Q: Wheel Bearings

Back in November of last year when I had my fuel pump replaced my mechanic noted a problem with one of the wheel bearings. He stated it was minor and nothing to worry about. With that advice I went on my way.

Today my vehicle is making a whirring noise. At first I thought it was tire noise as I had recently put on a new set of tires. However I suspect the noise may be related to the bearing issue my mechanic mentioned. The noise, from inside the car, sounds a lot like what you'd hear from a big 4x4 driving down the road with those big off road tires. Has anyone experienced this type of noise as the result of a failing bearing? I am not experiencing any adverse handling issues with the car. All seems fine on that front. But I'd like to nip this in the bud before it becomes a problem.

With that said I've decided to at least check the bearings. Here are the two things I know on how to check them:

1. With the weight off the wheel attempt to rock the wheel to see if there is movement.
   
2. With the weight off the wheel spin the tire and listen for noise and resistance.
   

Are there any other checks a backyard mechanic can try?

I also have questions on how I should replace them. I've searched the Internet for how to's and it appears the recommendation is to have a mechanic actually replace the bearing (remove the assembly from the car and take it to be replaced). Alternatively AutoZone sells the entire assembly for $20 more than a new bearing / seal...plus I would have to buy grease. I could borrow a bearing puller from AutoZone but it seems the additional money would be well spent. Are there any other items I would need to buy besides the bearing / seal / grease? The assembly is only for the rear. It appears the front bearings are easier to replace. Is this true?

Thoughts about replacing one bearing / assembly as opposed to doing an axle and / or all four? It seems reasonable if I'm going to do one side of an axle I may as well do the other. Any advice here?

I am in need of replacing my rear wheel bearings as well. Looks like this is what we need unless somebody can say otherwise:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=4785570&cc=1389405

You've got a pretty good grasp on how to check the bearing. There isn't much more you can do beyond what you mentioned. If the bearing is bad, you will have some play in the wheel. Keep in mind that you will also have side-to-side play in the wheel as a result of play in the steering system (if this is a front wheel). To check the bearings, personally, I prefer to just jack the car up and remove the wheel. Then you can grab the hub itself and wiggle that and it's much easier to see whether it is the bearing that is loose. Often times, you can just grab the studs and yank up on it and wiggle it up and down a bit (there shouldn't be any play in that direction.)

The bearings need to be pressed in, so you will probably want to just bring the hub to a machine shop. I'm not sure what you are looking at, but I can't imagine you can get the entire hub WITH a bearing for only $20 more than just the bearing... but perhaps I am mistaken.

If one bearing is going out, the other one might be on its way out, but I don't think there is any need to preemptively replace the other, since it's not as though you are saving yourself any time, work or money by doing them at the same time.

You've got a pretty good grasp on how to check the bearing. There isn't much more you can do beyond what you mentioned. If the bearing is bad, you will have some play in the wheel. Keep in mind that you will also have side-to-side play in the wheel as a result of play in the steering system (if this is a front wheel). To check the bearings, personally, I prefer to just jack the car up and remove the wheel. Then you can grab the hub itself and wiggle that and it's much easier to see whether it is the bearing that is loose. Often times, you can just grab the studs and yank up on it and wiggle it up and down a bit (there shouldn't be any play in that direction.)

 

The bearings need to be pressed in, so you will probably want to just bring the hub to a machine shop. I'm not sure what you are looking at, but I can't imagine you can get the entire hub WITH a bearing for only $20 more than just the bearing... but perhaps I am mistaken.

 

If one bearing is going out, the other one might be on its way out, but I don't think there is any need to preemptively replace the other, since it's not as though you are saving yourself any time, work or money by doing them at the same time.

This was my thought too. However I did call and asked about it. However perhaps the parts guy was mistaken so I'll be certain to double check. Especially when my mechanic said a hub assembly would be over $100.

As for the bearing issue he stated the above tests wouldn't work for a bearing that's starting to go out. He said it would have to be well worn before those tests would reveal anything. He also advised replacing on the failing bearing as there was no benefit to preemptively changing the other. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to figure out which bearing is the problem. Any suggests are welcome.

Yeah, that is true. If it's only starting to go bad, you won't have much play. The good news is that (as far as I am aware) it's not like if you don't replace it one day, it will CATASTROPHICALLY EXPLODE within a week. It will just progressively get worse and worse until it is obvious that the bearing is bad - at which point you can replace it.

If it isn't in bad enough shape to have play in it, it really comes down to sound and feel. For example, if it's the left front, then when you put more weight on it (taking a right-hand turn) the sound should get louder, and you might even get a bit of vibration through the wheel. The only other common cause for noise from a particular corner is a bad axle, but I assume you've checked to make sure your boots aren't torn.

You can also try turning it by hand, but you will want to remove the wheel to do so. The wheel provides a huge lever arm which makes it difficult to tell if there is any resistance. Take the wheel off and spin the hub and you should be able to tell if it isn't spinning smoothly (you can also put your ear up to it and listen for any grinding). You don't want any sudden stops or rough spots. Trouble is, you can't easily do this with the front hub without disconnecting the axle, as it won't freewheel due to being connected to the diff... soooo... honestly it might be easier to just let it go for a bit (give the weather a chance to warm up!) and diagnose it that way...?

I've replaced a bunch of bearings with horrible noise but no play. I've also had bearings with play but no noise.

Yes it sounds like a bad bearing for you. Now find a straight smooth road and slowly swerve right and left. If the noise goes away or lessens when you turn right its most likely the right front. Same for left.

Thanks for the advice Stang70Fastback and vr4. The two of you sound just like my mechanic.

I'm now trying to figure out how to proceed with identifying the bearing. I have thought about just letting it go until warmer weather but the noise is starting to annoy me.

My father feels it's definitely in the rear. His thought is to replace one and, if it's not the correct one, replace the other one. With 174K miles it's not like I'm replacing a low mileage part. Now that I think about it the passenger / drivers side assembly is identical which means if I choose the wrong one I can just take the one I removed and put it on the opposite side. Hmmm...might be something to consider.

Now that I think about it the passenger / drivers side assembly is identical which means if I choose the wrong one I can just take the one I removed and put it on the opposite side. Hmmm...might be something to consider.

I wouldn't recommend that. It's an old bearing, and removing it and then pressing it into the other side is a good way to guarantee that you're just going to have to take it out and replace it with a NEW one a short while after. It's not like it's a $600 part that you can't just afford to put a new one in.

If you think it's at the rear, then the best solution is to have someone else drive the car while you sit in the back and figure out where it's coming from. As we've both stated, weight transfer by swerving back and forth a bit should be enough to identify which side just by the change in intensity of the sound, but if you aren't sure just climb back there and figure it out. Just because it sounds like it's coming from the back doesn't mean it is. I once had a whine that was coming from the back of the car as CLEAR AS DAY, until one day my dad was in the passenger seat and was like, "Uh, NO, that's CLEARLY coming from the front," and when I leaned towards the center of the car, I realized he was right. The way the sound reverberates in the vehicle will play tricks on you. So just climb into the back if you aren't sure and figure it out!

To be honest though, if the bearing isn't bad enough that it isn't obvious what corner it's coming from, then you don't have TOO much to worry about, ATM, lol.

I wouldn't recommend that. It's an old bearing, and removing it and then pressing it into the other side is a good way to guarantee that you're just going to have to take it out and replace it with a NEW one a short while after. It's not like it's a $600 part that you can't just afford to put a new one in.

 

If you think it's at the rear, then the best solution is to have someone else drive the car while you sit in the back and figure out where it's coming from. As we've both stated, weight transfer by swerving back and forth a bit should be enough to identify which side just by the change in intensity of the sound, but if you aren't sure just climb back there and figure it out. Just because it sounds like it's coming from the back doesn't mean it is. I once had a whine that was coming from the back of the car as CLEAR AS DAY, until one day my dad was in the passenger seat and was like, "Uh, NO, that's CLEARLY coming from the front," and when I leaned towards the center of the car, I realized he was right. The way the sound reverberates in the vehicle will play tricks on you. So just climb into the back if you aren't sure and figure it out!

 

To be honest though, if the bearing isn't bad enough that it isn't obvious what corner it's coming from, then you don't have TOO much to worry about, ATM, lol.

I just returned from the auto parts store where I learned they do not sell the hub with the bearing as an assembly. When I made the statement about swapping one for the other I was referring to the entire assembly (hub / bearing) and not the bearing itself. It looks like I'll need to identify the problem bearing and then replace the bearing. The good news is AutoZone provides the tools to remove and reinstall the bearing...so it's something I can DIY. I ended up buying a bearing and three seals and picking up the tools. I'll try to identify the problem bearing before doing any work. To be honest I'm not so much concerned about the cost (bearing and seals were around $60) so even if I get it wrong I'd just spend another $60. And, as my father said, it's not like I'm replacing a new bearing.

Thanks for your advice. Hopefully I'll be able to get to it tomorrow. Weather is supposed to be nice but taking a turn colder tomorrow night. If I can't identify the problem bearing I may take your advice and hold off. I'm just getting annoyed by the noise.

So I spent some time last night watching YouTube videos and reading how to's on replacing the bearing. I feel I have a decent understanding but do have some questions...a lot stemming from the fact most of the how to's weren't specific to my make / model / year of car (I watched / read them just to get a feel for the process in general).

I came across this six step process (which is specific to the make / model / year car I'm working on):

http://www.ehow.com/how_7785673_replace-legacy-rear-wheel-bearing.html

The overall process appears fairly simple with step 5, replacing the bearing, being the most involved. However I do have some questions (this is for a rear bearing):

1. In order to remove the assembly is there a center axle nut which I must remove? I don't see it mentioned in the above but I did see it for other how to's (though not specific to the same make / model / year). I'd like to know ahead of time so I have the proper tools available.
   
2. Has anyone actually replaced the bearing? If so how did it go? I obtained the bearing tools from AutoZone yesterday evening. The process appears to be fairly straightforward given the description above. But the devil is always in the details.
   
3. If I should decide to forgo replacing the bearing myself what shop will do the work for me? I'd take it to my mechanic but he's about 15 miles away so I'd like to have someone closer to my home perform the work.
   

Appreciating all the feedback. I'm going to pull the wheels this afternoon to see if I can narrow down the problem bearing. If not I'll probably hold off on this until the problem gets worse (never thought I'd be saying that!)

If your doing the rear bearing the hardest part is removing the long bolt that goes through the knuckle. Then it can be a pain to find a way to support the assembly on the press to get out the hub and not bend up your backing plate. Last time I did mine I used an air hammer and just knocked the hub out since I was replacing the hub also.

Once the hub is out you need to remove the clip that holds the bearing into the knuckle. Then you can remove the backing plate and press out the bearing which can be a pita sometimes cause they can seize in the hub pretty good. I usually knock out the inner races and weld a good bead on the outer race to help break it free with heat and give a good surface to press on.

Once the old bearing is out your home free if your using a new hub. If you use the old hub then you have to remove part of the inner race from it. If using a new hub transfer over the abs ring. (Dorman hubs from rockauto worked fine for me) Only non dealer part I used. I think the large hole in the oem hub makes it weak.

Grease up and press in the new bearing using the old outer race and secure it with the clip once its in all the way. Tap in the outer seal and bolt on the backing plate then you can press in the hub while supporting the inner race from below with a socket. Then just tap in the 2 inner seals and your ready to reassemble.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l285/spdfrk1990/Legacy/IMG_0378.jpg

This is starting to sound a little more complicated than I original had thought. I can see myself possibly damaging things and turning a low cost job into a higher cost job. I'm giving serious consideration to having my mechanic perform the work. He states it's a 2.1 hour job so it would cost me a couple hundred dollars.

That might be a good idea. Not sure I would attempt it without a press or even a welder or torch to be able to heat things up. Once you get the process down though its not bad at all.

is this a rear wheel bearing job?

If so there is a speciality tool (harbor freight has cheap one) that can allow you to change the bearing on car without messing up your alignment its expensive but would pay for itself after the second use and it changes the shop time to .8hour per bearing.

So...this afternoon I pulled the drivers side rear wheel and immediately encountered my first problem: The end axle nut for which I do not have an appropriate socket. Knowing when to throw in the towel or, in this case, when to know to avoid entering the ring in the first place, I took the car down to my mechanic.

It's his opinion the bearing is sufficiently worn to warrant having the work done in the near future so I scheduled an appointment to have the work done on Friday. He thinks it's the drivers rear bearing but will have to confirm once he puts it on the lift.

I'll let everyone know what he has to say.

Fair enough. Those axle nuts alone can be infuriating.

(For future reference, you can rent an axle nut kit from Advance Auto that will have the socket you need!)

Fair enough. Those axle nuts alone can be infuriating.

(For future reference, you can rent an axle nut kit from Advance Auto that will have the socket you need!)

The axle nut wasn't a big obstacle but I took it as an omen of how the job was going to progress. What I didn't want to happen was to get involved and reach a point where I could go no further and I couldn't go back (without buying additional parts). Then I'd have to have it towed to my mechanic which might have been problematic given it was on jack stands in the garage.

My mechanic stated it would cost approximately $200 for him to do the work so I figure why not spend an additional $100 or so and have him take care of it. Plus he's going to do the work in determining which bearing is at fault. For now I was shooting in the dark (but I was suspecting the drivers side rear bearing so it looks like I was on the right track...assuming it turns out to be that bearing).

Thanks for all the advice.