I have a '99 Forrester. Recently I began hearing what sounds like a washing machine in spin cyle. Could this be a bad wheel bearing???

I have a '99 Forrester. Recently I began hearing what sounds like a washing machine in spin cyle. Could this be a bad wheel bearing???

 

It might very well be. If you're crusing along at a steady speed and turn gently to one side and then the other does it get louder in one direction? That would be classic wheel bearing.

also, if you can hear it at low speed (as to not get wind noise, tire noise) it's a good chance it's a bearing

I have a '99 Forrester. Recently I began hearing what sounds like a washing machine in spin cyle. Could this be a bad wheel bearing???

 

Mine sounded like a low grinding kinda noise. front wheel bearings went out at 25K mi on an 03 OBW.

I have a '99 Forrester. Recently I began hearing what sounds like a washing machine in spin cyle. Could this be a bad wheel bearing???

My '99 Outback had something similar to this happen twice. The first time it was the rear brakes and the noise went away when I pressed on the pedal. The second time it was the front brakes and it was louder when I pressed the pedal. For me it was louder in reverse. The rear brakes made a chirping/squeaking noise that made me think it was a bearing. It would happen randomly at highway speeds too and would go away (or grow louder) depending on whether I was turning or not. Both times when this happened the wheels would get much warmer than normal, and both times the repair was very expensive (~$800 for the front).

Go to a parking lot and do some figure 8's, starting out small and slow and making them bigger and faster.

 

If it's a wheel bearing get it replaced quikly or you'll eat the brake rotor.

From the 'wheel bearing guy':

 

Wheel bearings sound most like a resonating moan. You usually start hearing it around 25-30mph and up. If you transfer load on a wheel with a bad bearing, the sound will get louder...

 

You won't necessarily ruin anything by driving around on bad wheel bearings, especially not the rotors. I drove on 3 bad wheel bearings on my 91 Legacy for over 10k miles (actually, my right rear was bad ever since I had the car), and I reused the rotors without even turning them, and they're fine.

 

However, the longer you drive around on a bad bearing, the harder it will be to get that bearing out of the hub once you go to fix it. My right rear, which had been bad for 50k+ miles, took an hour and a half to press out of the hub, according to my friend who did it for me. As we know, heat causes an increase in volume, and the heat that is generated from a bad wheel bearing causes it to press itself into the hub so greatly that even machines specifically designed to push them out will struggle with it. And yes, it is possible that the bearing simply will not come out, and in that case, you need a whole new hub.

 

THAT is the main reason for giving prompt attention to a bad wheel bearing.

2 ways I tell................

 

 

Sounds like a steel caster on a smooth cement floor............

 

Feel the 'trunion' housing (the housing the bearing and rear brake assy is mounted to). Bad bearings run HOT......compare it to the other known good side after running a while.

Wheel bearing can make different noises depending on how bad they are. First stage can be a sort of moan, then grinding and the last can be a thumping. When it get down to thumping it can toss a wheel off as well as damage the brakes.

Fix it ASAP.

Sometimes driving in different circles in a parking lot can help you isolate the side its on and they do get hotter than the other bearings. Noises can drive you nuts when they start as it can be a tire, bearing, axle, or sometimes even a body part.

First news I had of a bad wheel bearing on my 97 OBW was a metallic rubbing from the front right, which ate the relatively new rotor and thus required a new set along with the bearing.

 

But since that can't happen, keep driving.....