Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2005 21:55:27 -0800
Reply-To: Jere Hawn <jghawn@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jere Hawn <jghawn@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Wheel bearings, and advice
In-Reply-To: <200503100128.j2A1Sda6016911@ceres.aros.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi
Here's my humble opinion:
Buy the VW tool (about $20) 1/2" drive and a 3 lb sledge this will help you
put it back on.
Getting it off: drive up to you local truck repair place with cotter pin
removed and the hubcap off. Ask one of the mechanics if he wouldn't mind
using his 3/4" drive air impact drive to loosen the nut. Total job if you
drive up close to the doors takes about 45 seconds. When you ask the
question and add in the thank you's it will probably take less than 3
minutes. Why?
I have tried 3/4" drive with an 8 ft cheater bar jumping on it while holding
the front passenger door (window rolled down) and it still wouldn't loosen
then I tried the putting it on the jack and lifted the van with the breaker
bar and I added heat while the van was in the air and it still wouldn't let
go. An air 3/4" drive impact wrench works great and the job was so small
that they didn't charge me a thing. Back in the olden day I would have left
a 6 pack but these days I should have left a batch of sprouts...
Jere
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Anonymous Digest
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:17 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Wheel bearings, and advice
I am always amazed at the amount of advice that flies around this list,
and in pmail. I surely do appreciate everyone who has offered ideas and
comments about pulling the rear hub to replace the wheel bearings.
Normally, I prefer to thank everyone "personally" but there are so many
who took the time to help, that I cannot keep up. Please accept a blanket
thank you to everyone who cared enough to give me a hand.
My mechanic wants about $350 to do the wheel bearings, and doesn't seem
all that thrilled, so I am gonna do it myself...... somehow. I can do the
work, but the nut...... well. I can get a 3/4" drive 46mm socket and an
18" breaker that will probably survive the stress, so I need a cheater
bar to get out to four feet or more. I am thinking black pipe, or
galvanized, in the right diameter to fit nicely on the bar. Which is
stronger, black or galvanized, or is there something else I ought to look
at using?
As with other major repairs, I am starting to overthink this, rather than
just jumping in and getting it done. The parts from Bus Depot seem
reasonable, and the writeups I have seen don't seem to present anything
that I cannot handle. All I need is the big old bar, and some heft, so its
time to get er done, or at least get started.
I am even considering investing in a real 3/4" breaker bar of respectable
length for whatever else may come up in life, but I am not even sure where
to look for it. The few places I have tried, I have been met with an
incredulous look from some twenty year old kid who barely knows what 3/4
inch drive means. Its sure not a normal FLAPS tool, and the Home Depot
types don't go with such large tools. Guess I will look around till next
week, and lacking a piece of pipe, or a real decent bar, I will get out
the chisel, and worry about reinstalling it later :-)
Always grateful for everyone's opinion and experience. There is nothing
like a vanagon, and I want to hang on to mine.
Thanks,
John
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