Itinerant Air-Cooled

Posted: **Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:01 pm**

My front passenger tire wobbles slightly. The drum, backing plate, shaft all the way up to the top of the strut wiggles slightly if I jack up the Beetle and shake the tire. Everything else is stable.

Any ideas?

Posted: **Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:37 pm**

Any noises while driving it? Shimmy or loose feeling in the steering? Does it wander over the road?

The bushing and/or ball bearing at the top of the strut could be bad.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:02 am**

vwlover77 wrote:Any noises while driving it? Shimmy or loose feeling in the steering? Does it wander over the road?

The bushing and/or ball bearing at the top of the strut could be bad.

No noises. It does have the 35-45 shimmy and a little play in the steering (box needs replaced). No real wandering. Just slight from bad alignment.

I was already thinking about the strut bearings. Would that make the whole wheel wobble?

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:08 am**

Ball joints? Wheel bearing adjustment? Yeah it could be something in the strut. They're not too expensive to get replaced. I'd be too nervous to compress that spring at home, rather a shop do it.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:19 am**

Sluggo wrote: I was already thinking about the strut bearings. Would that make the whole wheel wobble?

Classic MacPherson strut behavior. It is not necessarily the bearing, which allows the strut to rotate about the steering axis, but can be within the strut cartridge itself. With MacPherson struts, the integrity of the cartridge has direct bearing on the camber plane of the front wheels.
Colin

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:29 am**

Amskeptic wrote:
Sluggo wrote: I was already thinking about the strut bearings. Would that make the whole wheel wobble?
Classic MacPherson strut behavior. It is not necessarily the bearing, which allows the strut to rotate about the steering axis, but can be within the strut cartridge itself. With MacPherson struts, the integrity of the cartridge has direct bearing on the camber plane of the front wheels.
Colin

Thanks! I already have new struts to install. I guess I'll get the bearings, bushings, etc... and do the job right.

You plan on coming back around soon? (hint hint)

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:33 am**

Sluggo wrote: You plan on coming back around soon? (hint hint)

Yeah. With my hand out.
The New Mean Itinerant Air-Cooled Consultant

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:48 am**

Amskeptic wrote:
Sluggo wrote: You plan on coming back around soon? (hint hint)
Yeah. With my hand out.
The New Mean Itinerant Air-Cooled Consultant

I'd fill those hands. I'd have to pay someone else to do it anyway.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:50 am**

Hambone. Your avatar is scaring the hell out of me. She has crazy eyes!

And how do you adjust a wheel bearing? I've always just packed and installed them.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:06 pm**

Sluggo wrote:And how do you adjust a wheel bearing? I've always just packed and installed them.

Here's an excerpt from Colin's write-up in this forum. He uses his bus as an example, but the concept is the same for a Beetle.

Amskeptic wrote: NOW THEN. Be attentive. You put this all together, you know there is a bearing just to the inside of that fat flat washer. We are going to test the bearing adjustment by prying on the washer only! Do not stick your flat blade screwdriver in so far that you are bending the cage of the bearing. Sure it is greasy and hard to see and all, but just the tip of the screwdriver. Put it at 9:00 (on the clock dial) between the hub inner radius and the flat washer, hold the hub from turning with a grip on a wheel stud, and turn the screwdriver like you are loosening a screw to pry the washer sideways. It might already be moved, so don't get all monkey on it. Go to the 3:00 position and try to pry back. You should get a sticky movement. If everything is unyielding, back off the nut until you can move that washer totally sloppy and record the range of its movement, so you'll know what to do as you tighten it (wheel rotating) and then loosen it until the washer just decouples from the nut. You want the nut tight enough to make sliding the washer sideways moderately (new bearings) or slightly (old repacked bearings) sticky:

Tighten the 6mm lock bolt in the nut when you are done. Not too crazy, it locks the nut onto the spindle threads very effectively:

Here's the entire thread if you'd like to see the whole thing.
http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?t=3149

...and here.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?t=3150

I just used this procedure when I replaced the front bearings on my bus and it went very well.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:20 pm**

Oh. You're talking about adjusting the end play. I just did that. I use a dial gauge though. I like Colin's method better. I thought there were adjustments to the actual bearings that I had missed. Phew!

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:38 pm**

Hambone. Your avatar is scaring the hell out of me. She has crazy eyes!

Ya think so?? For some reason they make me jiggly-kneed. I must covet the insane. Go figure.

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:27 pm**

Oh gawd, is that a young Sarah Palin???

Edit to include Technical Content:

I have compressed the springs on my Super Beetle struts myself. The good news is that they are relatively small and "soft" springs since they do not have to support as much weight as a larger, front-engine car. But, erring on the side of safety by taking them to a shop is not a bad idea.

Topline parts sells a urethane bushing kit for Super Beetles that is supposed to help eliminate the dreaded shimmy. If I were doing it again, I'd try this option.

http://www.toplineparts.com

Posted: **Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:36 pm**

I am deleting the chit-chat. This is a technical forum. Come on, grown-ups, be alert to which forum you are in.
ColinNanny

Posted: **Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:23 pm**

Amskeptic wrote:I am deleting the chit-chat. This is a technical forum. Come on, grown-ups, be alert to which forum you are in.
ColinNanny

Did I miss something? Whatever it was killed this thread.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

1974 Super Beetle - Wobbly front passenger tire.

1974 Super Beetle - Wobbly front passenger tire.