Rear wheel bearing/housing

[HelpMyLotus]

I'm getting a clunking (same as when my old trans went) after long rides.  I assume it's when the bearing is run for a while and heats up.  I'm assuming it's the housing because the trans is new, the U joints have all been changed and the radius arm mounts are new.  The only thing in the mix that's old is the housing/bearing.  I suspected it was the shock interfering with the drive shaft but it's not a constant noise. 

Any and all advice on this would be appreciated.  I assume I can buy the bearings, spacers and nuts needed.  I hear the nut is a bear to release and install.  I also hear there is a danger in damaging parts if not careful.

[BDA]

I would think that clunking sounds would not indicate a bad bearing. I would expect a bearing to grind when it's going out. I don't know but it might be an indication of some looseness or misalignment of the stub axle assembly. On the other hand, it sounds more like a U-joint. But you say they have all been recently changed. I would still check them first.

I'm certainly no expert on transaxles and I don't have a theory about what in them would cause a clunking but if you heard that before your old one went, you'd have more insight into what it could be. For that reason, I would also be cautious about discounting the tranny. Other than when it's warmed up when do you get the clunking? On a gear change? Coasting? You say it's new. I looked back at your previous posts about your tranny and I'm a little confused at how you know it's new. Did the PO tell you that? Was it recently rebuilt?

With regards to your uprights and bearings:
The bearings in the uprights are standard parts available from any bearing house. I didn't consider the nut that difficult to take off but you will need heat to take the hub off the stub axle. I disassembled mine a long time ago and as I remember, the manual suggested heating the upright with hot water to get the bearings out. Check the manual to make sure.

I don't consider myself to be particularly skilled and it seemed to come apart and go back together pretty well. Read the manual and follow what it says. I would make sure you have a hardened spacer (you can check it with a file). If the spacers are original, they won't be. Get hardened ones from r.d. enterprises, DBE, or Richard. I doubt they would sell you any that weren't hardened but make sure.

When assembling, you must use the correct Loktite (635) on the splines of the stub axle and hub. r.d. enterprises sells small quantities of it.

The thing you might want to be aware of is that the stub axle is not itself hardened. Some have modified VW and BMW units to get a better quality of stub axle. I suspect that they are more required for competition but not for street. Just a fun fact to know and tell...

Another fun fact is that I'm am led to understand is that bearing life was a problem with the S1 and S2 but that it was supposed to be fixed or at least greatly improved on the TC. That's what I understand and I'm praying it's true!

[Grumblebuns]

I'm getting a clunking (same as when my old trans went) after long rides.  I assume it's when the bearing is run for a while and heats up.  I'm assuming it's the housing because the trans is new, the U joints have all been changed and the radius arm mounts are new.  The only thing in the mix that's old is the housing/bearing.  I suspected it was the shock interfering with the drive shaft but it's not a constant noise. 

Any and all advice on this would be appreciated.  I assume I can buy the bearings, spacers and nuts needed.  I hear the nut is a bear to release and install.  I also hear there is a danger in damaging parts if not careful.

I don't see how the shock/spring unit can rub on the drive shaft unless there is something seriously loose. The first thing I would do is to put the car on jackstands and start wriggling the entire rear suspension/drive train to locate the looseness and retorque all suspension bolts.

I sold the 365 to HelpMyLotus with no guarantees on the condition of the transaxle except that it shifted through all gears by hand. Like all used components you take your chances on ultimate condition. The transaxle would be the last thing I would look after eliminating everything else. If the condition is happening only after long drives, I'm at a loss as to what is causing the noise. 

[jbcollier]

Can you explain further what you mean by "getting a clunking after long rides".

When does it clunk?  Bumps? On/off throttle?

Where does the sound come from?  Front?  Back? Left Right?

It is not there when cold?

[4129R]

I would jack up the rear end, put the trailing arms on axle stands and rotate the wheels to see if there are any strange noises.

Compare 1 side with the other.

Also when jacked up, pull the tyre top and bottom, N & S, to see if there is any play, and then repeat E & W to see if any UJs move too.

It is very easy to lose a needle roller when assembling the UJs.

[HelpMyLotus]

The sound (and feel) come after over an hour of driving.  At least this time.  It started to make noise on deceleration.  On throttle it doesn't seem to make a noise.  I mostly hear it when rolling slowly.  I did notice that it went away when turning left but returned while turning right.  It was after a long ride on a hot day.  I pulled it into the garage, but cardboard under it to monitor the leaks and haven't touched it since. 

The noise is fairly loud but maybe it's resonating through the chassis/suspension.  It speeds up/slows down with speed. 

The trans I got is from Grumblebuns and isn't new, but is in great condition.  It shifts great, accelerates and downshifts without popping out of gear and only leaks a little lube.

The sound I'm hearing is identical to what it did last fall.  Since so many parts are new, I'm doubting it's anything I replaced.  The needle bearings I installed in the shafts went in very smoothly and had a heavy grease on them to hold them together.  I'm doubting a needle came out.  I did 6 of the 8 cups per side on a bench, the last two were next to the hub.

The drivers side wheel has a little play in what seems like both N/S and E/W directions.  I originally thought it was the trailing arm bushing but now that those are replaced I'm sure it isn't.  The rest of the suspension went together very snug.  I had to pull the hub out to meet the lower arm.  Before it flopped in place easily. 

As mentioned, it's a rotational sound that appeared to be in time with the revolution of the wheels; hence my wheel bearing/assembly assumption.

[BDA]

The play you feel in the driver's side rear hub concerns me. When it "clunked", could you determine which side of the car it was coming from?

Question: do your hub nuts have D-lock washer or some other way of locking the nut? I know it's low probability but if there is no locking mechanism, that's a bad thing.

I would lighten each side as much as possible - take off wheels and tires, brake drums, etc. and try to isolate the location of the slop. You might bolt a rod of some kind to get leverage on the hub. Since it "clunks" in time with the revolution of the wheels, it's probably either associated with the wheel/bearing/upright assembly or the tranny. If it really is coming from the bearings, then you should replace them on both sides and ensure you're using hardened spacers and the correct Loctite and the correct torque when you reassemble it. If that doesn't solve it, then you probably have to go into the tranny.

[jbcollier]

Could indeed be your left rear wheel bearings/hub.  If so, overhaul both.  Inspect everything carefully.  At a minimum fit new bearings, hardened spacers and seals.  Use the correct loctite on the splines (635).  If your splines are worn, give serious consideration to upgrading to stronger axles.

The rear bearings, axle and half-shafts are not very strong on a Europa.  They are regular overhaul/replacement items.  Never do just the u-joints, or just the bearings.  Do the whole works each time for the best service life.  Roughly every 15K or so.

[4129R]

I had a similar problem on a Golf R32, and it turned out to be the rear tyre.

Worth checking.

[buzzer]

Have you checked your wheel nuts? A bit of a basic question, but if you have had your wheels refinished you might have paint under the bolts, so after a few miles the paint gives way and you get a loose wheel.