rubbing sound... wheel bearing?

[rjcj]

Hello all,

Recently, I have noticed a rubbing sound coming from my driver's side front wheel. It's not very loud, but you can definitely hear it at low speeds, especially if driving next to a building or Jersey barriers. When I jacked the front up and spun the tire, you can definitely feel friction slowing it down prematurely. From everything I've read, I think my wheel bearing is shot. What do you guys think?

My second question is, if it is the bearing, how hard is it to replace. I would probably replace the entire hub assmembly. Is this a job someone with light mechanic experience could do? Do I need any special tools?

TIA,
Ron

 

[Mr Anonymous]

It could also be the caliper hanging up due to a seized piston or sliding-pin. Remove the caliper bracket (with the caliper still attached) from the spindle and tie it off far enough away so it won't interfere with the tire; put the tire back on (you can just hand tighten the lug nuts) and turn the tire. If you still have the friction, then the bearings are probably shot. If not check to make sure the caliper slides freely back & forth on the bracket and inspect the pads.

Bearing replacement requires a press (I forget how many lbs.), which many machine shops and garages have and will press them for a nominal fee (I paid $20/pair -- BTW if it is the bearings, I would recommend replacing both sides).

 

[Blast7]

Does the sound become louder when you turn one way or the other? If you want to replace the front bearings then you will need to press the new bearing in at something like 5,000lbs/square inch of pressure.

 

[fredhurderjr]

Check to make sure the brake dust shield isn't rubbing against the rotor too.

 

[DHMag]

follow the ideas the others have given you. as for replacing the wheel bearing, i did mine myself (with help from my dad). we did not have access to an arbor press, so we devised our own method. to get the hub and bearing from the knuckle, we pulled the knuckle off and mounted it on the wheel in the yard. then used a 2 jaw puller to pull the hub from the knuckle (was a 2 hour process). once we got to the bearing, we used a side action hydraulic rachet (used for punching holes in electrical boxes) to pull the bearing from the knuckle. in all, took us 4 hours to tear it down, replace, and rebuild. if youd like detailed info, email me and ill tell ya.