In a message dated 02/08/2004 12:32:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time, LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes: I have been reading the vanagon.com archves for some time and heve not found any answer's to a question I have. I would like to remove the rear stub axles and service the rear bearings. I am finding out that a regular service schedule on the rear axle bearings will be an unpleasant task. The stub axle will have to be removed along with other items. Not a savory task. I had in my mind to drill and install a grease fitting into the stub axle so at least once a year I could give the bearings a bit of high temperature, no washout, heavy duty grease just to make sure that they are properly lubricated. Does anyone out in the list see any problems with this modification the rear axles?
I have done this long ago. You must drill the hole dead centre in the hub so that it is in the area of the bearing spacer. You must take precautions to not introduce any drill filings into the inside. You must have the grease fitting aiming to the rear of the van for access. You must only pump grease into this fitting when the brake drum is off, once a year for brake inspections, this is because overfilling the space with grease will pop off the inner seal and get grease on the brakes eventually. The outer seal will not pop off as it's trapped in place. With the drum removed you can see when the seal starts to move and stop pumping grease, push the seal back into place then clean up any grease that may have escaped. One more note. If you have significant movement in the bearings when rocking the wheel on the axle it is most likely the bearings and spacer need renewing. The spacer is the important piece, it determines the distance between the bearings for the pre-load when the axle nut is tightened to its recommended 360 ft. lbs. I have these parts listed on my _Vanagon Items Forsale_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/sales.htm) webpage. Cheers, Frank Condelli Almonte, Ontario, Canada _BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 10 ~ 13, 2004 '87 Westy, '90 Carat & Lionel Trains Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_ (http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/) & _CCVWC_ (http://www.ccvwc.ca/) Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley _STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm) _Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html) or http://frankcondelli.com |
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