Date:         Wed, 14 May 1997 00:10:03 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         cb541@cleveland.freenet.edu (James R. Gilbert)
Subject:      Replacing wheel bearings

(I don't have a quoting reader, at the moment, this is a
followup.)
I caught the tail end of a 'removing bearings' tread. The
one msg. I read was about welding a bead to the race. I
don't get into welding, that's for real mechanics, I'm a
'driver', a poor driver who does what I can. 
I had the rear bearings replaced on my '87 gl by a mechanic.
I didn't have anything that'll handle 350 ft/lbs for the
main big nut that holds the rear wheel assembly on and was
afraid of that much torque.
I did replace the front bearings. Bentley says use a copper
dink (can't remember the word Bentley used). A copper chisel
essentially. I used a copper bar I had around that was
actually an electrical connector.
I banged the bearings out using this copper bar and banged
the new ones back in.
I don't know about this welding stuff.
I worried about whether I fully seated the new bearings in
the rotor, but after about 20k miles, I'm pretty sure I did.
Russ Gilbert
 
'87 Wolfsburg
Latest update:
We're going (about 10,000 mile trip), me wife daughter, son,
three grandchildren.
Coleman camper is here. Added an 'auxillary battery', the
battery I put on the camper. Added a charging wire from
alternator, with fuse, goes to camper wiring harness. Now
doing busted exhaust pipe. I knew I put the manifold,
muffler and tailpipe on wrong, there was tension on that
exhaust pipe, never leave tension on a pipe in the exhaust
system.
A lot to do to get ready.