Clutch Release Bearing (Throw Out) Does this look right??

[Cage44]

Hello all. I ordered a new Clutch Release Bearing from Cip 1 for a 68 bug. The bearing that arrived looks different than the one I have in the car now. I have pictures below...the old one, the new one and the clutch plate. The new one seems a little thicker (I am not sure if my old one started that way then wore out) and has a plastic looking insert in the center of the bearing. My old one does not. Finally, the old one does not spin at all, while the new one spins freely...which I think it is supposed to do. So, looking at the pictures, is this correct? Is this how the new bearings look now for my type? Doing research, the new one I received looks different than one for an early 70's bug (has a different connection type for the retaining clips) and has the correct shape. Just does not seem right. Most of the things I have replaced thus far during my resto have been very close matches if not identical. Ths existing bearing and clutch plate are made by Sachs (Germany) Thoughts?

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'68 Bug
Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...p;start=20

[glutamodo]

Replacement throwout bearings haven't been that great for years. Even replacement Sachs brand ones are different than the original style one you have on there now - and I don't like those (new replacement style Sachs, on the right in this photo) either.

And that one you have, those have been around a while, but I've never liked the look of them. The only cheap aftermarket throwout bearing I've seen that I thought looked halfway decent was this one.

Your existing bearing still looks pretty good for not being able to spin. You can actually carefully pry off the dust shield on the original style one, flush all the grease out with solvent, and inspect it. If the bearings and races look to be in good shape (and they usually are) you can pack new grease in there, pop the dust shield back on, and have a better throwout bearing than you'll likely find for sale new.

You might look at this this thread, and from there to some of the other threads listed regarding replacement throw out bearings:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6000571

-Andy

[Cage44]

@glutamodo - thanks for the detailed reply. Is there a thread that shows the best way to carefully pry open the dust cap on the old original style? Just curios before I start that procedure. Hopefully I do not ruin it. Otherwise, I wil try the new one...Thanks.
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'68 Bug
Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...p;start=20

[glutamodo]

You know, I don't know if I've ever seen it actually depicted anywhere. One or two single-edge razor blades carefully wedged under that dust shield to gain purchase and then you lever on those to get it out without bending or denting it up is what is typically done.

[Cage44]

OK got the thing apart without marring things up. I put the bearing in a vice with a small 2x4 piece. The thought was the side of the bearing that touches the plate looked like if it was pushed in a little, it would allow enough space to open it up. It worked. I then noticed that my original bearing had 2 nice straight sides on it (see pics above and below) so I placed the bearing again in the vice using those 2 straight sides to hold it. Using a screwdriver, I very carefully pried the bearing apart and the part of the bearing that touches the clutch plate came right off. The small metal ring on the other side just fell off with no issues. Things look to be in great shape and nothing is marred or broken. Not sure why it stopped spinning in the first place, but the parts have been sitting awhile. See pictures below. Next, I will clean things up and re-grease.

Let me know if anything looks out of place or damaged. I will put updated pics once cleaned up. I think the trick will be getting this back together without bending the little metal holders all to hell. Have to at least try it.
_________________
'68 Bug
Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...p;start=20

[Cage44]

@glutamodo - thanks again for your help, it is greatly appreciated. OK, got everything cleaned up and re-packed the bearing with grease and now it spins freely without any issues. Cannot test until the engine is back in, but I think it should work and it is in much better condition than when I took it off. Also, it seems a lot better than the new one I bought, but I will keep that one on hand just in case.

So after getting things cleaned up and the bearing re-packed with grease, it was time for re-assembly. Basically, I only had to deal with 3 parts, the metal disc that goes against the clutch plate, the bearing housing and the dust cap that holds the pieces together. So, using the anvil part of my vice, I put the disc and the bearing housing together and face down. I then put the dust cap on the top. To get the dust cap into the disc and bearing, I used a 30mm socket which fit perfectly on the dust cap to drive it into the bearing assembly. I took pictures below, hope it helps. The pictures are of the pieces all cleaned up and ready for assembly.

Bearing all cleaned and ready for grease. I cleaned it all out with brake cleaner and clean rags which got rid of all the old grease. I made sure each ball bearing moved freely and was not stuck.

Here is the inside of the disc portion that goes against the clutch plate when the clutch pedal is pressed. Looks nice a clean with no scarring or anything like that from the ball bearings.

Here is the other side of the disc portion. In this photo, on the inside you can see a clean ring. That is where the dust cap sits once installed into the assembly. I used that to know when to stop pushing the dust cap in.

Here is the 30 mm socket that fit perfectly in the dust cap and allowed me to drive the cap in with equal pressure all around. I tapped it lightly with a hammer then used a small piece of wood (2x4 block) and hammer to drive it in the rest of the way. Worked with no issues and without bending the dust cap. All done.

_________________
'68 Bug
Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...p;start=20

[wayne1230cars]

Great thread. Very informative. The pics really help. You have saved some good original bearings from being tossed.
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1960 beetle
1970 beetle convertible

[aircoolnut]

I'm about to do exactly what you did here. Like you, I did not like the look of the new T/O bearing. Spreading the load out over the broader area of the flat mating surfaces seem to make more sense when it comes to bearing the load of the clutch plate. Anyway, what type of grease did you use?

[Splitless]

I'm still not really sure how to disassemble this bearing. I tried to pry up the metal ring with a razor blade but it seemed to want to distort the seal?

[Bruce]

It's a sealed bearing. Leave it alone.
Why do you want to take it apart?
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[glutamodo]

I've never seen an F&S throwout bearing like that before.