit crazy . . but . . IF you can get access to the inner (bearing running surface) of the race (bearing itself removed) with an Arc OR MIG welding set-up & run a bead of weld onto the race it will CONTRACT as it cools for you to knock it out . . .

BUT REMOVE ALL the GREASE & MUCK FIRST & ENSURE YOU HAVE A GOOD "GROUNDING POINT" for the RETURN lead ("Earth") !

BUT, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T Accidently WELD THE RACE TO THE HOUSING !

This method relies on getting HEAT into a LOCALIZED area QUICKLY & then the natural "COOLING" (relatively quickly) of the added metal - "contracting" the race . . . unlike heating with a gas lamp . . which tends to heat everything else up, too !

This is a handy link for some other tips on stuck / seized things, which might apply to some of our "jobs"

http://www.oldengine.org/unfaq/oddbits.htm

Update : I've realized that the "Inner" Bearing is the "1 piece" item . . so maybe NOT that easy to separate in situ . . . to get @ the race . .

Edited 15 March, 200818 yr by Silver_Boot