jetpilotdc10

Success!! Thanks for the help everyone! I used 2 nut/bolt combos and spread them between the knuckle and hub. That combined with some serious hammering (old hub is deformed) did the trick. And it was indeed the left wheel bearing as most of us suspected.

Sorry, sometimes I forget to mention things that I think are obvious (or assumed to be done) such as the fact that it's been soaking with PB Blaster for 24 hrs, and that I'm using a sledge hammer. I tried threading longer bolts in from the rear, but without a hoist there's little room in there to hammer them. The hub seems to have moved about .5 mm, but doesn't seem to want to go any further.

I just had new tires installed....according to the tire shop, its the left bearing. Is there ANY way to get the hub off without a puller? She's seized on there good! Ive been pounding with a hammer.

^Exactly my fear!^ One last question....Beck Arnley, Timken, or NTN? NTN is $50 more for whatever reason. $80 vs. $130.

Awesome idea that I haven't tried yet. I've been meaning to do a tactile test of both the front wheels after 5 minutes on the hwy. If the bearing is bad enough, there should be a noticeable difference I would think.

Thanks everyone! I figured it was the left one, but I have been wrong in the past about which side was the culprit when I had a rear bearing go on my Loyale. There's certainly no play in any of the wheels when rocking the 12 & 6 o'clock positions. And yes, '08 has HBA's. Hardest part will likely be rusty bolts. I had a rotor off the other day and that was a serious challenge that required some creative thinking and a lot of patience.

Normally that's what I would do, but I'm about to go on a 1800 mile trip and I don't want it to give out away from home and have to pay big $ for a repair.

While driving I can hear a hum coming from the front end. Certainly sounds like a wheel bearing to me, but when I raise the front end and spin the wheels, they are smooth and quiet. The noise get louder with speed. When I turn right the hum turns to more of a growl. When I turn left, it almost goes away. These bearings aren't cheap, so I would appreciate anyone's experience on this so that I don't replace the wrong bearing.

I really appreciate your vote of confidence and all your help. I'm taking a mental health break and will resume work in a day or two.

Regroup, great idea! I just spoke with the previous owner. He doesn't recall having a CEL (so no code 55) the last time he drove it, 2 years ago. He's not sure if the car is originally from Cali, but he's pretty sure its not the original motor. Fuel pressure is a steady 23-ish psi at all throttle settings. I have yet to test it under load. Fuel pressure regulator, pump and filter have been swapped with no change in performance of the fuel system. I noticed a broken wire on the sending unit, but the fuel gauge still works. Timing has been double checked @ 20 btdc with green connector connected. Also swapped distributor & coil, and replaced cap, rotor, wires and plugs. No change. When I got the car, the #2 camshaft was 180 backwards. I reset the belts very carefully and they appeared to be fairly new. I have yet to plug the EGR, but I did test it with vacuum and it stalled....pretty sure that's a pass. PCV was cleaned and provided 19hg of suction at idle. Vacuum was steady at 19hg at all throttle settings. I've cleaned and/or repaired all grounds under the hood that I could find.....drivers side valve cover, t-stat housing, and the big one near the starter. I applied a very thin coating of dielectric grease to all ground terminals. I think I'll start today with an ECU swap, followed by fuel pressure test under load and a compression check. I'm about ready to give up, but it would be a shame as the car is fantastic condition! 9/10, no rust at all!

What are the odds that my o2 sensor is bad, but not giving a code? It obviously has a direct influence on fuel mixture. This sensor looks like its been in there a while, and its the only sensor I haven't tested. Throttle, coolant, and MAF sensors have all been tested as per the FSM.

This whole damn situation is nutty!! haha

I'm 99% sure I'm reading it right. Maybe swap my ECU from my 92 parts car? Can that do damage in anyway?

PCV was a little dirty but is allowing for 19hg of vacuum. I've inspected every vacuum hose and they look good, but I suppose could connect a vacuum gauge to each one and see if there's a difference anywhere.

Do you think this could be related in any way to my code 55?

All the grounds I've found are on the drivers side, except for a couple wires I repaired connected to the t-stat housing. Intake boot is checked and good. I can removed and plug the egr hose.....which one do I disconnect from the evap canister?

Swapped it off my other (perfectly running) Loyale......same problem Im pretty sure that disconnecting the MAF sensor would make it run richer. I've always felt that this has been a fuel starvation issue. So my next question would be what is causing it to run lean when the MAF is connected?

Major breakthrough! I drove with the MAF sensor unplugged and it runs perfect! The MAF sensor passed all tests and I don't have a code for it, but it must be the culprit here.

Well the fuel injector is certainly spraying fuel, but that's about all I can tell. Not sure if its doing it correctly. Looked like tiny bubbles dancing around on the throttle plate.

Well the exhaust seems to be functioning normal. The last thing I can think to do is inspect/swap out the fuel injector. The MAF sensor is sparkling clean and tested ok.

Vacuum test complete. Was about 19hg at idle.....revved 'er up and it dropped to about 15hg and then quickly back to 20hg. I guess the cat is ok (not plugged), so the search for my problem continues. Thanks everyone!!

Ha, I wish removing 20 year old exhaust bolts was simple . I might start with the vacuum test. The car idles perfect and runs fine in cruise, but under any load she bogs down.....the more load, the worse it is. And its worse at lower RPMs. At 3500 rpm it almost comes back to life....almost.

I really hope you're right DaveT! Do you think it may be the cause of my sluggish acceleration? I don't know the history of the car, but I do know it had been parked and inoperative for the last 2 years.

I'm 99% sure its a cat. Its not round and has the same type of heat shield as the front one. Cat 1 (front) was about 100 deg hotter at the outlet, cat 2 was 20 deg cooler at the outlet. I'll try a vacuum test tomorrow. Any vacuum line on the intake will work? ...or is there a specific one you would use?

In trying to diagnose an acceleration issue in my 94 Loyale, I've noticed a temperature drop across the 2nd cat. The 1st cat temp climbed 100-200 degrees, but the 2nd cat temp dropped about 20 degrees. I've also compared tailpipe exhaust temp against my known working 93 Loyale, and its much cooler.