HOW TO: Install rear axle seal kit

[bherder]

Update:
Recent post with good photos


Ok, so here is how you install the rear axle seal kit for a big nut transaxle.

If you have a small nut tranny, then note the following:
1. The metal washer not used in the rebuild for a big nut IS used for a small nut. The washer goes in between the bearing of the RGB, and the small o-ring.
2. For a small nut tranny, you will need to install an oil slinger/washer into the bearing cover, BEFORE you press the oil seal into the bearing cover. The oil slinger/washer is not included in the seal rebuild kit.
3. The small nut metal spacer is straight, and doesn't have a lip on the outside of it. It gets installed on the axle stub immediately before the bearing cover gets installed (with the oil slinger and oil seal pressed into it already).

Reference the above notes when following the procedure below.



If you bought your kit from Wolfsburgwest, it will look like this:

First step: pound out the oil seal from the bearing cover with a big socket.

After you pound it out, it will look like this.

When you unwrap the axle seal kit from WW, it will look like this. The large O-ring and washer to the left will not be used for this install if you have a late model big nut tranny. Look at your spacer, which I will show you later.

Take the new oil seal, and take out the metal ring inside of the seal. The metal ring is pictured to the left and the seal is inside the metal bearing seal.

Now using a hammer, pound in the rubber oil seal into the bearing cover. Use some oil to lubricate the bearing cover and hammer until the seal is fully seated into the cover. You'll have to use a bigger socket than what you used to remove the old seal from the bearing cover. Once it is pounded it, install the metal ring back into the oil seal.

This is what the oil seal looks like inside the bearing cover.

Place the spacer PLUS oil slinger into the bearing cover as pictured below. So the late bus tranny uses one part for a spacer and oil slinger/deflector. The part that is in my hand is the combined component in late model split buses.

Props to Hazetguy for this stuff. Use it.. From Autozone.

Use the gasket sealer on the bearing cover and on one side of both paper gaskets. Only put the sealer on one side of the gaskets as pictured on the left.

Place some gasket sealer on the RGB sealing surface as pictured. Also install the smaller rubber o-ring against the bearing as shown. If you want to, before you install the o-ring, take a wire wheel and clean the axle so that the drum slides off/on nice and easy.

Place one of the paper seals against the RGB sealing surface. When you place the paper gasket, have the surface you placed the sealer on faced towards you. You want to have the paper seal with no sealer face towards the RGB. After that, place the back plate on the paper gasket as shown. Sexy.

Place the other paper gasket on the back plate. With the sealer facing towards the back plate as shown.

Now, install the metal bearing cover. This contains the oil seal, little metal ring, and the spacer+oil slinger/deflector. Bolt this on with the 4 bolts through the back plate and on to the RGB as shown. Torque down to 43 ft/lbs on each bolt.

Brakes installed. Oh, I took the drivers side brake system apart again, since I realized that the bottom spring has to go a certain way. Make sure the spring is faced in such a way that the wire between the brake shows faces down. That way you can place the e-brake clip on to the spring.

Drum installed. Torque to about 250 ft/lbs. NOTE: Only torque the axle nut to 250 ft/lbs once the bus if fully on the ground whith wheels installed. If you torque these nuts down when on jack stands, you will rock the bus off the stands and you will have a safety issue on your hands.

Spring plate cover installed

Six 16 oz beers later....

Diagram

_________________
My bus resto thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=371654

Parts manual:
http://oacdp.org/

[Eric&Barb]

Great write up!!
The later big nut axle should be torqued to between 215 and 250 Ft. Lbs., this range results in more chance that the nut will line up with a cotter pin hole.
If the nut does not line up cotter pin hole wise in that torque range, try a different nut.
Also while you have the bearing cover off run a small drill bit through the drain hole in the cover. These are all too often clogged up and that will get gear oil all over the brakes.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[Snoop Bob]

Very nice how-to, and extremely sober like for a 6-16 ounce post.
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[bherder]

Hopefully this will help others, since there are a ton of threads on leaky rear axles and rebuilding them. There was a lot of good info across many threads, but I didn't see a lot of pics.
_________________
My bus resto thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=371654

Parts manual:
http://oacdp.org/

[don.ville]

I like posts like this. Clear, with pictures, and correct data and terminology....

Wish your brake parts could stay that clean eh?
_________________

67 Standard 11 window How I Keep My Bus Alive
04 Jetta TDI Page (SOLD)
01 Mexican Beetle Hello Kitty Rescue (SOLD)
29 Ford Model A Rat Rod (SOLD)
2015 Audi A8L TDI Quattro

[cdennisg]

Well done. I have the pics for a similar tutorial on re-indexing spring plates for a baywindow. I just need the time to go through it all. I found the same lack of concise info when searching for that procedure recently. All the info was there, but scattered all over with many assumptions, and very few pictures.

Thanks for creating this thread.

Can anyone add the changes in this procedure for small nut trannies?
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nothing

[crofty]

Good job. I'd add that it's a good time to hit the axle with a wire wheel to clean any rust or gunk off of it to make the next drum removal even easier.
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[bherder]

[Tim MacDonald]

What is the 2nd paper gasket for?Or dod I miss something
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61 so34 flip seat
78 automatic champagne Westfalia
84 mint original paint westfalia
57 oval project barn find
88 cabriolet

[bherder]

There are two paper gaskets. I should have taken the picture with both of them. One goes between the back plate and the rgb. The other ones goes between the back plate and the bearing cover.
_________________
My bus resto thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=371654

Parts manual:
http://oacdp.org/

[Tim MacDonald]

Ok thank You.Is this the same with the gaskets for small nut as well?I thought I heard somewhere you dont put the gasket between the rbg and backing plate?I did on mine and it seems OK
_________________
61 so34 flip seat
78 automatic champagne Westfalia
84 mint original paint westfalia
57 oval project barn find
88 cabriolet

[far rider]

Thanks for taking the time to document the procedure. For the mechanically challenged, like myself, it is a major help to 'see' the procedure as well as read it. Thanks again.
_________________
67 zenith blue sunroof

Contentment; when what you have is what you want.

[bherder]

[bherder]

[guatebus]

This looks great overall.

One suggestion (kind of nitpicking...sorry):

You may wish to remind people not to fully torque the axle nut until the bus is on the ground again. 250 ft-lbs is a lot of torque to be messing with when the bus is on jack stands.

The pix kind of suggest to do the torquing when the bus is up on stands. Given that this kind of post is likely to be used by new/inexperienced folks, these safety things are worth emphasizing.
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'64 standard microbus
'69 deluxe microbus

[bherder]

[EverettB]

[campingbox]

Using a socket to install those is an easy way to mess up your new axle seal.

You guys really should pick up Joey's copy of the original Peiseler 442 tool:

Link to the ad:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=712705

Factory tool listing:

I have been using my original for years and it works perfect everytime.

[BulliBill]

Hey "bherder",

Excellent and useful how-to tutorial! Lots of great photos to illustrate your points using real world scenes and tools. Well done!

If I were to add anything helpful:

Before installing them, I'd suggest using a rough bastard file to file down the leading and trailing edge brake shoe lining to a 45 degree angle (see the Bentley manual for a photo of this factory recommended tip).
This makes for easier/smoother contact of the shoe as it meets the drum during braking.

I'd suggest that folks use a little touch of anti-seize grease at any pivot or contact points of two moving brake parts in the brake system (except the side of the shoes to the backing plate!).

I also like to clean and paint the exterior of my brake drums as you have, but I would caution against a lot of paint in the contact points where the rim meets the drum. Paint very lightly here, one light coat. And once the rims are torqued correctly (about 87 ft. lbs. on the lugnuts if I remember right), stop the Bus after a mile or two and re-torque those lugnuts again. I check them again after 5 and 10 miles just to be sure. You don't want too much paint in there softening under torque and road stress and allowing the lugnuts to loosen and pop out! Ask me how I know about this!

Way to go on this thread and I'll look forward to your future how-to's!

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[campingbox]