Probably because they didn’t know what they were doing. A taper roller needs a running clearance. When MOT testers and mechanics grab the top and bottom of the wheel they will feel what they think is excessive play. Whereas doing it properly at the hub it will be barely discernible.
You can actually do that by just loosen the allen screw , so now the nut is unlocked , loosen the nut a little , tighten it finger tight , then back it up like 5 minute on a clock , tighten the allen , you are done . With , what we used to call a water pump pliers , machine the end of the jaws to get a sharp angle , now you will catch the cap at the lip , and pull it off . Or buy a snap on tool that does that , number GCP10..
So what is the difference in adjustment and replacement. Also how often should they all be done?? Or how to know to whether replace or do an adjustment
Hi, often a loose wheel bearing will be reported during a service or a road worthiness check. If you don't adjust the bearing, you might get juddering from wheel wobble and / or cause the bearing to fail prematurely. Adjustment is just that, the bearing still has plenty of life but you adjust the tightness of it to avoid the issues I mentioned above. Replacement is when the bearing is worn out and needs to be replaced, little bit longer process than shown in this video but you would adjust the new bearing exactly the same. Hope that helps! Phil
Excellent video. FYI, the dial indicator can be set to zero in any position. There's a thumbscrew locking the outer cover, loosen and turn. The number plate will rotate and then tighten the thumbscrew
Thanks for the comments! The reason I compressed the dial indicator about +5mm before zeroing was to ensure it didn't bottom out when I was measuring (I wanted to be able to read distance below zero as well as above). Good tip about the outer cover, I'll have a look to see if mine has a locking screw. 👍😎 Cheers, Phil
Yes, I’ve still got it. Had a lot of fun in it over the summer and it’s such a great cruising machine. Probably should bring out another video or two, I did some finishing off jobs and then maybe an in depth review. 👍
Great video! One thing, at the end there it looks like you forgot to take those washers off that lug bolt from earlier, I'm sure you noticed that after filming. Saving this one to reference every time I do a wheel bearing adjustment on my w211's.
Hey bud. Good Morning here from Miami F.L. I have a question in reference to the front wheel bearing and front ball joints. I have a 2000 Mercedes Benz W202 & a 1999 Mercedes Benz R170, both Kompressor. Both cars have play side to side which I'm assuming is normal to some extant, but not to much. Will purchase a dial and inspect them correctly. My main question is, i have play up and down on my R170 driver side tire, and when I go more than 50mph and let off the gas pedal I feel a slight vibration on the steering wheel, and i could say it goes away when I reaccelerate again, but not 100% sure. Could this vibration be caused by the bearings being off adjustment or my upper and lower ball joints being shot. I do not have clunking noise or anything like that coming from the tire. Just a slight vibration. On low speeds everything is fine. Thank You.
Sorry for the slow reply! Great to hear from someone in Miami! Even though I probably sound very English in the video, I was actually born in Miami but moved away when I was 1. Anyway, to your question: I'm sorry to say, there are lots of things that it could be. Checking the play in the bearing is a good start, it's also pretty much free. When checking by hand, the movement in the bearing should be so small, it is almost imperceptible. Movement up and down, not 100% sure what you mean by this but can I ask, are you still on the original front struts / shocks? If so, they are almost certainly dead and whilst you don't want to just throw money at this issue, if you haven't changed them, your car will definitely benefit from some new ones. Yes, wheel bearing being out of adjustment and ball joints being shot both can cause this issue. Not sure if I helped or not! Thanks, Phil
Hi, when you do the adjustment, it’s a very quick thing to do because you don’t need to disassemble anything very far. Regreasing bearings is a good idea after that mileage but you will need to strip down the hub much further to get to the point where you will be able to clean out the old grease and add new. Whenever doing this, despite good intentions, there’s a risk of introducing grit. So it’s a difficult one and a personal choice thing. There no wrong decision but On balance, I wouldn’t regrease. Hope the above makes sense, having a bit of a ramble in this one! 😂
I'm going to re-grease mine, I fitted the bearing so may as well see if I can pack a bit more grease in there, just undo the nut pull on the disc/rotor and off it comes. If it is full of green Mercedes grease, then, you can wipe most of it out brake clean the rest, or airline (messy, wear gloves and eye protection) pack it with grease, using new gloves, in a clean environment, when you put it back on you may have to give it a bit of a wiggle to seat properly and smear the excess grease around the bearing, wipe clean with a shop towel. Put the nut back on and refer to the video.
Hey man. Im new at this. But want to understand. If measuring with rotor on it .01-.02? And if measured the bearing without rotor on its .001-.002? Cheers from the states ❤❤❤
Hi, sorry for the slow reply. I’ve been checking and the correct tolerance is .001 to .002 and this will be rotor on or off because what you’re measuring is the play in the bearing, which will stay the same regardless. It looks like I got it wrong in the video, I researched it but just have found it stated incorrectly. I think I need to take the vid down, correct it and reupload. 😞 sorry for any confusion! Thanks, Phil
Im servicing my clk soon aswell before mot so will check this. I also have the sport edition with those better discs and calipers !! U still need to paint them 😅
Sounds like you are still keeping busy with your Merc! Yeah, I think it is worth checking that the wheel bearings are adjusted up correctly, will make them stay better for longer 👍 I'll put the brake calipers on the to do list! 😱
Hi great vid thanks. Unrelated question for you: the dreaded brake assist not functioning message has appeared on my dash...2019 c class estate. How do i remove it?
Sorry for the slow reply. I had this once on my car and it was front radar sensors. There is a way to clean them but in the end, I didn't clean mine as it only seemed to happen in really bad weather when visibility was restricted. Here's a forum post that may help you. forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/brake-assist-malfunction.192014/ Thanks, Phil
When you replace a wheel bearing and you're installing the inner seal (large bearing) on the back of the hub, make sure you don't press it in too far. It should be pressed flush or at most 0.5mm inside the face of the hub. In the W211's, the wheel speed sensor pickup is built into this seal so if it is too far away from the sensor you will receive these faults on the dash. I'm sure it's probably the same in the C Class. @@ReviveMyRide
