February 12, 200422 yr mine did. i couldn't put my finger on the problem. sounded like a crunch or pop. at one point it sounded like a bad cv. lift up the front end. put one hand on the top the other on the bottom. shake opisite of steering direction. if there''s movement it's bad. (i'm sure you knew that but others might not)
February 12, 200422 yr Had bad wheelbearing in the '86 when I first bought it, also had bad axle on the same side. Swapped axle out first, helped to eliminate most of the noise, but not all. Still had a clicking while driving down the road. Slight to moderate vibration also, would increase with speed. Replaced bearings when it started to make the steering wheel twitch at low speeds. After that, no more noise or vibration.
February 12, 200422 yr jims wagon made noise, replaced an axle. it still made noise, not as much, replaced the other axle. during the other axle, i noticed there were a FEW BALLS MISSING from the bearing race
February 12, 200422 yr I narrowed the noise on my wagon to the wheel bearings by jacking up the front, grabbing the top of the tire and pushing and pulling. The whole wheel moved 1/4", indicating slop in the bearings.
February 12, 200422 yr I have worn out the bearings on my AWD Corolla. I have never yet had them to the point where balls were missing, or the wheel was wobbling. My criteria for replacement is when I can't hear the radio. If it isn't loud enough to be heard over the howling bearing, it is time to replace the bearing! The really strange thing is, I have always had to insist that the mechanic replace them. They are so used to them coming in on their last legs, with the wheel virtually falling off, that they can't understand what the problem is. Too often, I find they depend on a visual inspection, and a howling bearing doesn't look any different. But by the time I can't hear the radio, I have been driving with the problem for at least 2 months. Long enough, and the last thing I need is a catastrophic failure halfway to Prince George, or just ouside Lytton ( the armpit of the Fraser Canyon). So, if you think it is time for a louder stereo, maybe get new wheel bearing instead!
February 12, 200422 yr Author OK, I jacked it up and tested. Driver side= NO PLAY at all Pass. side=just a little bit of movement. So I'm gessing that if I feel any movement at all that it's bad?
February 12, 200422 yr I would replace the side that moves, especially if you think the noise was louder from that side. The bearings should be tight. I replaced mine for $35, and that included seals and grease.
February 12, 200422 yr i never paid much attention to it like some others here until it almost cost me my life and my girlfriends(at the time) we were in so cal heading out to glamis when my steering shook real violently. i thought nothing of it and continued my commute to glamis at a high speed of 75mph. thats when it happened, it locked up on me, the driverside front. it darn near made me spin out and crash off a cliff. for that reason, ANYTIME i submerge the hub into water for more than like 10min i always repack them as soon as i get home, or in the morning. but to answer the question, yes they will make noise, when they get bad.
February 12, 200422 yr I had a click click click noise going on in the front of my wagon, mudrat said to drive the car for just 2-4 minutes and feel the hubs, and axle joints, the HOT one would be the problem... after I checked every bearing and axle, couldn't find the problem, still the noise, it was better in 4wd, but not solved, checked the front diff, roughly 1/2" of slop, trans grenaded on new years eve, teeth came out of the drain plug...
February 13, 200422 yr If the clicking is only on one side, you can try to drive it for 15 minutes or so and then check the temp: if one side is much hotter than the other, you'd have your answer. I agree with everyone else: yes, bearings click just like CVs, I found it out the hard way by replacing the CV (at least it was free since I have both CVs under O'Reiley's warranty!)
February 13, 200422 yr Author Found somthing strange when I did the pass. side wheel bearings. The one on the inside would slip right in after I pounded out the old one. Looks like the old one spun in the housing and @ some point somone tride to fix it by beating on the out side of the housing(trashed the grease seal too). So I heated it up and let it cool, that helped to make a tighter fit. I put it (new bearing) in with some red loc-tight. New bearings, new grease, new seals:D I will put the knuckle on the car today and see how it sounds after that;)
February 13, 200422 yr Hey Tony - just so you know, the 2WD knuckles are the same as the 4WD ones, so you can swap one in off one of your 2WD's..... Sounds like that one has seen better days if someone beat on it and the bearing wouldn't fit.... NAPA has front wheel bearings for about $12 (2 needed per side).... ask for the "cheaper" brand. Their gold brand ones are like $24 or something... Just to add to the wheel bearing pricing info.... the rear EA81 4WD bearings (1 per side) are EXPENSIVE. Cheapest I've found is $49.99 each from Autozone... GD
February 14, 200422 yr Author Yeah, I'm using the knuckel from the 2WD. It should be fine now (I deal with alot of this type of stuff @ work) just thought it was a stupid fix for a siple problem:rolleyes: That's good to know on the bearing $$ @ Napa, I thought they would be alot more for the fronts.
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