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How to Identify a Bad Wheel Bearing or Wheel Hub Bearing Assembly When a Wheel Bearing or Hub Assembly is bad, it will usually make a noise. The noise can vary when you turn, and also with speed. This grinding noise indicates that your wheel bearings are bad, and you should replace them. Common noises are squeaks, chirps, squeals, moans, grinding, growling, whining, etc. Purchase new wheel bearings or hub assemblies here. One good way to tell if a wheel bearing is bad is by taking hold of the wheel at 6 and 12 o'clock and attempting to shake it. The amount of wiggle room that your wheel has is play. There should be very little or no play in the wheel. If you do have play in your wheel, you need to replace your wheel bearings or hub. If there is no play in your wheel, that doesn't necessarily mean your wheel bearing is good. When you rotate the wheel by hand, and experience roughness or noise, this too can indicate bad wheel bearings. Another check you can make is by checking the temperature of the wheel hub after driving ten miles. The hub portion should be barely warm (the wheel it self will be hotter because of the brakes). The hub's job is to prevent friction with the body. If the hub is warm, friction is causing it to heat up, and you need new hubs. Purchase new wheel bearings or hub assemblies here. The ABS Sensor. On many hubs, there is an ABS sensor. If the ABS sensor is bad, it will cause your ABS light to come on on the dash. This can also cause ABS malfunctions. To fix this issue and restore your ABS, you will need a new hub assembly. To see if your hub assembly includes an ABS sensor or an ABS exciter ring, please email us at mibearings@aol.com or use this contact form. A bearing failure can be dangerous because it may cause the wheel to separate from the vehicle and/or cause a loss of steering control! It's not something to ignore or put off because there is no way to know how many miles the bearings will go before the unit fails completely. A bad wheel bearing, once diagnosed as bad, will generally last 2 weeks to 2 months. I would not drive on a bad wheel bearing for more than a month, but it depends on how bad the bearing is, and how much you drive. Purchase new wheel bearings or hub assemblies here. Replacing a wheel bearing or hub assembly will involve removing the wheel, hub nut and brakes to replace the unit. Do not use an impact wrench for removal or installation of the hub nut. Use a torque wrench and tighten all bolts and nuts to specifications. You will not have to worry about the axle nut and torquing it if you are replacing a hub that is not driven. Do you have anything to add? Any questions or comments? email mibearings@aol.com |
| MIBearings LLC | Last Modified Tuesday August 11, 2009 | Sitemap | Wheel Bearing | Wheel Bearings | Corvette Wheel Bearings | Wheel Hub Bearings, Wheel Bearing |
