Aircooled VW South Africa

On Thursday I was on my way back to the shop along DF Malan Drive in Pretoria. Flowing along with the traffic at about 80 kph, when I felt a sharp tug to the right on the steering wheel.

It only lasted for a second, but I pulled off at the first garage, nonetheless. I checked the front wheels, and everything seemed O.K., so I decided to carry on.

About 2 kays down the road, again at 80 kph, all hell broke loose when the right front wheel seized solid. And in afternoon rush hour traffic nogal.

I managed to pull into the emergency lane in a cloud of smoke accompanied by the screech of tortured rubber.

The right front wheel was sitting at a funny angle and I had almost no brakes.

I realised that the wheel bearing had collapsed and that the wheel was held in place by the brake caliper.

I managed to get off the road (I did not want to be "collected" by a suicidal bus- or taxi driver).

We limped to a nearby garage forecourt. I took off the offending wheel and found the grease cap loose in the hub, with the outer bearing totally destroyed.

Thanks to OUTSURANCE's roadside assistance, I had Petrus on a rollback within 15 minutes and was dropped off at the shop by 17:00

Yesterday, we started sorting out the problem.

This is what remained of the bearing.



When the puller could not get the inner race off the stub axle, the Dremel had to come to the resque,



The bearing had seized solid and had spun on the axle.



I had to get a new stub axle (Thanks Volkspares), and as a precaution, I replaced the left wheel's bearings as well.

Thanks to Andrè for his spanner skills (as always)

I suspect the bearing was damaged when I hit a series of potholes at speed on the road between Standerton and Leandra two weeks ago.

I'm glad that there was no more damage....I'm assuming you could have lost the whole wheel

If it was not for the brake caliper keeping everything in place, the wheel would definitely have gone "awol"

Phew, glad that did not end up any worse!

Glad you got it sorted so quickly. Thats the way to do it.

that must have left some serious SP stripes in your boxers

Glad to hear it didnt cause bigger damage - ie. accident

farhaad.sonday wrote:that must have left some serious SP stripes in your boxers

It definitely was a "religous" moment

Saw you with Petrus again today, so I take it that all is well once again?

(BTW, I now work in Centurion, so I see Petrus every day )

I had a similar experience some years ago, shortly after replacing both sets of front wheel bearings on the Square. I had obtained new SKF bearing kits from my FLAPS and used the grease supplied - thick brown goo with a consistancy more like window putty than grease. In this case the LH inner bearing seized due to lack of proper lubrication. I took the remains of the bearing as well as some of the grease to the local SKF agent in Paarden Island who confirmed that if failed due to lack of lubrication but wouldn't comment on whether the incorrect grease might have been supplied in the kit and hence wouldn't replace the kit. My uneducated opinion was that the grease supplied was of a bentonite clay base rather than a lithium soap base - which would be more suitable for high speed taper roller bearings...

Variant wrote:My uneducated opinion was that the grease supplied was of a bentonite clay base rather than a lithium soap base - which would be more suitable for high speed taper roller bearings...

To which the SKF agent in Paardeneiland without doubt replied " Huh? "

Ron&Gill wrote:

Variant wrote:My uneducated opinion was that the grease supplied was of a bentonite clay base rather than a lithium soap base - which would be more suitable for high speed taper roller bearings...

To which the SKF agent in Paardeneiland without doubt replied " Huh? "

Something to that effect If I remember correctly he also asked whether I had used a hydraulic press to push the bearing races into position rather than moering them in using a 10lb hammer and suitable drift...