This wheel bearing might be bad...

[Fairtax4me]

I like to share some of the odd failures I see from time to time.

This one went from no noise to complete failure in about 5 miles.

Got it all torn apart today so I can try out my spankin' new Hub Grappler kit tomorrow!

 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Fairtax4me

[keith3267]

Can't see the video but I have had a bearing go with no prior indications.  Its a bummer, especially when you are on vacation and almost 1k miles from home.  In fact, it happened to me this year.

[Fairtax4me]

Got the hub pulled out and discovered there was no outer axle seal. The bearing has been replaced at some point and a new outer seal was not installed. So the bearing has been exposed to water and whatever other dirt/grit can float its way up between the knuckle and the hub.

[keith3267]

I should add that when my last wheel bearing failed suddenly, it did not give the typical roaring sound but instead it sounded like a propeller on a small airplane.  It only made noise above 50 mph.  First time I ever heard a wheel bearing make that sound.

[heartless]

I cant see the video either (have never had much luck seeing them on photobucket)

 

our 95 Dodge Ram had one go out fairly quickly - I noticed a little noise coming home - about 9 miles from home - from a long trip.

the following weekend we drove about 20 miles to pick up a motorcycle, and it failed completely on the way home from that - had to call a friend to take the trailer home, unload the bike and come back to get our truck.

 

started to pull the hub off and the ball bearings fell out on the ground!

Edited December 15, 2014 by heartless

[craigmcd]

I just replaced both rear wheel bearing hubs. Here is my experience: The bearing went fairly quickly from no problem and no noise, then to a low hum, and within about 100 miles to a low roar at 40 mph. A week later at 55 mph the roar from the rear of the car was about 94 decibels as measured on an iPhone. I was able to get a hoist (at an Army post facility) and following advice in other posts check out vibration on strut, heat shields, all bolts tight, drive shaft, differential oil, movement of wheel, etc. There was nothing noteworthy. I was able to start the car and idle in drive, with all four wheels spinning off the ground. Using an automotive stethoscope, there was NO noticeable / alarming noise from either bearing. In fact the only real noise was from the front of the differential, where the u-joint connects. One of the guys at the garage said that with out weight on the wheels I might not hear the bearing, and he was right. The tires are in need of replacement, and I thought it possible that this is excessive road noise. I went ahead and ordered a set of tires and had them installed. Car drives great, but the whirr from the back is just as loud.

 

Since the 2005 Outback VDC has 160,000+ miles, and we have no idea if the bearing are original (they were), I went ahead and ordered the new hubs (which include the sealed bearings). I combined this work with installing new shocks and coils on the rear. The old bearing off the car made noise when spun, both left and right about the same. The noise was like a rusty dry sound, with a hint of a click. After the bearing replacement the noise is completely gone. The car handles and rides great with the new tires and shocks. By far the hardest part of the job was A) getting the rotor off the hub and getting the hub off the trailing arm.

 

So, it can be hard to pin down the exact cause of the noise, and weather it is left or right. I think that regular mechanics (I am a good weekend mechanic) just know the sound and are able to diagnose after a short test drive. That is my story. PS: paid  $107 each for Moog hubs w/ bearing.

[Fairtax4me]

New video link on yootoob. Should have just posted it there to begin with.

 

Yep, $23 for Beck Arnley double sealed bearing. $15 for new hub seals from napa for double protection.

$420 puller kit so I can do it all again on the GFs car when I figure out which bearing/(s) is making noise on hers.

Her 95 Legacy has been making noise for about 15k miles now with no play in any wheels.

Her new 06 Forester also has a bad bearing. She's put about 6k on that one with a faint grumble. I heard it when she bought it, and it just got loud enough that she just noticed it last week.

 

 

Of course, after driving her 95 for a week, I noticed mine makes an awful lot of tire noise, so that bearing may have been making some noise and I just couldn't hear it. I spend enough time in that car though, I'm pretty sure I would have heard something.

[keith3267]

You must have had Firestone tires to mask that bearing.  In 02, I bought a brand new Saturn.  At 84k miles, when I replaced those OEM tires with a good set of Bridgestone Turanza's, I discovered that one rear wheel bearing was bad and had been so from the factory.  It took me two days to get the old bearing out, I even pulled the bearing on the other side to see if it was supposed come out the way it looked like it was supposed to.  It took about ten minutes on the other side.  The new one went in easy so there was something wrong with the hub assembly housing on the bad one.

 

This bearing made the typical roar.  This is teh same car that blew a front bearing that sounded like a propeller, but that didn't happen until almost 274k miles.

[Fairtax4me]

Well like I said, there was no noise, or at least no discernable noise, until I started driving home from the store. By the time I got it home (about 3 miles) it was VERY evident even under 20mph.

 

Just about a month ago I had to get it inspected. I checked over everything beforehand, and there was no play in any of the bearings.

When I got back from the store I jacked up the front and this wheel had almost 1/4" of play, and there was a faint mark in the caliper bracket where the rotor was starting to rub against it.