[T3] Shake that front end! Wobble, Wobble, Wobble!

[Jim Adney]

On 6 Oct 2014 at 11:01, Ken Main Mail wrote:

> The rotors where original to the car when I got it.  I did not change them.

Ah, so not everything is new. In that case, it sounds like you 
replaced the inner races and rollers of each bearing but reused the 
outer races that were still in the old rotors. This usually works 
just fine as long as the old outer races are still in good condition.

Unfortunately, the outer races are usually NOT in great condition if 
the other parts of the bearing have failed, but this is still 
something that you can probably get away with. Nevertheless, I think 
I have almost always replaced both parts of any failed bearing.  

You should pull off the seal and look at the inner race to see if it 
has fallen too deep into the old inner race. This would indicate that 
the old and new parts were not good mates for one another. I think 
the edge of the steel roller retainer is usually about the same depth 
as the edge of the outer race.  

An easier way to test this would be to see how deep into the outer 
race your new inner race comes compared to how deep it fits in the 
new outer race that came with the bearing that you bought.  

Finally, you should make sure that the play you're feeling is 
actually in the bearing and not in the sway bar, as Dave mentioned.  
Bearing play is best checked with the front end jacked up and then 
you only need to apply light force to the components to feel the 
play. If you're grabbing the top of the tire with the car on the 
ground and yanking it sideways and feeling play, then this is most 
likely sway bar play, not bearing play.


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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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