Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 16:20:31 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Foss - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Foss - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: What is life expectancy of axles?
In-Reply-To: <8CA8E63C097DD78-D3C-2CE8@WEBMAIL-MC15.sysops.aol.com>
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Unless i missed an earlier part of the thread,
i'm guessing you mean the rear stub axle bearings on a vnaagon ?
how long do the rear ( stub axle is a short axle like what goes through
the rear bearing housing on our Vanagons ) ........
bearings last ?
nearly indefenitely.
they obvsiously must wear.
some play is common.
I've barely ever seen a rough bearing.
What happens is you finally do them becasue you figure they just have to
be due.
or you're going on a major trip like 5,000 to 10,000 miles and you don't
want to deal with that out in the boonies.
The one 'exception' sort of .............is i did read about some guy,
on a syncro i think...........who was looking for a good housing since
he spun a bearing in the housing.........and what is super lame about
that is that it would have to be worn at 9.5 on a scale of 10 for FIVE
YEARS before that could ever happen. But it's really hard to identify
drive train noises and vibrations in a syncro anyway..........
and he probably thought 'that's just how they are '
..........obliviousness is joy, until it breaks on ya !
In hundreds, even thousands of vanagons I've been around and worked on,
I've never see rear stub axle bearings get worse than 'some play' and
they must be due.
If you pull the races out and look at them with a powerful magnifying
glass or microscope, they look like the surface of the moon, yes, but
I've never ever seen one fail, not at all.
I would always do the right side if doing only one side as suspension
things on the right side of cars wear more, generally - unless of course
you could see the left was really shot and the right isn't actually
A simple alternative for a major trip is just carry two new bearings and
two new seals, like a kit for one side ( or take 4 and 4 so you are
covered for both sides. ) it's not overly complicated or hard work- a
press is nice,..............but any half competent shop 'should'
( Always a wild card there - that 'Any Half Competent Shop'
Concept............................. you never really know what you are
going to get - even a ,many a VW dealer service department couldn't find
the rear axle bearings on a Vanagon, never mind change them correctly
every last time ) ......................OK, i'm exagerating , but not
that much ! Sadly.
hopefully, I exaggerate, but given the literally thousands and thousands
of times I've seen grossly incompetent and flat wrong professional work
..............well. anyway ..........that's one plan............... you
need just carry a bearing kit or two on a major trip if they still seem
smooth, which they always do really. The rear wheel can even move up and
down a tiny bit, Amazing how well they last.
Which is an example of why i have very, very few criticisms of the
Vanagon basic chassis. Darn well made. Just need to half take care of
them, and they need to be worked on properly of course.
scott
www.turbovans.com
Gerry Lepage wrote:
> How many miles can the average driver put on before having problems with the axles? My friend said he has a tiny bit of play in one of his axles and is going to replace just the one. I suggested he replace both and that is where question of how long should factory axle last?
>
> Thanks in advance, Gerry
> www.vanalong.com
>
>
>
>
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