Change VCU bearings
- Thread starter Chris_68
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GrumpyGel
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Hi,
Thank you for your feedback,
Great then it is easy to mount the new bearings. I was afraid it was a very tight fit and I don’t have a press to do it.
I checked the VCU (57 seconds, 5kg 1.2m) so I ordered a reconditioned one from Bells
I will measure the time with the “new” one and post in the VCU torque thread.
Cheers,
Thank you for your feedback,
Great then it is easy to mount the new bearings. I was afraid it was a very tight fit and I don’t have a press to do it.
I checked the VCU (57 seconds, 5kg 1.2m) so I ordered a reconditioned one from Bells
I will measure the time with the “new” one and post in the VCU torque thread.
Cheers,
Alibro
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Getting the old ones off can be hard. If you don't have a bearing puller you may need to resort to the grinder.
Make sure you note which way round they are before removing but you may find the biggest issue is getting the front propshaft off.
Make sure you note which way round they are before removing but you may find the biggest issue is getting the front propshaft off.
GrumpyGel
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If the replacement is from Bells, the old one needs to be returned on exchange - just leave the old bearings on it!
Hopefully the new bearings will have been installed by Bells.
I presume the front prop issue isn't removal from the car, more separating it from the VCU. I think this has to be the ultimate in helpful videos...
Maximum aggression may be needed with the heaviest hammer you have. Don't wimp out (see how bent their chisel is!) and the prop will come off.
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If I was you when you get replacement bearings remove one of the rubber seals on each bearing & pack them with a good quality grease. When I replaced the VCU & bearings 3 years ago (from Bell Eng.) the bearings only lasted about 6,000 miles & it's never been off road ! (to be fair when I phoned them to tell them they had failed in such a short time Rob did say the quality of the bearings, at the time, was a bit hit & miss). When I got some new ones locally I removed the seals to find them virtually greaseless so made sure I packed them with grease, they've since done about 26,000 miles without issue. Good luck.
Hello,
Thank you all for your help and advices.
Unfortunately bell didn’t have the bearing in stock so I purchased separately. Will fit GKN with bearings from FAG.
After a long frustrating work week I will have no problem to hit that prop hard enough .
I will let you know how it goes.
Thank you all for your help and advices.
Unfortunately bell didn’t have the bearing in stock so I purchased separately. Will fit GKN with bearings from FAG.
After a long frustrating work week I will have no problem to hit that prop hard enough .
I will let you know how it goes.
Just tap the new bearings on, using a suitable sized tube as a drift. Only tap against the centre of the bearing, not the outer edge.
andyfreelandy
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Whatever rubber mounted bearings I buy I replace the actual bearing with a pair of these as finding gkn ones are tricky.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131042540627
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131042540627
Interesting, I had the same plan but went for buying new ones. How do change the bearings, isn't there a risk that they will slide sideways?
/Chris
andyfreelandy
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Simple push fit. Correct size socket over the outer ring and tap out.
Like this.
I've used FAG and Timken bearings in the past. I'm not a fan of SKF myself, as they generally have a lower static and dynamic load than other makes.
Actually the FL2 diff bearing that fails is an SKF, and those fail for a past time.
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Hi, if you look the original FAG bearings dimensions (Z-539860) fitted to GKN FL1 prop. hangers are 30x55x15 but most replacement hangers have seem to have 6006 2RS bearings which are 30x55x13, 2mm slimmer. I'm not sure if the wider FAG bearings can withstand more load but as I've already said in other posts I would certainly repack any new bearings with more grease.
Hi,
Going quite well but I have a question. unfortunately I didn’t press one of the “metal shields” back long enough so it is very tight to the bearing. I can rotate by hand so I guess it doesn’t matter?
better to ask before everything is back on the car....
Going quite well but I have a question. unfortunately I didn’t press one of the “metal shields” back long enough so it is very tight to the bearing. I can rotate by hand so I guess it doesn’t matter?
better to ask before everything is back on the car....
Attachments
The thrower/flinger needs to be fully pressed on to the flange and mustn't rub on the suspension rubber, as it can cause overheating of the bearing which will cause them to fail quickly.
It's difficult to see in this picture, but this is how it should look.
Last edited:
andyfreelandy
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Should be able to gently lever it back, then use a flat ended punch to hit the collar to make sure it stays there!
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