Thud

I'm getting some noise from my passenger rear wheel bearing now. Driver side was already replaced a couple years ago.
Sort of a metallic scraping sound when going at low speeds, particularly when turning right.

So is my wheel in danger of falling off now or something? :confused: What are the dangers in not getting this fixed asap?

bogus

I would replace it ASAP... it may not fail, but if it did... yuck.

brakes, wheel, tire, bodywork...

scorp508

Odds for normal people: 1:10,000
Odds for Thus though: 1:1

If the bearing itself failed the wheel would still be held in place by the spindle and brake rotor/caliper assembly. I'd still relace it though. :)

Scooter 94

Couldn't it cause the wheel to lockup? That would cause a big problem. I'd like to hear what professional mechanics say about this. Have you heard of that happening on any automobile?

bogus

I have seen lug nuts sheer off. that's a mess. it was an old dodge dart. The brake drum, axel, wheel bearing, and fender were all tore up.

vader86

Well considering its you Thud, the odds are pretty good.

A friend of mine was doing 70 on I-85 and his rear wheel CAME OFF, tore up everything in the rear suspension, luckily not much body damage, it just looked like it came straight out. (He has an 86 vert)

COMPVET

You have a strange noise coming from a part of the car that if it fails could kill you and you haven't repaired it? Think about it!

TALMADGE

I would go ahead and replace it. My pass. started the same thing, then the drivers started. Went to Pep Boys last weekend and bought two 139.99 each, but with a lifetime warrenty. Guess what I am doing this weekend? :party:

QuikZilver

I had the same noise a while back. Mine was the outer u-joint on the half shaft. Make sure it is the bearing and not the u-joint before you go get the part. Maybe you will luck out and it will be the u-joints. Of course, they aren't fun to replace either!
:smash:

Thud

How can I tell for sure? A couple months ago when the noise first started, I did jack the rear of the car up. The passenger wheel has more up-down play in it than the driver side wheel-- the wheel would rattle a bit if I pounded the top sidewall with my first. Is that a sign of u-joint play, or a bad bearing?

Would a bad ujoint make a grumbling noise, when under load (acceleration) like that at low speeds? Would a bearing make that noise?

Looking at my repair manual, it looks like a straightforward job (heh) but the tricky part is removing the rear brake assembly.


[Modified by Thud, 5:54 PM 10/29/2003]

JasonL

Actually it's very easy on the 88-96. Just remove the two bolts holding the brake assembly to the knuckle and hang it out of the way. Don't worry about the complicated parking brake procedure in the manual... it's not necessary.

Thud

Cool. I've been searching around and it looks like this job shouldn't be too bad as long as I have the right tools.

Of course, I said the same thing before my week-long ordeal with my optispark. :eek:

vader86

Thud yours is definitely a bearing, mine did the same thing, same noises.
12-6 play is a bearing.

U-joints usually show up as tougher shifting/clunking in the rear. I had that go out too.

rodj

" the tricky part is removing the rear brake assembly"Brakes are easy as stated .Wait until you try undoing the T55 bolts that hold the hub on,after you get access to them!
Have been several posts on hub replacement.Better spray those bolts with WD40 now and let them soak.

Thud

What combination of extensions and u-joints is necessary to get at those T-55's? I couldn't really get a definitive answer searching old posts, just generally that it's going to require a long breaker bar.

Dave C. '04 Z06

Make sure it's not your brake wear indicator on your brake pads.

Maybe you just need new pads. Wheel bearings usually sound more like a 'whirring' noise than a 'scraping' noise.


-Dave C.

onedef92

When mine went bad it made a WOOOWOOOWOOOO! noise at speed. I replaced it ASAP! :yesnod:

scorp508

Sell it on ebay as a custom whistle-tip. :lol:

Thud

The brake pads could be making the noise, but they are probably not the cause of the play (6 and 12) on that wheel. Gonna pull the wheel off today after work and start soaking the bolts in WD40.

onedef92

Yeah, a new ricer mod! :lol: