Date:         Sat, 13 Jun 2015 09:12:06 -0400
Reply-To:     Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Wheel bearing dustcap fell off... trouble ahead?
In-Reply-To:  <D1A111E5.83969%richard_smith@thecdm.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

Hi richard,

        i’ll watch your responses with interest.  I had mine fall off  twice last year.  I ride in the passenger side so noticed the sound quickly and replaced the cap.

        I posted here and no one seemed worried about contamination.

        My bigger issue was how to keep it from coming off?

        I put it on over and over, and it remained loose.   One day a retired auto body and vintage car mechanic stopped in.  I showed him the cap and he popped it on.  It has not come off again.  I asked him how he did it.   he said he put it on at a angle to make sure no air was trapped behind it.  I can’t imagine that made a difference.  All I know is over 50 years of auto experience  can make a difference!

Eric Caron 
85 gL auto 


> On Jun 13, 2015, at 1:47 AM, Richard Smith <richard_smith@GNWC.CA> wrote:
> 
> I happened to notice, through the vanes in the passenger side front wheel cover, a bit of greasy axel this morning. Huh, I though, that’s weird. I don’t recall seeing that there. And the wheel cover seemed dirtier than normal.
> 
> This evening, driving into the driveway, there was a terrible clanking sound. Fearing the worst, I parked and pulled off the wheel cover. Sure enough, the bearing dust cap was loose in the there, and bouncing around inside between the wheel and the wheel cover. Well, at least I know for sure where the sound came from. And it *might* just be a matter of replacing the cap.
> 
> No problem, I tapped it back on with a small block of wood, but there seems to be a fair bit of grease inside the wheel cover. Is this a ‘no big deal, you’re fine now that the cap back on’ kind of situation? Or is this a ‘don’t drive that vehicle, you have wheel bearings dying in there’ kind of situation?
> 
> Any advice, tips, recommendations? My first thought was to jack up the van and see if I have ‘play’ in the wheel and also listen to how it turns, see if it is rough or rumbly.
> 
> …r