Jetta Project Car: How to Replace Rear Axle Beam Bushings (Mk4) [remaster / re-upload]
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- Опубліковано 15 сер 2024
- In this video, I'm replacing the worn-out axle beam bushings with urethane bushings. My car is a 2002 VW Jetta TDI, but this info may apply to other models as well. This can be a difficult project, if you don't have the right tools.
In the original version of this video, the audio wasn't very good. So I recorded new voice-over, and balanced the audio levels.
If you liked the video, please leave a comment, or a rating. Not only does it help the channel, but it also helps you see more of the content you enjoy. 👍
And if you like TDI Volkswagens, or VWs in general, stay tuned! I have more videos on the way.
This video uses royalty-free music, performed by XTaKeRuX and Letter Box. - Авто та транспорт
Hey guys, here's a link to the urethane bushings I used in the video: amzn.to/3KR5GGS
Amazon gives me a kickback when people use the link. But there's no extra cost to you.
Hey everyone! This is an older video that I decided to remaster, because the audio wasn't that great. I re-recorded the voice over, and re-balanced the audio levels. Enjoy!
@michael blacktree
Could you please give the symptoms you might have if those bushings are very worn? I have a MK3 Golf that probably has similar bushings, and when I go over uneven pavement with the right side rear wheel the car seems to jerk to the left suddenly. No noise involved so I figure it is a worn rubber suspension part, I wonder if a worn coil/shock bushing could cause the same? Thanks.
If the axle beam bushings are bad, the rear end might wander around, because the axle beam is moving around. A quick visual inspection should give you some clues.
@@michaelblacktree Thanks for the quick replies friend. Much appreciated, I'll have to take the rear wheel off and check it out soon. It's interesting because on smooth pavement you wouldn't think anything was wrong really, but with some uneven pavement for more than a few feet on the right rear wheel you definitely get a sudden shift to the left, it almost feels like the car is pivoting around maybe. It definitely seems to be related to the right rear wheel hitting the uneven pavement. I'll follow up and let you know what I find, maybe it will help other people with MK3 Jetta/Golf vehicles.
I just did this job the other day! I have an Mk4 BEW. In this video the bolts through the bushing are threaded in from the outside of the car towards the car. But to my dismay, I found out that my bolts were threaded in from the inside out. Opposite! This mattered because on the passenger side, the gas tank is in the way such that I didn't have the clearance to pull out the bolt! I had to cut the bolt to get it out and use new bolts. So fair warning for anyone still working on these old cars, you might end up in a similar situation. If that is the case, be prepared with some kind of tool for bolt cutting (I used a dremel), and new bolts.
Also. I totally had to use a ratchet strap to get into back into place...l was hoping I could avoid this fate but I couldn't.
@@Tliwinski - Wow, that's messed up!
It seems to be on certain models have heard this before messed up yip guess on the assembly line for some reason this occured . VW gota love them
You can remove the mounting brackets themselves and just drop them down enough to remove the bolts.
Going to give these bushings a try, just ordered a set. Mechanic is having issues getting the one piece to go in and says it too big. So hopefully these go in by hand and not needing a press like you did in the video.
Best of luck!
Sweeeet.But my weekend is still going to SUCK!Nice simple, to the point, nbs vid!!!You should keep makin' em!!!
Thanks! I will keep making them.
I called a Renaul service and told them i need to change those bushings on a VW Jetta, they said, yeah come on over. I said "do you have that special tool to take them out? "Yeah we have many tools, don't worry" :) they spent 3 hours, hammering, torching, sawing and chiseling at it :). I think it was the last time they said "Come on over" to a VW in a Renault service :)
LOL 🤣
Thanks for the content. I've been working on my Jetta 1.8t and this was the only vid I found same part and all. FYI golf bushing don't look like this one
Thanks for this presentation.
Just installed the Whiteline bushings today on my 2002 Jetta 1.8T The stock bushing were in there from the factory, so 20 years old, shame on me since I've owned the car since new. My stock bushings were so bad that the axle slid over to the driver's side hitting the bracket, and there was some serious clunking that started a few weeks ago. Overall the job was fairly easy, didn't see this video until now, wish I had because that tip about the ratchet straps could have saved me over 2 hours of agony. You cannot put the axle back into the brackets, period. It's too tight, and I thought maybe the bushings were supposed to be installed the other way around. The car is so much better now and no more noise!
Also, my stock bushings literally fell out when I lowered the axle. For the metal races, I used a sharp wood chisel to knock it out since it has a nice sharp edge. They are thin so they rolled up and fell out easily.
The car is only worth 1500 bucks time to scrap it out and buy a newer VW 21 years old ? LOL
@@mronemanband1You crazy bro. I'm going for another 21 years!
Hi. Any squeaks come about over time? Usually poly bushings go 'dry' over time and make tiny noises, hence why many suppliers provide grease fittings in their mounts.
So far, so good. But I imagine they'll eventually need to be regreased.
I used the Energy brand
Much the same as this install .. good video
thanks!
@@michaelblacktree welcome . 4 years since mine no issues at all
How have the bushings held up so far? I'm about to overhaul the suspension on my Jetta. The hand tight fit of the bushings would make installation easier, but i would be worried about premature wear due to them not being tight.
They're still fine. The bushing itself doesn't rotate. The whole assembly rotates around the mounting bolt. So the bolts need to be clean, and well lubed.
Nice video 🔥🔥🔥
thanks!
Mh I need to change this prob on my Golf3, if it would work so easy... mostly one needs some special tool or home build tool I learned to push these in and out. But Werkstatt is too expensive for old car that alos had accident :( Greetz from Germoney
How satisfied are you with the urethane bushings? Please consider making a followup video to discuss it, or just comment and let me know. I plan on doing the same work to my '04 GTI but will probably install OEM rubber bushings due to the age of the car and desired ride quality.
I'm happy with them. But I live in Florida. The roads are pretty smooth. They might be a little harsh on bumpy roads. A happy medium between stock and urethane would be the Cupra-R bushings. You might want to consider those, if urethane is too stiff.
@@michaelblacktree I'll research the Cupra-R bushings. Quick follow up question for you: was it difficult for you to remove and reinstall the bearings on the stub axle? I bought a new set and they're extremely tight and will be impossible to install without freezing the stub axle and heating the bearing.
I live in the Los Angeles, California area. Freeways and city streets are reasonably okay but some are rough.
I'm most interested in refreshing the car to maintain reliability, dependability and smooth factory ride quality. This means no performance parts for this car.
I plan on refreshing the rear end with the following new parts: axle beam bushings, paint or powder coat the axle beam, heat shields for the brake rotors, stub axles, wheel bearing assemblies, brake lines, shocks and springs and of course all new hardware. I bought the Bilstein B6 shocks designed to be an OEM replacement but with better reliability. New springs from Eibach designed to replicate factory springs with better quality. The brakes and rotors were replaced last year and should still be good. Considering the car will be 18 years old later this year, and that it's one of the very few MKIV GTI's I see on the road, I feel the OEM or OEM+ parts have proven themselves to me over the years. I rely on the car as a daily driver and for long road trips. As a result, I want to maintain a comfortable ride quality. After the rear end is done, the front suspension will get a similar refresh. along with tie rods, control arms, sway bar, dog bone, engine mounts, clutch, coolant hoses & pipe, radiator, heater core flush, fans, alternator, serpentine belt & tensioner, starter, alternator, timing chain & tensioner and maybe the exhaust pipe. The exhaust pipe is good. Passes emissions, but my concern is the bushings that link the stick shift to the shift cable assembly will eventually fail. I don't want that to happen while I'm driving, so I'll drop and replace the exhaust with a factory equivalent in order to access the bushings.
All parts mentioned will be replaced for the purpose of reliability and dependability. None are broken except for one of the fans. Reliability and dependability are top priority for the car. This means a whole lot of preventative maintenance.
The car has the 2.8L VR6 engine. Definitely happy with the engine. Occasionally I run into an issue like a vacuum leak, and last year a coil failed, but nothing serious. The parts I outlines could end up costing me a little more than the car is worth, but if all goes well, it will be money well spent if I can get 2-3 more years out of the car. Ideally, I'd like to clock 300K on the odometer. This would take me another 10 years. By that time, far fewer of these cars will be on the road.
Thanks again for your outstanding video. You taught me a few things. Greatly appreciated. By the way, I used to live in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Enjoyed that area. Best beaches in the United States.
Are you referring to the rear wheel bearings? I actually haven't replaced those yet. (they're still good) But there are some videos about it on youtube.
Thanks for the compliments. And have a great day!
@@michaelblacktree Yes, I'm referring to the rear wheel bearings. I have the new replacement. They come from a German manufacturer who makes OEM parts for VW & Audi. Although these are not labeled as OEM, they're stamped with the Audi logo. Can't say the name of the manufacturer which is simply a 3 letter word, without getting this post misinterpreted and deleted. Suffice it to say, the name begins with the letter F and ends with the letter G. They have a good reputation for manufacturing bearings so I'm confident they're good. However, installation looks difficult because tolerance between the axle and bearing are extremely tight. I assume, but am not certain, that freezing the stub shaft and heating the bearing will make assembly easier. I'm replacing both rear wheel bearings because the last time the car was on a lift and I spun the wheels by hand, one of the wheels had significantly more rolling resistance than the other. Hoping that new bearings will improve fuel economy and performance while indirectly putting less strain on the transmission by lightening the load/resistance the bearings are creating.
Sounds like a plan.
Great vid, thanks. I'll be doing the same soon and am stuck deciding between these 2 piece White line or the 3 piece Energy Suspension. Any recommendations?
Thanks for the compliment! I don't have any experience with the Energy Suspension bushings. But the Whiteline ones were very easy to install. The hardest part was re-installing the axle beam, because the bushings are stiffer. But I think any poly bushings would be the same, in that regard.
I'm getting a bad wobble on rough roads. Looks like my rear bushes are shot. Is that a symptom?
@wizbang16
*Same here, my symptoms on my MK3 1996 VW Golf is you have the right side wheel go over rough uneven pavement for more than a few feet and you get a pretty substantial jerking movement where the car wants to shift to the left! There is no obvious noise when this happens inside of the car, but it is pretty disturbing like you could lose control* Post back with a reply if you had this work done or you found out what your problem was, I am certain that the issue I have is at the rear of the car. I checked the shock bounce and they don't seem to be failed but may be slightly soft same with the coil spring, seems to be in OK condition, I wonder if it could also be the top coil/shock bushing too?
@@watershed44 It was the rear axle bushings. They were shot. I replaced them with a two piece design which made installation easier without removing the axle.
@@wizbang16 Thanks friend, how difficult was the job on our MK3 model (actually getting the old bushing out?? Thanks for the quick reply! Appreciate it!
@@watershed44 I did this on a 2005 Beetle MK4. The bushings were plastic so WD-40, Hacksaw blade, hammer and chisel popped them right out. I have done earlier ones which had a metal shell and they were rusted to the housing which made a difficult job.
@@wizbang16 Luckily I'm down in the southern USA and they don't salt the roads down here so maybe I'll get lucky! Thanks again for the quick replies!
Why did u think this was the issue? Like what was the car doing, that made you think "hey, this is the issue". Was it like a banging sound in the rear suspension? That's the issue im having with my jetta right now
Great question. Basically, 2 things convinced me to do the upgrade. First of all, the car had a lot of body roll. Second of all, when I jacked up the rear end (to work on the brakes), I noticed the bushings compressed a lot.
EDIT: That said, banging noise in the rear suspension could be the shock mounts or the axle beam bushings. You'll need to jack up the car and take off the wheel to get a look in there.
Quick Question..
rear axle beams...
I wanna replace rear buschings
on the 03 wagon.
Got the 02 sedans rear axle off and in the garage.
Question is , will they interchange? Sedan to wagon?
My idea is, when I drop the old one I have a whole new rear beam, new buschings, painted, and ready to be put back up ?
Not sure. Maybe someone else knows the answer?
Hey Michael, great video! You vid has compelled met to install these bushings on my 2002 VW Jetta, ALH, 5-speed!
Do these bushings have to be aligned similarly to the stock bushings (ie. is there an alignment mark to line-up on the Whitelines to the trailing arm like the stock bushings)? Do the bushings need to be loaded like the stock bushings before torquing the bushing bolt/nut? Thank you for any information.
Hey David. The urethane bushings don't need to be aligned, and don't need to be pre-loaded. All you need to do is put the correct half of the bushing on the correct side, like I showed in the video. The bolts can be torqued with the car up in the air, if you want.
@@michaelblacktree Thank you for your reply. It is a great help... I start this project next week. Thank you again.
@@michaelblacktreeHey Michael, holy cow, getting that old bushing out, in a word, SUCKED! You mentioned a tool to remove the old bushing. I've looked on eBay, Amazon, Rock Auto, etc. I can't find a tool to REMOVE the bushing (there are plenty to install but none remove). I looked up the tools the Bentley recommends, but they're ~$1500. Do you have a link you can share. I got one done today and am going to do the other tomorrow. Thank you for any information.
An air hammer would make short work of it. You might also be able to adapt a ball joint removal tool.
The question is... Do you actually notice any difference in the way to drives or sounds? My factory bushings don't look all that worn, but I'm rebuilding pretty much the whole suspension and new bushings are cheap. Just wonder if it's worth the labor to do it now.
Yes, the new bushings tightened up the rear end. Granted, it's just a torsion beam suspension. So it won't handle like a sports car. But it was an improvement.
Go find out what this tiny little part has effect on. I just did lol
parts.vw.com/a/Volkswagen_2003_Jetta/48124105__5972991/REAR-SUSPENSION-SUSPENSION-COMPONENTS/9277645.html
hello great work do you have any code for that bushings i can t find them
I bought them from IDParts. But I don't see those bushings on their website now. Looks like ECS Tuning still has them.
do the urethane bushings squeak like the poly ones? Ive seen so many different versions of this part, hard to choose what i actually need.
Urethane and poly are the same thing (polyurethane). Anyway, these ones don't squeak... or at least, not yet. These Whiteline bushings have a textured surface on the inside, which I think helps to hold the grease in. Other brands may be similar, but I'm not sure.
@@michaelblacktree I was looking at the Energy Suspension, and the powerflex, one is made similar to the oe, and the other is split kinda like the whiteline, i think the whiteline one and the way its made is better than the oe with the metal casings and all. I was curious as to what the differences were in them since they were clearly made different. The oe and the oe style ones have that line on them that has to be lined up with the weld in the housing, wheras the whiteline and powerflex ones don't have that and are more symetrical. Probably doesn't matter much for my application anyway its for my daily driver thats mildly built and tuned (around 300hp or so)
One benefit to the split bushings is ease of install. The OE style ones are more of a hassle.
Edit: You might want to stop by tdiclub.com and have a chat. There are lots of knowledgeable people there.
@@michaelblacktree i was thinking the same, i appreciate the fast response. I think i'll go with the whitelines like yours, seem to be a popular choice.
Hello, what are symptoms of bad bushing? Do i need to drop axle for polo sedan(6r)
You'll probably hear clunking when going over bumps
Air hammer would remove the bushing easy peasy
So true!
Unfortunately not.
at 1:40 and then you cut the bracket on which the brake lines are held. Changes to the braking system are prohibited worldwide. Does Florida mean you can? Diz!
Thanks for the comment!
Its was Different brand bushings .
You should say something about it better than you said I put it easier !
what you say?
This is the absolute worst way to get these type of bushings out. There is a tool that you can get them out in under 5mins.
Yep. I was too cheap to buy that tool. And I regretted it.
What tool is that? I have looked all over an can't find it. Please advise.
@Frankie Diamonds
Is the special tool a puller style tool, could you please give a link to it? Thanks.
This is basically the tool I got. ua-cam.com/video/7Lroob01gZk/v-deo.html
The one I found was the cheapest at Amazon and it worked perfectly