How do you identify a bad wheel bearing?

[Wess]

99' w/ about 66K on the clock:

I've had a squeaking noise in the area of my driver side front wheel for a couple months now. It happens only in drive and is most significant in the mornings when the car is cold. Eventually it gets better but doesn't completly go away. It was suggested to me that it could possibly be a bad wheel bearing. I've recently (in the last month) did the front brakes (pads and rotors) tie rods, and ends

How do you determine if a wheel bearing is indeed bad? Is it by sound, or is there another way to tell? What is involved in replacing a wheel bearing? Thanks!

 

[Porkchop]

Squeeking really isn't normal wheel bearings. More prevalent symptoms is a vibration that increases/decreases with speed.

If you think its bad, jack the car up and make sure the steering wheel is locked. Then put your hands at 12-6 and 3-9 and push/pull the wheel. Let us know where the movement is

 

[SHOZ123]

I had bad front bearings and the sound was like the brakes dragging. But the sound didn't change when the brakes were applied. While cruisng down the highway if I turned the wheel a slight bit in either direction the noise went away.

Jack up the front and grab the wheels at 9 and 3 o'clock or 12 and 6 o'clock. Then try to wiggle the wheel. Any movement is bad.

 

[Wess]

I'll give it a try, thanks!

 

[hoboprodigy-]

wheel bearing is more of a grinding, and doesn't really fluctuate with temperature..

also with wheel bearings if it's just 1 bearing bad the sound will subside or become louder if you turn the wheel either way (highway curves)

 

[Wess]

Actually, the squeek I get occurs only under throttle. When I let off the gas it stops. I was thinking bad drive shaft, but a mechanic friend of mine disagrees. It never really completely goes away, I just becomes a little less pronounced after driving little. I think I was a bit misleading with the temperature discription.

 

[mustangmann]

I had just replaced both wheel bearing for the first time in the cars life on my 98 with 162,000 miles on it. It started to go out like a week or so ago and it basically sounds like a constant rumble or a vibration, not a squeak. Mine was pretty faint though, not real loud but I could feel it throughout the car when driving. When I was going down the highway and turn one way it would get louder and turn the other way and it would almost go away. The problem was that I was not sure which one was out so I thought it was the passenger side so I replaced it only to find out it still made the same noise!!
So then I ended up fixing the other side too. Not real hard to fix, just one of the three bolts that mount the hub to the knuckle in tricky to get at and you will probably have to beat on the hub for a while to get it out of the knuckle if it is rusty. Good luck!!

 

[Wess]

I had just replaced both wheel bearing for the first time in the cars life on my 98 with 162,000 miles on it. It started to go out like a week or so ago and it basically sounds like a constant rumble or a vibration, not a squeak. Mine was pretty faint though, not real loud but I could feel it throughout the car when driving. When I was going down the highway and turn one way it would get louder and turn the other way and it would almost go away. The problem was that I was not sure which one was out so I thought it was the passenger side so I replaced it only to find out it still made the same noise!!
So then I ended up fixing the other side too. Not real hard to fix, just one of the three bolts that mount the hub to the knuckle in tricky to get at and you will probably have to beat on the hub for a while to get it out of the knuckle if it is rusty. Good luck!!

So I'm correct in understanding that you need to replace the entire hub assy? I searched on Rock Auto's web site and found the "Front Wheel; Hub Assembly" for $59.79. Does this sound about right?

 

[Wess]

So then I ended up fixing the other side too. Not real hard to fix, just one of the three bolts that mount the hub to the knuckle in tricky to get at and you will probably have to beat on the hub for a while to get it out of the knuckle if it is rusty. Good luck!!

Mustnagmann,
Your description of this job differs greatly from what Sal posted here: http://shoforum.com/showthread.php?...t=wheel+bearing

Did he simply do more work than what was needed? I'm a little confused here. Thanks!

 

[ManySHOs]

In my experience, the sure fire way to diagnose a bad wheel bearing is to remove the wheel, brake caliper and rotors until you've exposed the bare hub. If there is any play in the hub, the bearing is bad. If the hub is not dead silent as it rotates, the bearing is bad.

Squealing, grinding and vibration (combined with ill handling) are all symptoms of a bad bearing but can also be something else. Jacking up the car and moving the wheel back and forth could be a bad bearing but may also point to slop in other suspension components as well.

Ian

 

[SHOZ123]

So I'm correct in understanding that you need to replace the entire hub assy? I searched on Rock Auto's web site and found the "Front Wheel; Hub Assembly" for $59.79. Does this sound about right?

You probably are only getting this...

No ball joint or anything.

 

[Wess]

You probably are only getting this...

No ball joint or anything.

What do you reccomend Paul?

 

[SHOZ123]

I think you can get an entire new Ford hub for well under $200 each. That would be the ball joint and new aluminum housing too.

Don't know what to tell you. I would get some new ball joints too to put in. But then I have some stashed away from the $100 a pair days.....