Issues with reassembly of rear stub axle and bearing housing

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83AC
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Location: Columbia River Gorge
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Issues with reassembly of rear stub axle and bearing housing

Post by 83AC » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:40 pm

We recently replaced the rear wheel bearings in our 1983 air-cooled Westy. The drivers side went totally smoothly, which was a blessing after doing the passenger side first. For starters, the passenger side axle nut was SUPER frozen on there. Then, once we used the Colin method for removing it by driving the vehicle against the breaker, things went relatively well. Getting things apart wasn't all that bad at all. Getting the bearings in wasn't even that bad. I will note that I tapped them in, not overly forcefully, using the old bearing to tap on so as not to damage the new bearing races. I do think I tapped the outer bearing in a little deeper than originally seated unintentionally, but not too much, maybe a few mm.

Upon reassembling the bearing housing into the stub axle, I encountered some real difficulty. I had to really hammer on the flange of the bearing housing to get it to seat onto the stub axle, and I'm still not positive it seated fully! As I kept trying to get it all assembled, the outer bearing's inner race did not want to stay in place. I had to use the old inner race (with some dental floss around it so I'd be able to pull it back off of the stub axle) to hammer the new race into place. Once reassembled, things again went smoothly.

But once all was back together, the ol' "clunk clunk" of the tire was back when I checked for play. My work does not appear to have solved the problem . . . On that side. Driver's side, all was well. I'm wondering what might be the cause and where I go from here. Disassemble? Inspect? Stumped. Curious. Finally got all of the grease off of me and out of my hair :thumbleft:
Say what you mean; do what you say.
1983 AC Vanagon camper - Penny Lane

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Amskeptic
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Re: Issues with reassembly of rear stub axle and bearing housing

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Dec 08, 2016 9:43 am

83AC wrote:We recently replaced the rear wheel bearings in our 1983 air-cooled Westy. The drivers side went totally smoothly, which was a blessing after doing the passenger side first. For starters, the passenger side axle nut was SUPER frozen on there. Then, once we used the Colin method for removing it by driving the vehicle against the breaker, things went relatively well. Getting things apart wasn't all that bad at all. Getting the bearings in wasn't even that bad. I will note that I tapped them in, not overly forcefully, using the old bearing to tap on so as not to damage the new bearing races. I do think I tapped the outer bearing in a little deeper than originally seated unintentionally, but not too much, maybe a few mm.

Upon reassembling the bearing housing into the stub axle, I encountered some real difficulty. I had to really hammer on the flange of the bearing housing to get it to seat onto the stub axle, and I'm still not positive it seated fully! As I kept trying to get it all assembled, the outer bearing's inner race did not want to stay in place. I had to use the old inner race (with some dental floss around it so I'd be able to pull it back off of the stub axle) to hammer the new race into place. Once reassembled, things again went smoothly.

But once all was back together, the ol' "clunk clunk" of the tire was back when I checked for play. My work does not appear to have solved the problem . . . On that side. Driver's side, all was well. I'm wondering what might be the cause and where I go from here. Disassemble? Inspect? Stumped. Curious. Finally got all of the grease off of me and out of my hair :thumbleft:
Three sources of play in the rear wheel area:

a) worn bearings
b) loose axle nut/worn spacer
c) wallowed out bearing housing

a) we don't have to worry about this
b) did you have that pipe-looking spacer between the bearings? Did it look shiny on its cross-sectional edges?
c) did the bearings sort of lighten and fall into place at the installed depth after some serious tapping through the housing?
Colin

(p.s. always a good idea to check the torque of the axle nut after a couple hundred miles of new bearings. Sometimes, they seat a little further and reduce the clamping force of the axle nut. There is no movement of the axle nut in this case! The cotter pin may still be a nice slide fit! But the clamping force borne by the inner races/spacer/hub/stub axle can drop by half.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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