Rear hub - urgent!

[alexk]

A sorry tale of woe... We're five hours down the motorway with the four kids (youngest two months) and get a blowout. The rescue guy gets the wheel (alloy) off no bother and goes to put the spare (steel) one on. Now studs are only halfway in and he's running into trouble - it's like they've tightened right up but the wheel is still loose so he gets the long bar out to get more leverage. Then one stud shears off and he gives up and says he have to tow it to a garage. We have to get two taxis to follow him at a cost if €50.  At the garage they try to then take the studs out and two more shear off. Now the hub is useless and we have to leave the car there and get another taxi to our final destination one hour further on. Question is (sorry about the tale of woe) does anyone know what hubs will fit our 1998 tdi (sharan, Alhambra etc)? It's for the offside rear. Many thanks and happy Easter!

[Chrispb]

Hi
Don't know if this will be any help the VW numbers for;

Hub 7M0501655D

Wheel bolts 701601139B

[alexk]

Thanks Chris that really helps as the mechanic it's with said that the local vw place couldn't cross ref for the parts from ford. Will have to wait till tues now anyway and stay on longer here than intended. The guy says he might have to get a hydraulic pull to get it off as he thinks these hubs are a pig to get off. The rescue guy said he thought the studs were too long for the steel wheel and that's why they got stuck. The mechanic thinks they might have been cross threaded ... Be nice to know which is the case! Guess I can ask the mechanic to try putting the steel on again (carefully) and see if it can be tightened up or whether indeed shorter studs are needed.

[insanitybeard]

Is the steel spare definitely correct for the vehicle? The correct wheel should be able to use the same bolts as the alloys with no problems. Because of the different style wheels, it's likely that using the same bolts intended for alloy wheels on steel rims results in the bolt threading in further to the hub, therefore if the normally 'unused' part of the thread is badly corroded it could cause the bolt to go tight before the wheel is properly seated.

The hubs can be a pig to get out, you are supposed to use a slide hammer to pull the hub from the bearing but there's a good chance this will knacker the bearing in the process.

[alexk]

Thanks that makes a lot of sense about the rusty studs. I was wondering how the rescue guy could have possibly cross threaded three of them.

[Mirez]

How did he start them? By hand or using some form or power/electric tool? It's not that uncommon if you go strait for it using a tool - they should always be started by hand!

[alexk]

It was by hand then he used my wheel brace to carry on. A bit stressful probably with the jugganauts thundering by a few feet away...

[insanitybeard]

The other possibility is that the threads were already borderline before the recovery guy disturbed them and the act of removing and refitting them one more time has finished them off. They could have been forced in previously damaging the threads.

[alexk]

Hi, have found a hub from a 2002 with abs which mine doesn't have. Does anyone know if this will fit?

[Chrispb]

At a guess I would say not as I do believe that the wheels are not interchangeable.

[alexk]

Thanks Chris that helps a lot  - I won't bother trying it

[alexk]

Have found a whole 'swing arm' including hub from a sharan 1998 which I'm assured will fit. It's only €50 and am hoping it'll be easier to fit as a complete unit rather than having to pull the hub off as well as possibly damaging the bearings...

[Chrispb]

 

[alexk]

Okay, the replacement swinging arm from the sharan is fitted and seems to be working fine. Total cost of this wheel nut error inc taxis, labour, parts and fuel back and forward is €400!
A cautionary tale for something I guess could happen to anyone. I suppose I should have had shorter (clean) wheel studs put aside in the boot for using with the steel spare. Btw, I was about to order replacement studs for the ones that broke for the alloys (got home by taking one from each of the other wheels) and only found out by chance that for non-ford alloys (I have Fox brand) I will need studs with a tapered not radius seats. Could have been another costly error...