fnlyfnd Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 After reading up some on wheel bearings, I think my problem is a wheel bearing. After my move to Buffalo (~2hrs at highway speeds), I pulled into the parking lot to notice a horrid sound coming from my wheel, no matter which direction the wheel was turned. (Like a loud screeching/scratching) I have a couple questions: Could the new axle (I just installed) cause a 120K wheel bearing to go, since the new axle is tighter?? Should I (the shop) really replace both front wheel bearings?? -I am a broke college student that just moved w/ no tools or space, but everyone (on the boards) seem to say replace both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 not sure that a wheel bearing is your problem. When a wheel bearing goes bad, it starts making an rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sound, that is louder and more pronounced when making a sweeping turn in one direction. Usually driving in a straight direction, it is not very loud at all. Suspect that your problem may be more related to a CV joint giving you trouble, even though you just installed a new one. Does the noise go away for a while once the car has been turned off for several hours, and everything has had a chance to cool down? If so, another reason to suspect a bad CV joint. If a bad wheel bearing, I never replace both at the same time. One going bad is not a good reason to suspect the other is going bad. Prolly a good idea to jack up the corner that the noise is coming from. Once the road wheel is off the ground, pull on the road wheel to see if you can feel any "looseness" that a bad wheel bearing or suspension part would allow. Good luck on finding a problem with a cheap fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Id try shaking the wheel by hand to feel forany looseness. Then lift front off the ground and see if wheels spin fairly smoothly. Damage to bearing may have occurred with new axle if axle nut was loosened with weight ont the wheel or wheel was on ground ebfore new axle nut was torqued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 You might have a sticking brake pad on that one wheel. As they get older and corrosion and brake dust build up one or more of the pads can stick in place. Worse still you might have a sticking caliper on that wheel that isn't fully releasing the pads from the rotor, that pad has worn done, the wear indicator has fallen off or itself is making the noise you hear. I've even seen one where the pad material was gone completely, and yet the only noise you heard was when making a turn. Removing the wheel on that side of the car, as was suggested already, will soon let you know for sure. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnlyfnd Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 No loseness in the wheel. Brake pad have a fair amount left. Could be a sticky brake. I am taking it t the shop tom. to see if they can figure it out. Today: The sound happened today while making a left turn (after ~10 min on the highway). The sound was consistant no matter the direction of the wheel (sounded like thin-hollow type of metal scrapping - wasn't "screechy" but more "crunchy". When I jerked the wheel to the left sharply, while slightly turning left, the pain subsided to its normal-ish faint "ssssh, sssssh, ssssssh" (this was at low speeeds in a parking lot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniberp Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 No loseness in the wheel. Brake pad have a fair amount left. Could be a sticky brake. I am taking it t the shop tom. to see if they can figure it out. Today: The sound happened today while making a left turn (after ~10 min on the highway). The sound was consistant no matter the direction of the wheel (sounded like thin-hollow type of metal scrapping - wasn't "screechy" but more "crunchy". When I jerked the wheel to the left sharply, while slightly turning left, the pain subsided to its normal-ish faint "ssssh, sssssh, ssssssh" (this was at low speeeds in a parking lot). It could be a piece of gravel or other road grit caught in the pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Is the caliper securely bolted to the caliper bracket and caliper bracket securely bolted to the bearing housing? Someone had a weird noise before and it turned out one of the caliper to bracket bolts came out and was letting the caliper move about and rub against the inside of the wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnlyfnd Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 The shop suspects a bad CV. I don't know if the checked for a loose caliper bolt - I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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