Discolouration on rear stub axle -Need advise

[GusPW 0]

Just changing my rear bearings and the stub axle has some discoloured patches where the bearings sit.

 

Doesn't look particularly worn but does this look like a problem?

 

http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/guspw/slideshow/Stub%20axle%20wear

 

Don't really want to buy 2 new stub axles but also don't want it to wear out my new bearings.

[KIPVW 0]

Hi Gus,

 

I dont think there is a problem there mate as it's quite normal for a little corrosion from the bearing to stain/mark the stub axle.

 

Just use a kitchen scouring pad and some WD40 to clean it up and also lots of grease on the bearings and the axle itself.

 

kip

[GusPW 0]

Thanks Kip, On closer inspection I can feel a very slight ridge on the top of the part where the outer bearing sits.

only just feel it with my fingernail, is this also ok?

[KIPVW 0]

Yes I'd be using them anyway. It's, when a bearings has sized up or the axle has hit something hard enough to bend it that it's a problem.

[GusPW 0]

great, cheers for the the reassurance. after cleaning it up it was clearly not as bad as it seemed.

 

I thought the worst because everytime I do something on the car it seems to expand to something 3 times more expensive! Although I know I'm not alone with that one.

[Toad 0]

I'd suggest that the dust seal failed at some point and water got into the bearings causing the axle to corrode. I think you should check that the new races fit snugly on the axle and there is no excessive play.

[GusPW 0]

I offered them up and they seemed ok, unlike the carrier pins, they're pretty bad and there are 2 different types, is that normal?

one has the flat parts running down it and the other doesn't.

[KIPVW 0]

Yep supposed to be different :)

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

yea i wouldnt worry about that idd also still use them, going to be repalceing my cheap "warped" discs as soon as my new bearings arrive and im sure my stubs will look the same...

[seanl82 23]

Remember not to do the bolt up too tight! Finger tight then back quarter of a turn. I made the mistake of doing it on my old Valver, queue obliterated bearings and and knackered stub axles! :bonk:

[Roger Blassberg 0]

"Finger tight then back a 1/4 turn" is too loose. It should be just tight enough so that the bearing retainer plate washer can be moved sideways with a screwdriver without actually levering/twisting it against the recess in the disc boss. The bearing should be free to spin with next to no slack if you grab hold of the roadwheel top and bottom (jacked up) and rock it. Too tight and it will start groaning after a few hundred miles. Too loose and it will knock back the brake pads and give a soft brake pedal apart from anything else. (Just thought about this again, and of course it WON'T knock back the pads in a rear caliper because of the handbrake mechanism, but it may allow the disc to touch the pads and squeal)

 

RB

Edited June 4, 2013 by Roger Blassberg

[Timbo 0]

Yeah if anything I'd say finger tight then forward quarter of a turn. Those things are annoying though. You'll find that even following these rules, new bearings will tend to slacken relatively rapidly and will need to be re-adjusted.

[Supercharged 2]

Yeah if anything I'd say finger tight then forward quarter of a turn. Those things are annoying though. You'll find that even following these rules, new bearings will tend to slacken relatively rapidly and will need to be re-adjusted.

 

That's because you need to over-tighten slightly first, then back off and do it again by hand - this takes up any slack. It's also important to work the grease into the bearings first and not to overpack like I have seen many do - the cap is a dust cover and shouldn't be full of grease.

 

I seem to have the knack of doing them now but mechanics get it wrong - this is why manufacturers use the generation 3 type bearings now and you end up buying / swapping a whole hub over

[GusPW 0]

That's because you need to over-tighten slightly first, then back off and do it again by hand - this takes up any slack. It's also important to work the grease into the bearings first and not to overpack like I have seen many do - the cap is a dust cover and shouldn't be full of grease.

 

I seem to have the knack of doing them now but mechanics get it wrong - this is why manufacturers use the generation 3 type bearings now and you end up buying / swapping a whole hub over

 

pieced this together from various posts but was going to ask about amount of grease, seen one guide that virtually stuffs the whole of the inside including the cap. thought this looked a little OTT.

[Supercharged 2]

Yeah if that's the Club GTI guide then it's pretty good but I think I posted about the amount of grease used?

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

i normaly do it so its just tight enough to remove the play out of the disc and then back a 1/4 turn , give it a spin by hand and double check for play giving it a good wobble to settle everything , any play take it out, drive it for 5mins then re check....

 

finger tight imo isnt accurate , the threads may have slight damage causeing the nut to feel tight when in fact its no where near,

[GusPW 0]

anyone know the part number for the stub axle/dust shield bolts?

vw have 2 depending on whether you look at the dust shield or stub axle diagram but I thought they are the same bolts holding the lot on.

 

bolts for shield

N9087701 (m10 x 24.5) £11.23 for 8

or

bolts for stub axle

N90877301 (m10 x 32) £5.86 for 8

 

only difference seems to be that the second ones are longer but half the price!?