Guest Anonymous Posted September 27, 2002 Report Share Posted September 27, 2002 How can I tell if I have a wheel bearing going bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted September 27, 2002 Report Share Posted September 27, 2002 Mine hummed at around 43mph and was a little worse when turning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted September 27, 2002 Report Share Posted September 27, 2002 Yep, humming is a sign of a bad hub. If you quickly turn the steering wheel back and forth while it's humming and the humming sound changes, then it's definitely a bad hub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminaASG Posted September 28, 2002 Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 I know I used to have a slight knocking sound when turning into turns and thought it might have been the wheel bearing but turned out to be the outer CV joint in the half shaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfenc Posted September 28, 2002 Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 Mine hummed at around 43mph and was a little worse when turning. that's the same for me it's your bearing!!!! :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djardeli Posted October 14, 2002 Report Share Posted October 14, 2002 >that's the same for me it's your bearing!!!! I get vibration between 40-50 mph. There's also clunking noises from the front end when the wheel is turned almost all the way around like in parking lots, noises that weren't there before. Can anyone give the labour hours to remove and replace the front hub/bearing assembly in a 1990 Chevy Lumina Euro car? I've already been quoted a part price of $127 per side. The hum has been there for 4000 miles and hasn't gotten any worse, and doesn't occur consistently. I'm only looking to get another 10,000 miles out of this car, but it's not all that's wrong with the front end.. I could be leasing something else. Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crc Posted October 14, 2002 Report Share Posted October 14, 2002 One of the easiest ways to find out if you have bad bearings is to check the play on your wheels. Grab one of the wheels and try to pull it and push it in. It shouldn't budge if everything is ok, otherwise if there's any horizontal play than your bearings are most likely going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 14, 2002 Report Share Posted October 14, 2002 One of the easiest ways to find out if you have bad bearings is to check the play on your wheels. Grab one of the wheels and try to pull it and push it in. It shouldn't budge if everything is ok, otherwise if there's any horizontal play than your bearings are most likely going. I have to disagree. All of the bad bearings I had did NOT have play in them. They seemed fine until when you actually drive on it. If theyre REALLY bad, then it will have some play, but at that severity, your car will sound like a chain saw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 14, 2002 Report Share Posted October 14, 2002 Neither of my wheels has any play and it still hums like a $2 whore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 Neither of my wheels has any play and it still hums like a $2 whore. Heh, well! LMAO :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crc Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 I have to disagree. All of the bad bearings I had did NOT have play in them. They seemed fine until when you actually drive on it. If theyre REALLY bad, then it will have some play, but at that severity, your car will sound like a chain saw Hmm. You sure you had shot bearings? I've worked on three other cuttys besides mine (which didn't have bad bearings) that had damage and the play was noticeable. You're right though about progressive deterioration of the bearings. The humming at higher speeds is one of the first signs. I'm astounded at how many people on this forum have had bad bearings. Those things last a long long long time. Absolutely no noise or play on mine with 265k+ kilometers of rough city and highway driving. Keep your suspension and tires maintained and they should last the life of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 Yup, shot bearings. Got myself a good used set and everything is sound. No humming or anything. However they started giving problems when I had a bad alignment and drove with it for about 1/2 week (right after I installed a new steering rack) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted October 15, 2002 Report Share Posted October 15, 2002 There was no play when I had a bad bearing either. It was so bad, it sounded like loud grinding (it was FAR past the humming stage). They usually do last a long time. I have only had to replace 1 hub and I take care of 5 W-bodies which are all higher mileage. It was no doubt the problem was the hub, because a good hub when spun, has a smooth, dampened feel when turned by hand. The bad hub was extremely easy to spin and a bit loose feeling, and made a metallic grinding sound when spun by hand. Usually hubs go bad from hitting curbs and that kind of thing. Maybe it has something to do with parallel parking. The only hub I've ever had to replace was on my wife's '88 Cutty, and she parallel parks at work. None of the other cars have ever had to be parallel parked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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