uh oh, I got a rear wheel bearing cover problem

[crankbait09]

I torqued the cover retaining screws on the drivers side with ZERO problems. All went well. For some reason none of the bolts were tight, so the backing plate slightly shifted side to side. So drivers side is now at 45 ft-lbs

Made my way over to the passenger side. As I tightened the bolts, something didn't feel right with the lower left bolt. It got to a point where it got slightly tight, then not at all. One more turn, and the bolt was sheared off. As I pulled out the front half, the bolt was VERY wet. Saturated with oil/grease or whatever it was. Along with the grease, came a chunk of something, maybe a piece of rubber gasket sealer. Looked like rubber, but wasn't sure. It was quite odd how wet this area was behind those bolts. The drivers side certainly didn't look that way.

I did not pull that cover off to look any further. Wasn't sure what steps to take at this point. I have the bug me video for this seal removal instruction, but with the broken bolt, it kinda changes things.

So, with that, what kind of trouble have I gotten in to, and what do I do now?

[bluebus86]

the backing plate should not move around once the bearing retainer is installed correctly. Please recheck the assembly, please note that VW did make changes over the years, for instance the oil slinger change. make sure you have the correct parts and are following the correct instructions for your Bug. a loose backing plate could cause tranny lube loss, and brake contamination with lube, brake shoes ruined at best, destroyed tranny or a crash at worse

for the side with the sheared bolt, you may want to drill it out and use an extractor. make sure no drilling chips get into the assembly. once the stud is out, check the female threads for damage, they may need to be repaired, but maybe fine

torque of 29 to 32 ft lbs is correct for the backing plate bolts on early cars per my 1957 manual. , not 45 ft lbs


Bug On!
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[anthracitedub]

X2

[Cusser]

[glutamodo]

Agreed. I still have the VA left hand drill bit set that I bought 20 years ago when I was a mechanic, plus a larger, much cheaper set I got many years later at Harbor Freight. IMHO, they are the best solution for broken off bolts, but it requires a level of precision. (center punch it and drill it as best you can, at dead center)
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Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[crankbait09]

[crankbait09]

at this point, is it safe to assume that I should disassemble the whole assembly, down to the back to make sure all seals are ok? Or no need to go back that far?

[glutamodo]

And I'm the one that quoted that book to you. The Light Blue Bentley for 66-69, it says 6mkg / 43 lb feet, by the way, which is consistent with the 40-47 range given in Without Guesswork.
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Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[67rustavenger]

Just fix the one.
No need to fix what's not broken.
Just make sure to torque to the correct setting as the bus has mentioned above.

Good Luck.
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[bluebus86]

[crankbait09]

[glutamodo]

While it will be a bit messy since all the oil in the hollow axle tube will run out, but that's to be expected. I would take it off. While you might be able to do the reverse drill bit thing with the cover on there, I think having it off would be better.

Incidentally, I just looked up the 1961 edition of Without Guesswork, it says 5.5 - 6.0 mkg / 36-43 lb-feet on the torque. The Spanish 1964 edition says 5.5 - 6.5 mkg, but then has a hilarious typo for the lb-foot rating, where it says 40-70 pound feet. I'm pretty sure I've always gone around 45.

Back in the 60s most people were using beam style torque wrenches which didn't really have the precision of the clicker style that we see now days.
_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[crankbait09]

I think when I remove the cover, I am going to remove the oil seal and check that o-ring behind it. just to be safe.

I have a 63 beetle, so I will back off the torque too. I'll take it to 30 ft-lbs.

[glutamodo]

The bearing cover changed in 1965, but the spec in the 1964 book I mentioned above would be the same for a 1963, and it's the that same range of 5.5-6.5 metric (40-47 pound feet) I don't know why your bolt broke, but I think those are 10.9 hardness bolts which should be good for over 50!
_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[crankbait09]

[bluebus86]

[crankbait09]

[glutamodo]

Your photo didn't include the top of the broken bolt, did it have "10G" on it? That's the 10.8 grade.

I've seen it where bearing cover bolts are not tight and the action of braking makes everything shifts every time you brake, and then shift the other way when you're reversing and brake. This can, over time, add up to a lot of unintended stress for the fasteners and may have well contributed to the failure you experienced.
_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[bluebus86]

[crankbait09]

The head of the bolt that broke says "DERA 10k" on top of it.
here are a couple more pictures. That bolt did not break off flush with the hole. It's down inside. I tried spraying some brake cleaner in there to clear it out, but I can't see a thing.