I will apologize in advance if I am asking a question that has been asked before, I know how annoying that can get. I have been searching all over for a DIY or any info on doing a rear brake pad, rotor, and bearing change on a 1998 a4 1.8t fwd. There are plenty of threads for the quattro, but unfortunately that wont help me.

I had just started a rear brake pad and rotor job and noticed that i cant even get the rotor off without taking the bearing out too. So I've decided to just replace the bearings while I'm at it. But first I want to get the correct data on how to do that properly. The most info I've got about it is that it's much easier than the quattro's rear bearings. That definitely gives me a little more confidence to attempt it myself, but I would rather do this with some sort of knowledge and not screw it up.

If anyone could direct me to a DIY that i can't seem to find or even shoot me some simple words of advice on how to do it, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

If you go through the last few posts of this thread you'll notice that I too ran into the same problem of not finding a DIY to complete this task.

It's really not that difficult. To get the bearing races into the rotor I use a hammer and flat-head screwdriver. Just have to be careful that the head of the screwdriver doesn't slide down the bearing race when you hit it with a hammer.

If you put everything back in the way it came out with fresh bearing grease then you'll have no issues with this procedure. Probably the easiest part to mess up on is the tightening of the axle nut; you want this to be tight, but too tight will cause the rotor to bind and reduce the life of the bearings, and too loose will allow excessive play. I spin the rotor as I'm tightening the nut, and just when the rotor starts to bind, I back off the nut a small amount. Then the castle nut piece goes on, followed by the cotter pin. Put the cap on the rotor, install caliper bracket and brake pads/caliper, and you're done!

Do you have a service manual? They can be very helpful if you forget how something goes on or want torque specs., etc.

 

I saw that thread and skimmed through it. That was just about when I was giving up at 3am lol. Well I appreciate info, I'm going to give it a shot.

Where did you get the bearings from for $58? I was thinking about getting this, which is right around the same price.

I unfortunately don't have a service manual but am hoping to get the torque specs from the audi dealership.

 

I got my rear bearing kits from AutohausAZ:
http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...0Bearing%20Kit
Free shipping (gotta spend $50 though...)

The B5 service manual is available online (for free). Check here:
http://www.s4biturbo.com/
By the bullet point that says "Audi B5 Service Manual from SocalS4.com"

To find the page for the rear rotors/bearings, go to: Suspension Wheel and Brakes ---> ---> Suspension%20Wheel%20Steering ---> 42-1 Rear axle front wheel drive.pdf
It's on page 19 of that document.

 

autohausaz has awesome prices on bearings and hubs. I got a front bearing and hub from there for a fraction of what I'd have to pay from an autoparts store.

 

Just a quick follow up. I ordered the rear bearing kits and began work on my car. I have successfully completed 1 side(took a couple hours to figure it all out). I am on the second side and everything was going smooth until I ran into 1 of my caliper bracket screws getting STRIPPED! Mother F..........er. It's about 3am here now so I can't do anything about it now, but will try to find a fix for that tomorrow.

If anyone knows a solution to take out a stripped socket head screw, I would GREATLY appreciate some advice.

I am also planning on doing a write up on this whole endeavor when I finally finish. I will breifly explain how I did it, parts I bought, and any other problems/solutions I ran into in the process.