Help with diagnosis, Bad sealed wheel hub on 2009 Jetta Sportwagen?

After driving about 50 miles, both city and highway, I noticed a small amount of oil coming from the right front passenger wheel hub on 2009 Jetta Sportwagen with approximately 4000 miles. It hasn't done this before. Only unusual event during trip was I had to swerve while changing lanes to avoid car in blind spot.

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I removed the wheel and there was a small amount of oil in the center of the wheel hub at the axle end. The oil was viscous and had a strong odor like gear oil.

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I wiped some of the oil on a white plastic bag to give an idea of it's color and consistency.

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I think the sealed wheel bearing has failed. I took it to the dealer who said they see oil on hub sometimes caused by oil coming out of the CV joint grease like oil on butter.

Should I insist on dealer replacing hub or take their word and wait to see if the bearing fails before the warranty expires?

Reply to
John Baker
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"John Baker" wrote

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It's not the bearing. The flange that the brake rotor (and wheel) bolt onto goes through the middle of the bearing, the CV joint's stub goes through the hole in the flange, and that rather large 12-point bolt clamps it all together.

If the grease in the bearing was escaping, it would show up on the backside of the flange, spraying on the inside surface of the brake rotor, and dripping onto the part of the tire you can't see without crawling under the car.

Many CV axles we deal with in our shop use a big nut, but VW/Audi decided to be different, and use a bolt that threads into the CV's hollow stub. If the CV is fully packed with grease, it's quite normal to have some of it get squished out into the bolt hole in the stub, and when the bolt is inserted and tightened, a little bit can be trapped between the threaded area of the bolt and its head. Add some heat, and the trapped grease gets thinner and pressurized, and it can seep out around the bolt head.

You can either wipe the wheel now and then until it stops seeping, or remove the bolt, clean the hole, and reinstall the bolt with a dab of sealer on the threads to keep that nasty grease on the other side. You'll need a hefty 12-point socket, a 3/4" drive ratchet or breaker bar to match, and a 5 to 6-foot long piece of pipe as a "cheater" to pull on (some earlier models take 140 ft-lbs + 90 degrees, and I'm sure yours is similar).

Reply to
MasterBlaster

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