Grinding noise wheel bearingwhen turning

The best way to determine the cause of the strange wheel noise is to lift the vehicle and then inspect the tires, wheel bearings, and brake assembly. Yet, it’s quite time consuming. Sometimes you can figure out the cause of the noise simply by taking the vehicle out on a test drive.

Wheel bearings are small metal balls held within small rings that are designed to reduce rolling friction and allow the car’s wheels to spin freely, all while sustaining the vehicle’s weight.

A wheel bearing is located within the wheel hub, which connects the wheel to the axle. Each wheel has its own set of wheel bearings.

The good thing about a wheel bearing is you’ll know when it goes bad, thanks to a few obvious symptoms. These are the tell-tale signs you need to inspect yours:

Frontwheel bearing noisesymptoms

What do bad brakes sound like? There are several different ways bad brakes can cause noise. Here are the most common causes:

Most modern wheel bearings are sealed and for good reason. If any dirt, debris, or other contamination gets into the bearings, it could reduce lubrication and increase friction. If it gets too hot, or there’s too much debris in the bearings, they could start to lock up or grind. If the bearings lock up, the wheel could lock up.

Two of the most common types of wheel bearings are ball and roller. One style of wheel bearings used rollers, which were basically a series of small cylinders placed within a tapered circular housing. Roller bearings typically are not sealed, which is good for service but bad for susceptibility to contamination.

Wheel bearingreplacement cost

As the ball bearings wear down, they will start to loosen up within their housings and/or lose some of their effectiveness. Because of this, the tires could wear down unevenly.

Ball bearings, however, use miniature balls with small contact points for rolling ease. Ball bearings are typically sealed, which is great for keeping contamination out, but they often cannot be serviced.

Grinding noise wheel bearingat low speeds

A worn or damaged wheel bearing is quite noisy. So when a wheel bearing goes bad, you’ll notice some noise. Bad wheel bearings usually cause the following noises:

If a wheel bearing seal is broken and the insides become contaminated with hard particles, or it has simply worn down over time, it could cause a rougher-than-usual ride and vibrations.

Grinding noisewhile driving but not brakes applied

A big part of running a good shop is identifying issues as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some issues can be hard to identify, though. For example, it can be challenging to identify the issue that’s causing strange noises from a wheel. The most common issues that cause strange wheel noises include:

Each car is different and might require different steps, but these are the general steps you will go through when removing a wheel hub assembly.

A. The only easy checks for bad wheel bearings include a bit of assumption. To start, you want to listen for odd sounds such as humming, whirring, or grinding coming from the suspected wheel. If you hear something and can identify the source to a wheel, you can then jack the car up and check the wheel for movement, slack, or play in its linkage to the car. You can do this by grabbing the wheel by each side and shifting forward and back or side to side.

A. The car might be able to drive, but we do not recommend ever driving with a bad wheel bearing. If you notice symptoms and suspect a bad bearing, immediately drive home or to the repair shop.

It’s pretty easy to inspect the tires for any issues. It can be hard to figure out whether bad brakes or a bad wheel bearing is causing the noise, though. This guide will help your technicians determine the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Listen carefully and see if you can identify the noise. The type of noise will give you a big clue on what the problem may be. The only noise a bad bearing and bad brakes have in common is grinding.

Although these small balls are not a part of the regular maintenance cycle, they do eventually go bad, so it’s important to know how they work when it comes time for repairs. For that reason, The Drive’s reliable informational team has assembled the answers to all your questions in one place. Let’s explore.

Grinding noise wheel bearingwhile driving

Whether the issue is a bad wheel bearing or bad brakes, be sure to use quality replacement parts. Using quality replacement parts comes with several benefits:

The timing of the noise is another big clue. If the noise occurs only when braking, the issue is obviously bad brakes. If the noise shows up after about 30 mph, chances are it’s a bad wheel bearing.

A. In one of the worst-case scenarios, the wheel could lock up while driving. That is to say that driving with a bad wheel bearing could be potentially very dangerous.

Grinding noise wheel bearingwhen braking

Visionary films set in the technologically advanced future have long imagined cars that ride around on frictionless orbs similar to Star Wars’ BB-8. We aren’t there yet, as cars still use wheels and tires to tackle terrain for now, but the modern automobile would not be possible without a different type of roller balls. We’re talking about ball bearings.

Here’s a good resource on finding a quality parts manufacturer. If you’re looking for high quality wheel bearing manufacturer, look no further than GMB. We manufacture OE-quality hub assemblies and wheel bearings. Learn more about our parts here!

Pretty much all new wheel hub assemblies come equipped with built-in sensors that inform the traction control, ABS, stability control, and other driver-assistance systems. If something within the wheel bearing isn’t functioning in proper form, it could cause the systems to malfunction, or throw and code and warning light.

Grinding noise wheel bearingwhen accelerating

No, the steering wheel itself won’t feel loose, but the steering feel might. If a bearing goes bad, it might create a bit of play within the wheel assembly. If this occurs, your steering might feel more vague than normal.

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Behind virtually every wheel on every newish vehicle, there is a set of tiny ball bearings that keep the wheels smoothly rotating without interruption. They’re unsung heroes when it comes to discussions of a car’s primary parts, but their importance cannot be overstated.

Wheel hub assemblies are often extremely stubborn to remove. If you’re already in the middle of the job but don’t have a puller tool, these other tools and methods might be able to help. Just use extreme caution not to damage anything, and always use necessary safety precautions.

The most common symptom of bad wheel bearings is the weird noise they produce when something is off. You might hear humming, whirring, rumbling, grinding, or clicking, depending on how the wheel bearing is failing.

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A.  Depending on the car, the average cost of a single wheel hub assembly, not just a bearing, will likely land between $100-300. If you do the job on your own, multiply that by the number of hubs you’re replacing. If you’re taking it to a garage, multiply that number, then add the cost of labor. It won’t be cheap.

The lifespan of your wheel bearings will depend on the manufacturer, the day-to-day operating conditions, and driving loads, but they are generally expected to last at least 75,000-100,000 miles.

The best thing to do with a bad wheel bearing is to replace it, along with the others to ensure even and balanced driving. The wheel bearings typically come as part of a larger wheel hub assembly package.