Wheel Bearing Question
 

I purchased my 1992 SVX about 3 weeks ago, and have reviewed many postings here regarding wheel bearing problems. My car definitely seems loud, particularly in the 40 to 60 mph range. My problem is it seems very difficult to determine which side the sound is coming from. Do the rear bearings typically go out at approximately the same time? I really enjoy the car, yet am a bit intimidated by the cost of repair. When I purchased the car, the windshield had a crack about 8 inches long. I thought I would just call the Subaru dealer here in Indianapolis and purchase a new windshield and replace it myself. Surprise ($1200). Luckily, I found a used windshield in excellent condition in Kentucky, paid $180 for the windshield and $80 to ship it here. Anyway, I love the new ride.

Have someone sit in the back seat and they will be able to determine which side the noise is coming from. For us, we replaced the left side and then the right side went!! Now the car is really quiet zooming down the road. Larry

Brickyard growl!
 

Welcome Indie,

Nice to see a new member coming on.

Taohog is spot on with the advice. As an enhancement, let down the rear seat back/s before driving away. There is no sound deadening in the trunk, so you can easily hear which wheel is making the noise.

It is possible both bearings could be gone, but this would be an unlucky co-incidence. In such case, fix the noisier one first.

Good luck with the fix, and make very, very sure the person fitting your bearing knows how to do it, the correct tools and correct grease, or else a strong chance of damaging the hub and subsequent more expensive failure is ahead of you.

Joe:)

Thanks for the advice. I plan to take the car to the Subaru dealer to have the repair performed. I know this particular dealer has some experience with SVXs, as I know someone who recently had a new transmission installed there. What should I expect to pay for the repair?

Re: Brickyard growl!
 

When I first got my car I had bearing noise but couldn't tell where it was coming from...the front (yes, front) driver's side bearing was out. I had it replaced and then I could tell there was bearing noise coming from the rear driver's side. Well, that's $700 down the drain; but now I can hear my stereo.

Before I heard the bearing noise, the crappy tires the previous owner had on it and never got rotated were cupped and making a racket. I got them replaced first and then heard the bearing noise.

I could have had the bearings done elsewhere for cheaper but decided to go to the dealer for two reasons. 1, there's a higher chance they're familar with SVX bearings (the service mgr at my dealer is an SVXer himself); and 2, they warranty parts and labor for a year. So if either of the two bearings go out again it's no cost to me.

YMMV, but hopefully you won't have as many problems as I did. Good luck with your fixes and enjoy the new ride. Whatever you have to spend on it, it's worth it.

--Dan

Just a note to anyone (everyone) with bearing issues. If a bearing is indeed bad you should be able to hear the grinding noise simply by jacking the tire off the ground and spinning the tire by hand.

After joinig here and reading all the threads about bearng problems I became convinced I had the problem. However I was cautious and soon realised I was all up tight and listening to noisy tyres.