How do I remove a outer wheel bearing from a 1970 VW beetle?

Answer 1

First, this is a job that's easier to do when it's cold outside--so if it's cold outside where you are and your front bearings need replaced, go for it. I'll explain why it's easier in just a second. Start by jacking up the car and removing the wheel. You'll notice a dust cap in the middle of the brake drum. Pry it off--use anything you want, like a crowbar, a big screwdriver or the nail puller end of a claw hammer. If it's the one on the left side (or the right side if the car is right-hand drive), you'll have to remove the clip that holds the speedometer cable in place. HANG ON TO THIS CLIP!!! If you put the car back together without it, your speedometer will quit working. The brake drum is held onto the car with a retaining nut, which is pinched onto the axle with a socket cap screw. Loosen the cap screw (allen wrench--I think 6mm) then remove the nut. The one on the left side of the car is left-hand thread. Grab the brake drum--gloves would be good--and tug it sharply toward you, then push it back in. The inner race comes right out, as well as this big washer that sits between the nut and the bearing. Doing this usually totally wrecks the inner race, but you're replacing it anyway. Remove both of them from the axle, then slip the brake drum off. Finally, slip the inner race of the inner bearing off the axle. Now is the time to inspect your brake shoes and the drum. If you've got ridges or grooves that will catch a fingernail in the drum, or the friction surfaces on your shoes are 1/16" or less thick, this is now a brake job and you need more parts. If they're okay, lay the drum on the ground with the brake side up and look in the hub. You'll notice two slots you can see the bearing through. Use a three-pound sledgehammer and either a dull cold chisel, a big punch or a big screwdriver you don't mind ruining the tip of, and knock the outer race out of the drum. Go back and forth between the two slots. This is where it being cold outside helps: when metal gets cold it contracts, and that slight contraction makes knocking the race out of the drum a lot easier. Next, compare the bearing you bought to the one you just knocked out of the drum. Are the outer races the same? If they are, flip the drum over, set the outer race where it goes, and try to put the inner race in. If it does not go, flip the outer race over. It is thoroughly possible to put these things in upside down and if you do you need to buy another new bearing. When you put this in, set it in place and tap-tap-tap it in--tap in one place, move straight across from it and tap again, move 90 degrees and tap again, go across from that and tap again...just tap, don't hit hard. Now you need to pack the bearings. Volkswagen does things differently here--they put the grease in the hub. not the bearing. What I do here (okay, I'll admit it: I pack the bearing too--it doesn't hurt) is to first apply some grease to the inner race of the inner bearing, and stick the race back in the bearing where it goes. This kinda glues it in. I then pack a whole lot of synthetic grease in the hub. Regular lithium axle grease works too. I put the brake drum back on the axle, being exceedingly careful not to get grease on the inside of the brake drum or the shoes because lubricating brakes makes them not work. A lot of the grease comes out, so I shove as much as I can back in. Finally, I put the inner race of the outer bearing in place, then reinstall the washer and nut. Now it's time to set endplay. The easiest way to do this if you don't have a dial indicator is to try to move the washer around by prying its edge with a screwdriver. If it moves real easy, there's too much play. If it won't move at all, there's not enough. If it just barely moves, you're good. Tighten the cap screw, replace the dust cap, and put the wheel back on.