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Bearing questions and answers
Car Axle Bearing Questions and Answers - This category contains featured questions as examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question: 1998 Mercury Mystique mileage 102,000. Recently our Mercury
Mystique started making a noise from the left front wheel, since it sounded like
a bad tire I took it to the local tire store. After driving it they put it up on
the lift and they showed me that while spinning the left front wheel you could hear
a clunking noise inside the transmission. They said that they thought I should have
the transmission checked out. They also said that my left front wheel bearing housing
was bad and that was what was making the noise, but they suggested that the bad
bearing was caused by the transmission. What inside the transmission would cause
the bearing to go bad? If I decide to re-build the transmission myself, how hard
is it on this car and will I be able tell what is causing the noise when I get the
transmission open?
Answer: Obviously it is easier to replace a wheel bearing
than to rebuild the transmission. With the car up on a hoist, the engine running
and the transmission in gear, the noisy component should be easily pinpointed. Its
probably a axle bearing problem.
Question: 2003 Toyota Camry mileage: 84,000. Hi Bob and Ken!
Are Front Wheel Bearings something that still needs maintenance/replacing these
days If so, is it fairly easy for a DIY or am I not saving much $$$ by taking it
to a shop? First, I don't know if that's my problem. "Occasionally" I can notice
a grumbling noise in the front. It happens (sometimes) when I coast down a hill
only at the point if I turn the wheel to the LEFT. The noise will stop when I straighten
out. Do you think that is worn bearings or are my brake pads rubbing?
Answer: Yes, is defiantly sounds like a axle bearing, remove to replace
with new unit to recheck.
Question: 2003 Volkswagen Jetta mileage: 116,000. I was trying to
repair the front wheel bearings on the driver’s side and it got stuck. After
I removed the hub nut and brake calipers, I tried to remove the rest of the hub
assembly to access the bearings. I tried using a puller to remove the assembly
and all that did was push the axle spindle (not sure of the name) off the wheel
instead of pulling off the hub assembly. What did I do wrong?
Answer: The tool you need to remove the hub is called a slide hammer
or a "bearing replacement press kit" will do the job.
Question: 1997 Olds 88 mileage: 89,000. Hey, guys I
have just purchased this beautiful car for a very good price due to left rear axle
being out about 1/4 of an inch. Unfortunately, I do not have much experience
with rear-ends at all let alone the fact that this one has the limited slip rear-end.
I have pulled the rear end apart and of course found that the wheel bearings on
this side are shot. Any suggestions on how to press the new bearings
would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to repair the car where it sits
so I have taken out the shaft to press the bearings at the garage I work at.
What I am wondering is if there is any secrets or tips that I should know about
to press the bearings in the rear-end.
Answer: No secrets. Just use the proper fixtures to hold the
bearings and axle. Be sure to put the retainer back on the axle before you
press on the new axle bearing.
Question: 1999 Chevrolet Suburban mileage: 95,848. I know that this
is a hard one to answer without doing the road test yourself. I guess that
I am just asking you to tell me of the most likely places to look. I am experiencing
a thrumming sound which can start anywhere between 45 and 70 mph. I have only
driven this car about 1000 miles since I bought it a month ago. I had to replace
the upper control arm bushings on the left side and I bought 4 new tires and had
the front-end realigned. I changed the differential gear lube (which showed signs
of a very small amount of moisture present as foam) and the right rear axle bearing,
which was really probably OK, but the roller retainer had a break in it. The races
looked good. I repacked the front wheel bearings, taking out the outer ones
and cleaning them thoroughly but just repacking the inners since I did not have
the seals. The thrumming is inconsistently directional. By that I mean
that one time the thrumming will stay or get worse if I make a steering correction
to the RIGHT and quiet down completely and immediately if the correction is made
to the LEFT. A little later the correction to the RIGHT will be the
one to quiet the thrumming down completely and immediately and the one to the LEFT
will establish the thrumming again. The universal joints seem good and the
thrumming occurs even if you slip it into neutral and coast. What do you think?
Where should I look next? Should I just keep driving it until is gets worse?
Answer: Its sounds like your axle bearing needs replacing, disassemble
to inspect "all" races to replace as needed. MORE:
Bearing questions and answers
Repair Topics / Axle
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