Club 80-90 Forums

So after a great week in the peaks we popped in to see my parents on the way home. As I exited the M40 I noticed the brake pedal was spongy - it stiffened up after a few pumps.

I stopped at a local garage for fuel soon after and noticed steam coming from behind the tyre and a strong smell.

Made to my parents ok and my Dad diagnosed a leaky slave brake cylinder.

We have just left there taking it slow and after about 6 miles noticed a very strong smell in the cab and then a horrible grinding noise.

Then the hub cap popped off along with the central hub cover (steel wheels with VW chrome covers)

I slowed to the side of the road and having a quick look it seems that the wheel maybe canting top inwards slightly.

Waiting for the RAC but anyone have any ideas on what I should check for damage wise?

Cheers

I assume from the central hub cover that you are talking about a front wheel? If so it sounds like a collapsed wheel bearing there could also be damage to the stub axle but you won't know till its stripped. The spongy brakes would be the disc wobbling about pushing the piston back into the caliper.

Wheel bearing duff or loose allowing wheel to cant over causing the brake pads or shoes to be rubbed which can boil the fluid thus causing soft brakes usually terminating by crunching of balls/rollers with enough din to make you stop.
Be interested to know what is finally diagnosed.
Good luck anyway.
CS

Thanks Citizen Smith. Sounds spot on. How hard is that for home repair?

Thx also MGP

On a positive note the RAC are on their way with a low loader and the kettles on

If you have shagged the stub axle by driving it then it will be a costly repair, no new axles are available now iirc
Done at home, it will be cheaper

Sounds like the same thing that happened to me on our way back from camper jam, our 3rd trip out,

The wheel bearing had spectacularly collapsed and a lot of heat etc. Wheel bearing simple enough, but the stub axle was bent when I got to look at it. As stated, not cheap. There is a company which do original stub axles possibly new old stock but these are 3 figure sums. I put a wanted post up on here and a nice person provided a suitable replacement refurb item.

Currently at the garage being sorted as I was sick of stripping my knuckles in force ten rain!

Good Luck.

I am assuming that the wheel bearings are tapered roller type. In this case are you sure that they were not over tightened? Best check the other side. I have always tightened the nut spinning the wheel until the play is eliminated then back it off until the merest hint of play is felt. This can be with difficult punch in grove locked nuts - my T25 fronts for instance, and confusing with castellated nuts and split pins. Never over tighten to get the split pin in but go back to the next slot.
Over tightening will cause the bearing to overheat and the result will be cooked grease followed soon afterwards with bearing break up.
I would not trust anyone else to set up my taper bearings.
Cheers
CS

Thanks all for the advice. I've ordered a couple of bearing sets from JK and will have a look at the stub axle condition at the weekend.

Citizen Smith wrote:I am assuming that the wheel bearings are tapered roller type. In this case are you sure that they were not over tightened? Best check the other side. I have always tightened the nut spinning the wheel until the play is eliminated then back it off until the merest hint of play is felt. This can be with difficult punch in grove locked nuts - my T25 fronts for instance, and confusing with castellated nuts and split pins. Never over tighten to get the split pin in but go back to the next slot.
Over tightening will cause the bearing to overheat and the result will be cooked grease followed soon afterwards with bearing break up.
I would not trust anyone else to set up my taper bearings.
Cheers
CS

This was exactly my problem, there was an advisory on the last MOT (before I owned it) for play in the bearing, which went away on retest. My guess is that they were tightened up to pass and this then cooked everything causing spectacular melting of metal!

Good Luck

There SHOULD be play on all the bearings.
If these clowns tightened it up I'd be presenting them the bill for a stub axle.
For bearings I would not be buying from Just crappers
Buy from a quality supplier like Brickwerks.

Ok so today I jacked up the front to have a look at the knackered bearings. I got the wheel off ok but following the thread on here the next job would be to remove the bolts holding the calliper on.

The instructions on here suggest that the bolt heads are the same but different lengths. Mine however I discovered are different sizes too.

The top bolt fits a 19mm socket. After loads of penetrating oil and hitting the socket handle with a hammer in an attempt to move it I finally got the thing loose with a breaker bar at full extension!

The bottom bolt however seems to be a size 21mm but doesn't quite fit the socket snugly I wonder if it's an imperial measurement. Anyone know a suitable socket size to use that's close to 21mm. Ideally slightly smaller.

Anyway I tried and tried to get this one to shift and no joy. Any ideas on how to move a stubborn bolt on a calliper? Would heat work?


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So today after much hammering and bright red faced strain, I managed to get the caliper bolts off so I could progress to removing the hub.

I think I might be lucky with the stub axle but would like some opinions from ppl here please. Bearings were well knackered.