How To: Vanagon Front Wheel Bearing Maintenance

[@billws893]

Nathan thank you for your maintenance, repair and improvement videos. Easy to follow you and understand.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Appreciate you watching. Nate

[@TIMWHY2]

New rotors and bearings, pads and one caliper last week. The nuts were ordered from our local Mercedes dealer and its always a challenge to order parts from these folks. The parts guy says they can't look up just the number that they need the vin not the model, lol. Any way he was able to order them and they arrived during the job but they do not have bolts with them. He said that is a separate part number, omg! Got the M6 x 25 socket bolts from Lowes. Thank you for the Video it helped me process it in a clear step by step fashion. It couldn't have gone better with my buddy who knows how to do it and me keep saying Nate did this next. We celebrated going to our favorite Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Nice job! Our nuts did come with bolts but we did not buy them direct from Mercedes so I guess the vendor supplied them. Nice knowing some maintenance is done and you don't have to worry about that anymore. Now get out and explore!! nate

[@mep1624]

Well done. I continue to learn a lot about the Vanagon. Your video and instruction quality are tier 1!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Glad we could help Nate

[@severly808]

Thank you for all your videos! I just picked up an 85 Westy and you're my best friend right now. Incredible knowledge and presentation!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Glad we could help!! Nate

[@bobaloo2012]

Great video, thanks. KZbin really is the font of all wisdom these days.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Right? so much info out there now! nate

[@neiljenkins2996]

Thank you - watching these “tutorials” give me the confidence to tackle these jobs myself - very thorough explanation 👍🏼

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Glad we could help Neil. Nate

[@tonvanderreijken4380]

Thanks a lot, I did mine a few days ago and your video confirmed that I did it the proper way. keep recording ! and have fun with the vanagon.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Great to hear!! nate

[@JamesAkers]

Nice one Nate 👍. Very jealous of your workshop!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks James 🙏🏻. I’m a big fan of your videos as well! Nate

[@tonvanderreijken4380]

@@ThatBaldwinLife So am I. I learned a lot from James's videos. super quality like yours.

[@rextilian]

Excellent tutorial as usual Nate. Appreciate it.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

My pleasure! Glad it helps nate

[@RawInSeattle]

Preping to do my first berring job, video is VERY helpful, thank you so much...

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Glad we could help. Not a very difficult job, just get the new bearing races set properly as well as the pressure on the spindle nut and you should be good to go. nate

[@mopedinthemalverns6661]

Brilliant video - I'll do this to my bearings at some point. Still remember how you saved my gearbox with your oil-replaicing video; without it I wouldn't have checked and seen that it was only a third full. Clicked Like as usual. Dave

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yeah spend a few hours in the garage and get this done! 😁.

[@ОлегГрибинюк]

Здравствуй друг! Я много лет назад поставил такие гайки от Мерседес на передние колёса. Очень удобно, хорошо регулировать затяжку подшипников и гайка легко фиксируется от проворота. Мне понравился твой инструмент для извлечения сальников. Я не владею английским, но такие работы я делал много раз на своей машине, всё понятно без слов. Привет с Украины! 🤝🇺🇦

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! those types of nuts were used on Beetles and Buses and I’m not sure why VW moved away from them. Much nicer than the peened nut. I did over tighten one and deformed it so I had to replace it. Thanks for watching from Ukraine!! Nate

[@ОлегГрибинюк]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Здравствуй друг. Я думаю , что всё дело в простоте изготовления гайки. Для гайки с разрезом нужно больше технологических операций. Производитель всегда всё упрощает.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Good point, I hadn’t thought about that. Take care! Nate

[@tttboyy]

Great explanation of the process. Thank you!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Nate

[@bammbamm1961]

like the adjustment nut system.. thanks

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! Nate

[@rolandberard8958]

Heads-up! I purchased the wheel nuts from Mercedes with the part number suggested. The screw is separate so had to go back. They nut was so tight that I was afraid to cross thread it so I did not install them. I had to purchase new ones from a local supplier. Mercedes would not take them back.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Interesting, thanks for the feedback. You don't want to mess up those spindle threads! They are hard to come by! nate

[@lovingeverything2032]

Thank you for the video!! I will need to implement the Mercedes spindle nut! I have repaired the wheel bearing many times before but for some reason after each repair, I hear the sound of a bad wheel bearing whine even after I install new wheel bearings. Any thoughts on what this could be? I have replaced the the spindle with other used units but this problem still persists. It's quite unsettling for long road trips! I'd love your input! Thank you again and keep up the great work!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Interesting. What makes you think it is a front wheel bearing? Noises can be hard to pin point. As long as the correct preload is on the bearings, the hub and spindle are in good shape, you should be fine. Have you checked the rear bearings? nate

[@CDVEDROD]

Great video. Are there specific bolts for the axle nuts? Mine came without.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

You can use these specs: 6mm 1.0 thread pitch 22 or 25 mm long Or buy them here: www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-mercedes-benz-parts/screw/000000003358/ Thanks! Nate

[@robsquareballs4361]

Excellent video TYSM. I need some help finding the bolt . Hoping you can share source pls TIA.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

The Mercedes spindle nuts are linked in the description. Thanks! nate

[@northwoodssurvival]

Thanks for this vid!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Glad we could help! Nate

[@thereandbackagain9599]

I think a key word you use is preventative. These vans are collectors and need attention. People drive them with little to no maintenance and then call them unreliable when they break down. Give the van love and it will love you back. :)

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Agreed you need to maintain things you want them to last. A little time in the garage goes a long way on the road Nate

[@bobaloo2012]

I tell people it's like owning a sailboat, you have to replace things BEFORE they break, not afterwards. I've driven my '82 Vanagon all over Mexico and Central America without any issues due to preventative maintenance.

[@howardfletcher3124]

Great instructional video. Your grease managemnt skills are impresssive. Without the obvious knocking or grinding noise how often do you reccommend greasing the bearings. Perhaps it would be every 20k miles?? Anyway great video.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hey Howard. It's hard to say as it depends on the types or roads you are driving. If you are doing a lot of water crossings, dusty roads or road salt, then yeah maybe every 3-5 years or 30-50K miles would be warranted. If is is pretty mild then you can get away with a longer timeframe. nate

[@douglaslosey6501]

Excellent video!!!!

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Appreciate that! Not a very difficult job but it is a bit messy Nate

[@dta97392]

Hi Nate, I have a 82 vanogan/ might want to change the front brakes out. Do you have link or reference to yours? Thx David

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Hey David. The 80-85 vans are more complicated as the spindles do not work with most available big brake kits. They will recommend you to get 86-91 spindles on your van. Smallcar does make a kit that works for your year van though. The kit you see in that video were the Smallcar brakes. We have since moved on to Burley Motorsports front and rear brakes. Smallcar kit: smallcar.com/vanagon-bus-upgrades/driving-upgrades/early-vanagon-80-85-front-brake-upgrade-kit/ nate

[@hratchikkrikorian7322]

Hi Nathan, As usual very happy with your video, thank you again. Do you still recommend Mercedes axle nut mounting ? I have seen in other video, that you got some issue to remove them or re-use them

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Yes I think I would recommend them. I believe I may have over tightened the nuts, deforming them a bit. I am going to pick up some more and try it again. thanks for watching! nate

[@Italjohn]

Excellent video 👍 PS: The link to the nut is not working?

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks! I just clicked on the link and it worked for me? Maybe try again? Nate

[@Italjohn]

It doesn't work here in Norway.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

I just added another link to FCP Euro for the nut. Can you check that? nate

[@Italjohn]

Yes, that one works 👍

[@ericrotermund1004]

What is the spec for the rear wheel bearing grease

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

We have a video where we show what grease to use and how to install rear bearings. We used the same grease as the front though. Easier to carry spare grease if it's all the same. nate

[@puppetaterproductions3556]

I used your link to order the Mercedes spindle nuts. Europarts says these nuts won't fit my 1988 Westy. I also have the Smallcar brake kit.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Because they do not list Vanagon' s as using Mercedes parts. As long as you get a Mercedes W116 C36 Wheel Hub Nut Part number 1163340372 it will fit your Vanagon. nate

[@puppetaterproductions3556]

@@ThatBaldwinLife Thanks. I love your videos and admire your adventurous spirit.

[@ThatBaldwinLife]

Thanks!! nate

[@gwenbateau2680]

@@ThatBaldwinLife The pictures show the hub nut missing the bolt. Do you have to source your own bolt?

[@CDVEDROD]

I have the same question. I ordered the hub nuts but they came me without bolts. What bolts do I need?