Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I will watch (and listen) carefully for
a recurrence, but so far no one has said this is the prelude to major
damage, which is heartening. It was such a ghastly metal on metal sound
that I thought for sure I had broken something major. To see that it was a
little cap, bouncing between hub and hub-cap, was at least reassuring.

And, I�ve looked at the �how to replace wheel bearings� advice online and
it looks relatively straightforward (though messy).
http://volksweb.relitech.com/frntbrg.htm

There�s even a nice YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdIilagyWrI

And the kit is pretty inexpensive: http://www.busdepot.com/251405645k

After watching the YouTube video, though, I think it is probably something
I leave to a shop to do.

�r

--
Professor and Director, Master of Digital Media Program at the Centre for
Digital Media
685 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, CANADA V5T 0C6
Ph: +1 778 370 1012 t: @smith  e: smith@thecdm.ca w: http://thecdm.ca

On 2015-06-13, 9:10 AM, "Stuart MacMillan" <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>That's a good one! I think he was pulling your leg.
>
>If he put it in at angle he "cocked" it and wedged it in a bit. This could
>result in making the cap slightly oval, and hence tighter.
>
>I just lightly squeeze the cap in a vise to accomplish the same thing.
>
>Stuart
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>Eric Caron
>Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2015 6:12 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Wheel bearing dustcap fell off... trouble ahead?
>
>Hi richard,
>
>        i'll watch your responses with interest.  I had mine fall off
>twice
>last year.  I ride in the passenger side so noticed the sound quickly and
>replaced the cap.
>
>        I posted here and no one seemed worried about contamination.
>
>        My bigger issue was how to keep it from coming off?
>
>        I put it on over and over, and it remained loose.   One day a
>retired auto body and vintage car mechanic stopped in.  I showed him the
>cap
>and he popped it on.  It has not come off again.  I asked him how he did
>it.
>he said he put it on at a angle to make sure no air was trapped behind it.
>I can't imagine that made a difference.  All I know is over 50 years of
>auto
>experience  can make a difference!
>
>Eric Caron
>85 gL auto
>
>
>> On Jun 13, 2015, at 1:47 AM, Richard Smith <richard_smith@GNWC.CA>
>>wrote:
>>
>> I happened to notice, through the vanes in the passenger side front
>>wheel
>cover, a bit of greasy axel this morning. Huh, I though, that's weird. I
>don't recall seeing that there. And the wheel cover seemed dirtier than
>normal.
>>
>> This evening, driving into the driveway, there was a terrible clanking
>sound. Fearing the worst, I parked and pulled off the wheel cover. Sure
>enough, the bearing dust cap was loose in the there, and bouncing around
>inside between the wheel and the wheel cover. Well, at least I know for
>sure
>where the sound came from. And it *might* just be a matter of replacing
>the
>cap.
>>
>> No problem, I tapped it back on with a small block of wood, but there
>seems to be a fair bit of grease inside the wheel cover. Is this a 'no big
>deal, you're fine now that the cap back on' kind of situation? Or is this
>a
>'don't drive that vehicle, you have wheel bearings dying in there' kind of
>situation?
>>
>> Any advice, tips, recommendations? My first thought was to jack up the
>>van
>and see if I have 'play' in the wheel and also listen to how it turns, see
>if it is rough or rumbly.
>>
>> .r