Grease Cap Question??

[USGSHYDROMAN]

Guys,
I'm replacing the Front bearings on my Van. The first grease cap I touched was the drivers side. It will slide of by hand. In my limited experiance with grease caps they have always fit tight. Is a loose fit normal or do I need to replace?

1987 westy
2.1 boxer(rebuilt)

[Pascal]

a loose one is not normal. Can you get it to fit tight? If not I would replace it.
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'84 Westy - 2.2wbx, GT Torque-Biasing Differential
'91 EA Cabby

[wynnep]

What are you going to replace it with. VW says NLA. Other suppliers either list the part (out of stock) or do not even list the part. May be able to find one at a junkyard or off of someones parts van. Somebody borrowed mine. I don't know the exact size of the grease cap, but maybe some one knows of one that will fit from a different vehicle.

[Ahwahnee]

You may be able to grab better by messing with the lip that inserts using a pair of pliers or perhaps adding an 'outey' dimple with a punch.

Almost any change to the roundness of that area should cause more of an interference fit.

[Christopher Schimke]

Yeah, taking a hammer and pounding around the parimeter if the lip will tighten the radius and make the cap fit snugly again. Don't go crazy though or the cap could get distorted enough to become useless.
_________________
"Sometimes you have to build a box to think outside of." - Bruce (not Springsteen)

*Custom wheel hardware for Audi/VW, Porsche and Mercedes wheels - Urethane Suspension Bushings*
T3Technique.com or contact me at [email protected]

[BillM]

Here it is on GoWesty

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_category.php?start=30&id=71&parent_id=



Bill

[IdahoDoug]

I'd also consider some type of mild sealant such as automotive silicone or RTV. The seal would be much improved against moisture and the sealant would act as an adhesive to keep the cap on, yet allow you to pry it back off for service.

Wipe the surfaces down with brake cleaner for good adhesion on assembly.

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[Vanagon Nut]

After installing new rotors, I found that the p-side cap fit too"perfectly". It slid off w/o much effort.

I took a punch and made 3 evenly spaced punches on cap. Cap is gootentight now. Backup (support) the cap properly when punching it.

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA
(VW Gas I4)

1988 Westy DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[shagginwagon83]

I removed my front grease cap to install some T3 spacers for my mercedes rims.

Are you suppose to fill the grease cap with grease before putting the cap back on? Also there was no "c" clip on my speedo cable. Is this a generic clip?
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"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram: @joannthevan

[bettingonvans]

[Vanagon Nut]

[Crooked Designer]

Not related to OP question, but is about grease caps.

Installing wheel well liners. I took my front passenger wheel off. This is a new (to me) set of CLK320 wheels that I got from another van owner who had the centers bored out and then powdercoated (no powder coating in the center hole.) I had them mounted originally by my mechanic as they were pressing in longer rear studs and I thought it was worth it for them to just put all 4 on while they were at it.

So this is the first time I'm removing / reinstalling. I have the T3 Technique center caps, which are a super tight fit. Anyway, when I pulled the wheel off, it was very very difficult to get off with all 5 bolts out which seemed odd. I ended up pulling off the grease cap with the wheel. After some investigation on what was hanging up, I found out it was the CLK rim's center bore hanging up on teh grease cap. This center bore is enlarged to be pretty much EXACTLY the size of the part of the hub it sits on, so it won't clear the lip of the grease cap. My guess is my mechanic installed the wheel and then the grease cap. (I didn't have the center caps yet.)

Question 1: If these rims fit air tight to the center of the hub and then the aluminum center cap for the rim is also an airtight fit, do I need a grease cap at all? I would much rather not have one more thing to install / uninstall in the process of changing a front tire.

Question 2: If no grease cap necessary, how do I attach the speedometer cable on the drivers side? This is installed in the grease cap at the moment. I haven't put eyes on it, but I'm assuming its the square fitting with the e-clip thing. Is there a best way to secure it from spinning without the grease cap?

Question 3: What is the best way to remove T3 Technique center caps without removing the wheel and without destroying the center cap or the powder coating on the wheel? I'm asking because I haven't started on the driver's side front, but I'm guessing I'll need to remove the center cap first, speedometer cable end, and then grease cap and then wheel. (in that order) in to get this apart without destroying the speedometer cable.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit

[ALIKA T3]

Hello!

you need the grease cap, and you cannot grind its lip bc that's what keeps tension on them. I deal with this often at the shop, so many bodged jobs.

You need to enlarge the wheel bore, that's the only right way,,everything else is shite. If it's just the grease cap lip, you're not missing much, buy a big ass step bit to enlarge the back of the wheel or bring the wheels to a machine shop, they'll do it for you.

If the center cap is hard to remove, take the wheel off, punch it from the back. But you shouldn't need to remove it, bc your grease cap will be mlunted the correct way if you do the job right.
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Silicone Steering Boots and 930 Cv boots for sale in the classifieds.
Syncro transmission upgrade parts in the Classifieds.
Subaru EJ22+UN1 5 speed transmission
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
Syncro http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...num+gadget

[Christopher Schimke]

The center bore of the CLK wheel is 66.56mm. The OD of the lip on the grease caps is about 64mm. Unless someone installed hubcentric rings on the CLK wheels, there's plenty of room to clear the lip on the grease cap.

If you are running spacers on the front, it's possible that the spacer is stuck to the wheel and that the ID of the spacer is not large enough to clear the grease cap. The sequence of installation would be to remove the grease cap, install the spacer, and then install the wheel. Many generic hubcentric spacers are a very tight fit to the wheel's center bore, so when you removed the wheel, the spacer stayed with the wheel, dragging the center cap off in the process
_________________
"Sometimes you have to build a box to think outside of." - Bruce (not Springsteen)

*Custom wheel hardware for Audi/VW, Porsche and Mercedes wheels - Urethane Suspension Bushings*
T3Technique.com or contact me at [email protected]

[Crooked Designer]

[zerotofifty]

Be mindful that the driver side grease cap is NOT sealed do to the speedometer drive. To fix this design flaw, once all assembled, clean the surfaces and apply a dab of silicone RTV over the drive, just goop it on.

It be easy to remove the silicone later when servicing the bearing. Dont do this and water and dirt can get into the bearing. So do it for best results


cheers!!!!!!
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Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[Christopher Schimke]

If one of our spacers is hanging up on the the bore of your CLK wheels, it makes me wonder if the powder coating is a bit thick in that area or something. either that or maybe some corrosion build up? Our spacers are designed to be a very easy slip fit into the bore of the wheel for exactly the reason behind the issue you are having here.

I would recommend separating the spacer from the wheel, clean up any corrosion, remove any powder coating build up on the hub mating surface and center bore of the wheel (where the lip on the spacer would make contact with the bore), then use a very light coating of anti-seize on the hubcentric lip of the spacer as well as the face of the spacer where the wheel mounts.
_________________
"Sometimes you have to build a box to think outside of." - Bruce (not Springsteen)

*Custom wheel hardware for Audi/VW, Porsche and Mercedes wheels - Urethane Suspension Bushings*
T3Technique.com or contact me at [email protected]