Ways to tell if the front wheel bearing is bad?

[kwren]

Noise would probably be one but are there others... Maybe for people that can't hear it thunder. Would there be side to side movement in the wheel if the car was jacked up a bit? Mine seems to have and driving it does produce some interesting sounds...

Any (good)suggestions will be rewarded!!

Keith

[SoCal LS-L]

Have you ever replaced your ball joints Keith? Side to side as in the wheel wiggles on the hub or it feels lose in the steering?

[kwren]

I replaced those about a year ago, maybe a little longer. Thanks

Keith

[dcarrb]

When a front wheel bearing on my silver was failing, the only symptom was the familiar drone that increases in volume with speed. Car drove fine, with no noticeable slop in the steering. But then, I didn't give it the opportunity to get really bad.

That one grumpy wheel bearing really dinged my wallet, as I went ahead and did both sides and also had to spring for tone wheels ($$$$$) and an ABS sensor.

dcb

[want-a-fast-svx]

When i was working at the dealer we would have front bearings go out all the time on quite a few hyundai's. The best way to tell on the was to load that particular side in question. For example while going down a straight road, with few people, swerve to left if you were suspecting the pass side and swerve to the right for the drivers. Doing this loads the opposite side of the car that you are turning and will in turn load the bearing. This will be when you hear the bearing really make some noise. If you can't hear it you can also shake the wheel and check for play. Just make sure you aren't getting play from ball joints or tie rod ends. These are just a few suggestions that we used to use. My experience with the svx is when they go you hear it.

[svx1999]

I am having an issue with a Vibration at 60. Strange it almost resembles that of a knot. I just bought tires and all of them are fine. I had them balanced and rotated recently to see if this cured it. NOPE.

So the other morning, as I was driving at slower speeds. 45, taking a left hand curve I heard this odd little noice of thut thut hut which matches my vibration exactly. At first I thought ok I've got bad rotors FInally after 6 years. and perhaps they werejust warped and the vibration was coming from the Pads hitting the high spots thus sending a Vibration through. Now I'm not so certain.
The noise I heard don't not occur when turning to the right. My handy meachanic friend told me there was a Very small amount of movement int he wheel ( up and down) when you wiggled it to check I think bearings. He said I Might need to think about Ball joints too.I seem to remember him saying Bearings though..... Anyways I've ruled out Tie rods as when I had a bad CV joint I opted to replace Both front axles. SOrta takes care of inner and outer CV joints that way. and If I'm not mistaken and I surely could be, Aren'thtere New tie rod ends on the axel's???? Now as I'm thinking , the answer is NO
Tie rods are a another Part!!!! to replace. Strange for a bearing noise as it is NOT a whine. Like I said it wiggles the wheel at 60 and only becomes more pronounced at higher speeds. The other morning was the first time I"ve heard this noise of something bumping as I turn to the right.

Anyhelp would be GREATLY appreciated.
SVX1999

[Hocrest]

If you tighten up the axle nut to spec torque, and you can't turn the wheel by hand, that's another sign that the bearing is shot...

[trophy956]

hi well if it moves its not good,some one else suggested tightening the axle nut to see if it locks ,do this with the wheel off the ground only or you will need a wheel brg ,from your discription i would good with a brg

[Crazy_pilot]

Ways to check for bad bearings:

-Grab the top and bottom of the tire and try to shake it to check for play. Typically, Subaru bearings don't develop much play, so chances are you won't find anything.

- Put on hand on the spring and spin the wheel with the other, see if you can feel roughness in the spring. This can require a bit of practise to nail down.

- With all 4 wheels off the ground, start the car and put it in drive. Use a mechanic's stethoscope on the knuckle of each wheel and see if one is louder than the others. This usually doesn't require much speed, so don't get in the car and wail on it.



SVX1999, what kind of wheels do you have on your car? When was the last time your brake rotors were replaced?

[tiv0]

Quick question about wheel bearings, what will happen if they are not replaced immediately? I've got a bad pass. side front and driver's side rear wheel bearing and I'm not able to have them replaced at this very point in time. Just wondering what could/will happen over time driving on bad wheel bearings?

[Crazy_pilot]

I drove on a bad rear bearing for ~5K miles (from when I bought the car). If it's just developped then you've got a good bit of time. However, if left too long, things can get really hairy. OT has a good story of what can happen. It involves smoke, fire, ruined axles...As with anything on a car, it's only going to get worse.

[SVXalter]

It seems my front passenger wheel bearing is going out, which is what I suspected before checking the forums. It's kind of a hollow friction sound that increases in frequency with the speed of the vehicle. It is the worst on left turns and it sticks around while breaking and coasting. Also, it is extremely annoying How much have you guys paid to have these done?

[Tim]

My front left bearing just went bad this month. It made a strange scraping sound that I originally thought were dragging brakes, and was making a thumping feeling that went away and came back depending on load. It was quite awful.

[SVXalter]

I'm scheduled to get my front passenger side wheel bearing replaced in a week. Today when I got on the highway and got the speed up a little bit the were some vibrations. It made no noise, but was kind of more of an up and down bouncing. There is still the scraping noise coming from the front passenger side, but that is mostly druing low speed sharp left hand turns.

Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[Cam]

when in doubt, change it out. wheel bearings are much cheaper than axles. and easier to replace as well