When I turn left I hear a rubbing sound, but when I turn right the sound goes away. My car also pulls to the left.
First, does this sound like a wheel bearing?
Which side should I replace?
Is this an easy job I can do with basic tools or is it difficult?
Thank for your help.
First, does it make like a roaring/groaning vibration/sound at speed? When I get home from school I will post a video I posted on youtube I took of when my wheelbearing was bad and you can compare it. In your case it might be the brake pads rubbing the disc. But if it is the wheelbearing, it's not a too difficult of a job. You will need a 30mm deepwell socket, a torque wrench, a 3/8 allen wrench, a good crowbar, a pickle fork if you have one, or something that is very good at prying (and strong), because your going to be doing a lot of it to get the hub unit out. Also have some good wheelbearing grease on hand.
Oh, and having and air compressor and impact wrench makes the whole thing a LOT easier, especially removing the axle nut.
my brakes and rotors are only a few months old. the noise i hear is a humming when i turn left, it goes away when i turn right. what side would that be?
That would be the right wheel bearing then, because when you are turning left, the weight of the vehicle is on the right side. Listen to this, and tell me if this is something like what you hear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0a-LdBnjQM
replace both. if one is bad, the other is probably not far behind it. i have an 04 with 106K and i did mine at like 80-90K because one started to make noise.
its like anything else with a suspension/alignment issue... one worn/broken part will weaken everything else along the line, leads to the snowball effect everyone dreads where you're constantly having to make repairs...
So replacing both sides now will usually save you money down the road... imo
I dunno I replaced that wheel bearing 2,000 miles ago and the other one is not showing any signs of problems yet, we'll see what happens though I suppose.
Nick wrote:I dunno I replaced that wheel bearing 2,000 miles ago and the other one is not showing any signs of problems yet, we'll see what happens though I suppose.
when you do brakes, do you just change the one thats squeaking?
or tires, one at a time?
when you go to get your car aligned, do you just have them align the one wheel?
like said above, snowball effect. sure it sucks to drop the money right away but then you know they are both good. they should last 60-70K but not all do, and some go longer...
Brakes and wheel bearings are two entirely different things. When you have a coil on plug ignition system (as my parents do on the expedition) if one goes bad do you replace the other 7 of them too (to the tune of $100 each?) no of course not. Wheel bearings are $90 a piece (for the good SKF units) I'm not going to replace it unless it gives me trouble.
well i dont. i break one replace them both. i got both fronts for $130 out the door. and that was national brand.
i would assume you are someone who breaks one lug stud, you replace just that one...
do i need any special tools? or just a socket set and a crowbar?
I did mine back in october, you might want a haynes manual (I think a download for one is available on here somewhere). I recall I needed a regular socket set, a crowbar/hammer/pickle fork, 30MM deepwelll socket (ABSOLUTELY Necessarry for removing the axle nut. Cannot do the job without one) and a 3/8" allen wrench for removing the brake calipers. Oh and a flathead screwdriver for compressing the brake pistons. I will warn you, when you get to the part of prying out the old hub unit, be patient. It took me half an hour of prying, hitting it, etc before it gave. I ended up using the pickle fork wedged in as best I could, and kicking it with my foot to move it a little bit at a time. They are a pain in the buttocks to pull out. Just keep that in mind, it could take a while and you will probably be frustrated with it.
Where are your national wheel bearings assembled? I know the SKF unit I bought from NAPA was Made in USA, not Made in Korea like the crappy one I pulled out of it. When the other one starts to go, I will replace it. It could last another 50,000 miles. Why replace what could be a perfectly good part unless I have reason to believe that it is having a problem? By that logic I should replace the rears too. They are original, with 130,500 miles on them, still no signs of failure.
Nick wrote:I did mine back in october, you might want a haynes manual (I think a download for one is available on here somewhere). I recall I needed a regular socket set, a crowbar/hammer/pickle fork, 30MM deepwelll socket (ABSOLUTELY Necessarry for removing the axle nut. Cannot do the job without one) and a 3/8" allen wrench for removing the brake calipers. Oh and a flathead screwdriver for compressing the brake pistons. I will warn you, when you get to the part of prying out the old hub unit, be patient. It took me half an hour of prying, hitting it, etc before it gave. I ended up using the pickle fork wedged in as best I could, and kicking it with my foot to move it a little bit at a time. They are a pain in the buttocks to pull out. Just keep that in mind, it could take a while and you will probably be frustrated with it.
Where are your national wheel bearings assembled? I know the SKF unit I bought from NAPA was Made in USA, not Made in Korea like the crappy one I pulled out of it. When the other one starts to go, I will replace it. It could last another 50,000 miles. Why replace what could be a perfectly good part unless I have reason to believe that it is having a problem? By that logic I should replace the rears too. They are original, with 130,500 miles on them, still no signs of failure.
i think my wheel bearings took me 20 minutes per side? all i needed was the axle nut socket, instead of screwdriver to compress the pistons, try vice grips, work 10x easier. its VERY simple. i think 3 bolts and the axle nut are all that hold them in.
and my national wheel bearings were made about 15 miles from my house...
how likely is it it is my right front bearing and not the rear? i am pretty sure it is front though.
according to my haynes manual it says i need to remove the stabilizer bar from the control arm and separate the control arm from the knuckle. is all of this relly necessary to get the hub off?
BuiltNBoosted wrote:
i think my wheel bearings took me 20 minutes per side? all i needed was the axle nut socket, instead of screwdriver to compress the pistons, try vice grips, work 10x easier. its VERY simple. i think 3 bolts and the axle nut are all that hold them in.
and my national wheel bearings were made about 15 miles from my house...
Hmm. Mine was jammed into the thing very tight. It didn't just pull straight out once the bolts were off. Like I said it took half an hour of prying to get it out.
It's probably the front wheel bearing.
Jimmy wrote:according to my haynes manual it says i need to remove the stabilizer bar from the control arm and separate the control arm from the knuckle. is all of this relly necessary to get the hub off?
No you don't have to disconnect it.
do i need a 55 torx bit to remove the hub bolts? (the one that looks like a star) , or is it the socket with the allen wrench looking tip?
i have a 02 cavalier
*Snaps* That's right sorry about that. Yes you need a 55 Torx bit to get it off. The allen wrench is the ones on the brake calipers.
Is there a How-To on front wheel bearing replacement per chance? Time to replace the wife's on her '99 2.2L Any feedback as to what brand(s) to stay away from?
J
Haynes manual has a pretty good one, and it also has the torque specifications for the bolts. Also, stay away from anything that says made in china, korea, japan... the $90 NAPA part is an SKF unit made in USA, it's solid and good quality.
thanks, i will be doing it sunday.
Nick wrote:Haynes manual has a pretty good one, and it also has the torque specifications for the bolts. Also, stay away from anything that says made in china, korea, japan... the $90 NAPA part is an SKF unit made in USA, it's solid and good quality.
I looked at a buddies Haynes that he had handy, and it mentions removing the drive axle, stabilizer bar, and control arm? I am doubting that this is actually necessary so can anyone confirm? Would an air chisel make things easier to get the old hub of?
J
Argh, more specifically Haynes says to remove the stabilizer bar from the control arm, separate the control arm from the knuckle, and remove the drive axle...
J
