EvilDead Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 So I've done some substantial searching, to no avail... Is there a specific way to diagnose wheel bearing? I have some harmonic sounding "noise" coming from the front drivers side, and it worsens when turning at speed. Car: 87 RX w/145K miles. Thanks in advance for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykingcrab Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I have some harmonic sounding "noise" coming from the front drivers side, and it worsens when turning at speed. Thats how I determine that they are shot. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 er um .... Nowhere did anyone say to jack up the car, shake the wheel (checking for freeplay), and spin it by hand, listneing for a noisey bearing? Eventually the noise will get worse and let you know what it is. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Right on. Yeah I figured I would jack her up this sunday (only day off) and shake her shoes a bit. I just wasn't sure if there was anything else to do, more Subaru specific. But I guess wheel bearings, are wheel bearings. I imagine this would be a OEM from dealer part? As the after market items fail? Are there any specific must have tools when swapping? I got a basic metric set, but no air compressor yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Right on. Yeah I figured I would jack her up this sunday (only day off) and shake her shoes a bit. I just wasn't sure if there was anything else to do, more Subaru specific. But I guess wheel bearings, are wheel bearings. I imagine this would be a OEM from dealer part? As the after market items fail? Are there any specific must have tools when swapping? I got a basic metric set, but no air compressor yet. There is really only a few companies that make bearings in the world (Toyo and federal Moog and i forget who else). They can be had from any parts store. They have to be pressed in and out. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Darn, no press in my garage. I might have access to one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobcob Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 (Toyo and federal Moog and i forget who else)nipper Timken, F-A-G, SKF, General Bearing Co., Shuster Corp, Pacific International Bearing, Pacific Bearing in Illinois, ABI Industries, Rexnord Industries, Schaeffler Group USA, Inc., Champion Bearings, Inc., Accurate Bushing Co., Kingsbury, Inc.... the list goes on... Ones I've found for Subie apps are General Bearing Co. Timken, F-A-G, and SKF... they're kinda the big names out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Timken, F-A-G, SKF, General Bearing Co., Shuster Corp, Pacific International Bearing, Pacific Bearing in Illinois, ABI Industries, Rexnord Industries, Schaeffler Group USA, Inc., Champion Bearings, Inc., Accurate Bushing Co., Kingsbury, Inc.... the list goes on...Ones I've found for Subie apps are General Bearing Co. Timken, F-A-G, and SKF... they're kinda the big names out there Yup those are the ones. i used to work off a master list and it was always interesting who made what for whom . General bearing is a new one on me, are they a mfg , or do they just re-label nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 They have to be pressed in and out. not the EA82 ones.......hammer and a socket extension. pound the outer one out, and the inner one in. and, for the most part, bearings are bearings. so you can get them wherever. but IIRC the OEM ones aren't too expensive. check 1stsubaruparts.com and rockauto.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 not the EA82 ones.......hammer and a socket extension. pound the outer one out, and the inner one in. and, for the most part, bearings are bearings. so you can get them wherever. but IIRC the OEM ones aren't too expensive. check 1stsubaruparts.com and rockauto.com Ah didnt see it was an EA82, then hes golden. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykingcrab Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Ah didnt see it was an EA82, then hes golden. nipper we're all human NUG has made it easy for you!!!!! http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=77491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 Badass. I'll take a laptop to the garage with me, and use that as a power point pres. lol Thanks for all the help gentlemen. I still haven't got my baby into the garage due to my second job, and all this snow. But I might today. I'll keep ya informed on what I find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Well I finally got the RX in the garage last night. Inspected every single wheel, and everything sounded great! No slack or play side to side, or pulling from top or bottom. Spun each wheel (fast and slow) forwards and backwards. No grinding, or loud bearings like the old skateboards from back in the day. Just quiet as could be! So it must be something else in the drive train. Guess I will have to wait till something breaks?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Couple of things to check for (you did wiggle the wheels didnt you?) Cv joints Universal joints on the driveshafts Transmission mount. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 It could still be wheel bearings. In my experience, they howl for a long time before they start getting wobbly. In fact, I have never had one get wobbly yet. And an unloaded wheel bearing might not seem rough when rolling it back and forth by hand. I try to replace my wheel bearings when it gets so loud, it is either a new bearing, or a louder stereo. I have driven thousands of km on noisy ones, and have not yet had a catastrophic failure using this system. Time will tell. Currently, no bearings are complaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykingcrab Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 er um .... Nowhere did anyone say to jack up the car, shake the wheel (checking for freeplay), and spin it by hand, listneing for a noisey bearing? Eventually the noise will get worse and let you know what it is. nipper I think its good to realised that on roller bearings,there can be wear and you maynot feel it, or in the air on jack stands. up/down or free rolling. under cornering loads,is were you will (first) hear it in these cars. Also, tires can trick you aswell. If its hummmming predictably while cornering ,everytime, my moneys on the bearings. one thing that bank on is they will get worse as previously stated.. I would just run it.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 I think its good to realised that on sealed roller bearings,their can be wear and you maynot feel it, or in the air on jack stands. up/down or free rolling. under cornering loads,is were you will (first) hear it in these cars. Also, tires can trick you aswell. If its hummmming predictably while cornering ,everytime, my moneys on the bearings. one thing that bank on is they will get worse as previously stated.. I would just run it.:cool: Nipper, yes I wiggles, and got jiggy with it. Yeah I'm just going to run them till they MUST be replaced. I am also fairly sure the CV at the rear of the axle is worn out. I get a clunk'ish thud when gears are engaged. I forgot to check up on that whilst the rear was in the air. Oh well I got more time than money, so back up she goes!! I just hope I can stop "borrowing" parts from my wagon, and get it running before she is a bone shell in my yard. Thanks for all the input fellas. Mucho appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 on sealed roller bearings The trouble with this situation is that: 1) they are ball bearings 2) they are not sealed (provided we are "talking" front of an EA82) You can replace the OEM/OEM style bearings with sealed ones, but they are not sealed bearings in there, unless someone put them in. What I do is buy sealed bearings, and pull the inner seals, leaving the bearings open on the inside where they can get grease from the inner spacer area. I did read somewhere, where a guy rigged up a grease fitting to this inner area, and greased his front wheel bearings at service time (2 shots of grease maybe, you would not want to over grease). New bearings are almost a "service item" at about $6 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 ^^^ That sounds like a good idea. Over greasing would cause heat dissipation problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Over greasing would cause heat dissipation problems? I kinda *think* it would cause some really not nice things to go on with your front brakes. These are fairly large ball bearing assemblies. The only time I have seen them go bad is with water contamination. And yes, if they will go bad, it seems to me it is at this time of year. First set I ever changed I was lying in the snow to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Over greasing would cause heat dissipation problems? I kinda *think* it would cause some really not nice things to go on with your front brakes. These are fairly large ball bearing assemblies. The only time I have seen them go bad is with water contamination. And yes, if they will go bad, it seems to me it is at this time of year. First set I ever changed I was lying in the snow to do it. Oh man I hear ya. Cover-alls do even do much good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 if they're not loose or noisy to the touch, they're probably not entirely shot. so you could pretty easily just pull them apart, clean out all the old grease and any dirt/grime that may be in there, and repack them with some fresh grease and be good to go. while driving around, see if you can't narrow down which corner the noise is coming from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 if they're not loose or noisy to the touch, they're probably not entirely shot. so you could pretty easily just pull them apart, clean out all the old grease and any dirt/grime that may be in there, and repack them with some fresh grease and be good to go. while driving around, see if you can't narrow down which corner the noise is coming from. I believe it's the driver's side front. And it it ok strait, but on right turns, or hard right turns it speaks up. Being a broke bloke, I might just tear into it sunday, and repack the bastard! Thanks again for all the advice, sure is appreciated!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I might just tear into it sunday, and repack the bastard! The last ones I bought, by bearing number, double sealed, from an industrial bearing supply, were $6 each. I do not have the number handy, but it is here somewhere, if you search, for the want of $12, why not put this to bed? Like, you will be in there doing the work anyway, $12 doesn't even buy me 2 packs of smokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDead Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 I might just tear into it sunday, and repack the bastard! The last ones I bought, by bearing number, double sealed, from an industrial bearing supply, were $6 each. I do not have the number handy, but it is here somewhere, if you search, for the want of $12, why not put this to bed? Like, you will be in there doing the work anyway, $12 doesn't even buy me 2 packs of smokes. Agreed, put it to bed!! I have to make most orders for parts online. I live a half hour from teh closest parts store, which can suck. There is an auto-x this sunday, and a car meet the next! I might not get to it for a while. But agreed, just get it all over with, and get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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