Wheel bearing exploded!

[Monoboy 0]

Hmmm. My right-rear wheel (i eventually worked out) started making some very odd squeeking sounds recently. I immediately stopped, jacked up the car, pulled the wheels off and generally checked everything was ship-shape, which it was. However, over the next 80 or so miles on the way home this got steadily worse (and I drove steadily slower and got out and checked things more often), until, about 2 miles from home, it was sounding excruciating and I started to get interesting rear-wheel steering effects.

 

Requiring opposite lock to maintain a straight line was not ammusing, but by this stage I was resigned that whatever was broken (probably a bearing) is now properly broken, so I grit my teeth and limped on. I made it back in one (wonky) piece).

 

Removing the wheel I found that, to my horror, only the brake caliper was stopping the disc (and hence the wheel) from sliding off the stub axle. What was more amusing was the state of the bearings, which I found in pieces fused together in various places around the disc hub, along with a quanitity of ejected grease.

 

Obviously I have had a catastrophic bearing failure, and it has gradually destroyed itself over the journey. I now havebits of bearing race friction welded to the stub axle, and a brake discs that has been ground away partially by the metal parts of the caliper (god bless it!).

 

I recently changed all the discs, pads, and - crucially - rear wheel bearings! I have had 500 problem-free miles (until now!), but I realise the problem is due to something I have done. The thing is, what? I will have to change the stub axle, bearings, disc (it could be salvageable but I think it will be easier to get a new one) and consequently pads. Which is a bugger.

 

Any ideas? Could it have anything to do with the torque value of the centre nut? What torque value should I use (I just guessed)?

 

Enjoy the pics.

 

-Dave

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Blimey! Good old Volkswagens.....they always get you home regardless :)

 

I did my rear brakes and bearings about 1000 miles ago and they're still going good.

 

What make of bearing did you use? VAG or pattern?

 

Did you use plenty of grease?

 

The correct torque is bugger all!! You crank the nut in to settle the bearings, then back it off and then back in again finger tight. Recheck after 500 miles and make sure there is the slightest amount of play. No play at all will overheat the bearing and err, lead to what happened to you :x

[corradophil 3]

Your lucky you got home.

A mate was driving his Mk1 Jetta along the A12 and kept getting flashed, turned out there were flames coming from one of his rear wheels! The bearing had totally failed, melted and then the stub axle snapped!

It was one hell of a mess, still he got a nice ornamant out of it (The remains of the bearing and axle).

[andy 0]

my new C is humming along! I realise it is the wheel bearings and that I need to change them, question is when they start humming are they about to fail or am I alright for a little while, the only reason I ask is that I'm off on holiday for a few days on Wednesday and likely to cover maybe 500 miles ish, is this foolish? sorry for thread hijack ;-)

[dinkus 10]

my new C is humming along! I realise it is the wheel bearings and that I need to change them, question is when they start humming are they about to fail or am I alright for a little while, the only reason I ask is that I'm off on holiday for a few days on Wednesday and likely to cover maybe 500 miles ish, is this foolish? sorry for thread hijack ;-)

 

Humming implies metal on metal action, so they're not going to last much longer. How much longer exactly I have no idea, but personally I wouldn't go out planning to drive 500 miles on gammy bearings...

[Skimask 0]

Replace the lot! Stub axle, disk, bearings, caliper.

My mate had one just like your in (albeit was a Fiesta) stub axle riding on the wheel.

I've never seen anything like it!!!

Chances are the stub is wrecked, which will trash any new bearing you fit and there'll probably still be play in it.

With catastrophic failure like that, you don't want to take any chances.

[stevemac 0]

Monoboy, we stock/sell the whole lot - stub axle, bearing kit, etc. Give me a shout if you need the part numbers :wink:

[MikeVR6 0]

That'll teach ya for getting a "Saab Enthusiast" to help you Dave! :D :D

 

Good luck getting it fixed mate.

[Scruffythefirst 0]

he correct torque is bugger all!!

 

Really? I admit i know piss all about vw's but all the hub nuts i've played with (VX and Ford) have had stupidly high torque requiremets - like 300ft lbs or 120nm +180 degrees!

[stevemac 0]

Corrado's have "taper" type rear wheel bearings & should be no more than hand tight :shock:

[Henny 0]

yup, I'll confirm this too, VW bearings have been like this on all their non-driven wheels since the Beetle! :)

[h100vw 0]

he correct torque is bugger all!!

 

Really? I admit i know p*** all about vw's but all the hub nuts i've played with (VX and Ford) have had stupidly high torque requiremets - like 300ft lbs or 120nm +180 degrees!

 

That could be correct for a sealed bearing on a front drive car. VW front bearings tend to be pretty tight 100lbs or so.

Gavin

[Monoboy 0]

Ah, that'll be the problem then - over-tightening the nut...

 

Thanks for all the advice and comments. I used GSF bearings and plenty of grease, but plenty of torque as well, so I reckon the thing overheated and went a bit Chernobyl on me.

 

And yes, MikeVR6, it's my own fault for getting help from that dodgy Saab-driving character. I took one look at his Dell-boy jacket and knew I shouldn't trust him!

 

Since I did both wheels, I shall be checking the torque of the other side as well! I was planning on changing the whole lot on the failed side at least, partly because bits are friction welded to the stub-shaft, and also because we do a lot of engineering theory (though obviously not enough!) where I work and I've seen plenty of failed bearings and the effect they have when they're on the way out.

 

Well, I've learned the hard way! If only I'd had a Haynes manual...

[dinkus 10]

I'd replace at the very least the bearing on the other side as well. Even if it seems to be ok, you'll have buggered it by over tightening it.

[Den_VR6 0]

Ah, that'll be the problem then - over-tightening the nut...

Deffinitely the problem. As Kevhaywire said earlier, you settle the bearing and then back the nut off slightly. Plus, packing too much grease in there is the wrong thing to do and can cause problems, so don't over do it when you replace the bearings.

[Monoboy 0]

Do you guys use proper high temperature grease, or just any old stuff?

[stevemac 0]

Do you guys use proper high temperature grease, or just any old stuff?

General purpose grease will do fine - correctly adjusted bearings don't generate much heat.

[bighands 0]

Just had an unexpected early day, not that i actually made it in to work, decided to take it in to the tyre and exhaust place on the way beacuse of strange squeaking sound comming from the left hand side, and what do ya know its the wheel bearing, that i had replaced by my mechanic about 3 months ago.

He also commented that the other side was a bit loose, but the left side is mashed it looks like, so limped home and rang the fella who fitted them, and he is gunna come out tomorrow and look at it for me, but there is gunna be this 'whos fault is it' conversation, im kinda thinking its gunna be his as he did fit it, both rear wheel bearings and disc's.

But i think he will try and blame it on another part so just like some idears of what 2 say to him so i have some ammo when having it out with him!! co i am not buying and fitting another wheel bearing!! :mad:

[stevemac 0]

bighands, Don't bet on it being the wheel bearing - rear wheel bearings usually make a "rumbling" noise when they're knackered.

[bighands 0]

Oh ok! so why is the back wheel wobbly!!!??!! :roll:

[stevemac 0]

Oh ok! so why is the back wheel wobbly!!!??!! :roll:

I just never heard a rear wheel bearing squeak before - all the damaged ones I've ever listened to have a "rumbling" noise. If your wheel's wobbly & the bearings are squeaking, I'd say that they're just a bit loose. They may just need packing with fresh grease & re-tightening.

 

Did your mechanic grease the bearings properly when he fitted them ?

[bighands 0]

Well i hope so, kinda take it for granted that they do things like that!

i have pinched them up myself last night, and the wheel still has 10-20mm of play in it, i think the squeaking is more from the brakes rubbing, the caliper moves as well which confuses me a bit, i thought they wernt connetected! also the other side has small amoubt of play in it to, so maybe my mechanic is a tit??

[quicksilver 0]

I had a similar thing happen to me with my old Scirocco.

 

Was travelling in convoy down the M3 and my mate behind phoned me and said my wheel looked a bit odd... so I pulled over on to the hard shoulder expecting it to be nothing, it looked fine to me but my mate was insistent, so I quickly jacked it up and I kid you not - the wheel fell off complete with the brake drum still firmly attached! :shock:

 

I had no warning whatsoever prior to my mate calling me but I did experience some strange rear steer effects when I slowed down on to the hard shoulder.

 

How lucky is that... a few more minutes and I don't think I would be walking away from it.

 

I too had just had my wheel bearings replaced by a mechanic a couple of weeks earlier and it turns out the cause was the same - over tightening of the wheel bearings. The other side was on its way too.

 

Suffice to say I now change all my wheel bearings myself.

[stevemac 0]

Before I bought my G60, it had been stood in a garage for the best part of 4 years. So I had the entire braking system renewed (discs, pads, rear wheel bearings, brakefluid, etc.)

Didn't have time to do it myself so I took it to the local garage. They appeared to do a fairly good job, with the exception of shagging my handbrake handle. They paid for a new handle & I was happy.

 

3 weeks later, I noticed my NSR wheel bearing was loose. I regreased & tightened it correctly but a month later it was loose again. I thought I had a duff bearing & so I renewed it. OSR was good with no problems at all - it was just the NSR which was having problems.

This new bearing started to fail shortly afterwards so I fitted a new NSR stub axle, new rear discs, new rear wheel bearings & now I have no problems at all.

 

This was all done over 18 months ago & the bearings are still going strong. 8)

[bighands 0]

think the stub axle might be shagged then, the bearing is tight and still has loads of play in it, is it big job 2 replace? cheers for all answers, just matey is comming out to sort it tomorrow!!