wobbly wheel..

[5lab]

alright lads, i'm guessing this is a wheelbearing, but thought i'd check before buying a kit.

brought a vw polo last night and drove is 200 miles home. the seller said the wheel bearing was on its way out, and it make a scrubbing noise on corners (brake disc contact with the caliper or sommit). well by the time i got her home she was pulling badly one way or the other, with loud knocking noise coming from the front wheel, and not cornering in an even line.. ended up doing 20 for the last stretch.. figured if the wheel came off i could emergency stop.

got her home and jacked her up. there is about an inch of play into/away from the car on the right front wheel

just the wheel bearings gone? i tried to tighten the nut, but its on pretty tight so i guess its not just that coming loose. cant drive the car, obviously..

any known issues with the front bearing on a polo ('88 f if i remember right)?

[Tumble]

check the driveshafts as well.. get the wheel off and see if there's any play in it... might even be at the gearbox end... and check that the CV boot is still full of grease (which it sounds like it isn't)

[jon bda]

Sounds like a wheelbearing mate. Get her jacked up and have a good look around though, if its due an MOT soon it'd be worth looking at all the CV boots and balljoints etc while your there...

[5lab]

the haynes says it could be the ball joints as well as the bearings - how do i check em?

edit : pics here - http://www.5lab.co.uk/pics/car/polo/

the driveshaft is fine (no wobbling without the wheel), i guess the cv boot is the black rubbery thing thats split (does that make it fail an mot??) - i've tried to show the movement in the wheel, but it hasnt come out too good. its about 1.5 cm side-side at the top. the brake disk moves, but not the caliper.. how much d'ya think a garage would charge me to solve it?

the car is pretty solid otherwise, its dented, and a bit bruised, but a good polish would do wonders i think. the only rust i can find is the front valance, which is non-structural, and the exhaust isnt blowing at all. i'd need to get the side indicator repeater before the mot, or i might be able to cover the whole up cos the front indicators are visible from the side - is that right?

the front tyre is obviously very bald on the inside - i think thats a sign the bearings have been dodgey for a while - but its actually legal imo..

[jon bda]

Simple test mate, jack it up and grab the wheel at a 'quarter to three' position, wobble it and see if theres any movement. If it does move then it could possibly be the track rod end but by the sounds of it, its most likely the wheelbearing shot with all the noise thats going on. That CV boot is a fail though and the tyre aint too clever...

[Jiff Lemon]

Just remember that on a Polo (and many similar VW's of that era) when you jack it up, the top suspension mount drops, meaning you appear to end up with a LOT of play in the strut, making it tricky to spot a failed bearing. Springs are prone for snapping too.

The CV boot is a fail and its been split for some time, so the CV joint is probably a gonner too. Jons quarter to three test will find any track rod play, and a "six o'clock position" shake should find any wheel bearing play.

I'd be tempted to suggest a S/H strut and hub if you're REALLY skint, and check to see if your spare tyre is any good.

[5lab]

you would have if there was no other way of getting home

gonna cash the tax in at the end of the month, drive the car to a prearranged mot in bath, take it to a scrappy instead and sell the speakers then.. not worth saving a car like that

[jon bda]

gonna cash the tax in at the end of the month, drive the car to a prearranged mot in bath, take it to a scrappy instead and sell the speakers then.. not worth saving a car like that

Sounds like a plan, what do you need to do to the Vulva to get it up and running again?.

[5lab]

just replace the propshaft - it secures underneath the car with a couple of allen key bolts, and just needs some brute force to get it on/off