It was another busy year at WABE. Our newsroom worked to provide context during a busy election season. Our podcast and radio teams explored issues that matter to Atlanta communities. And WABE Studios created a new spotlight for Atlanta filmmakers and musicians. Check out our final wrap-up of the stories that amplified Atlanta in 2024.

I removed the calipers to reinstall and lube the guide pins, it was difficult to remove which is consistent with stuck calipers. Then I pumped the brake pedals to push the caliper piston out, and once out it was IMPOSSIBLE to push it back in even with a lot of effort and that caliper piston push-in tool.

Have questions about your membership or how to join? Contact Membership Services.Email: memberservices@wabe.orgCall: (678) 686.0321or Contact Us Form

Wheel bearingreplacement cost

concur w/the above ideas, more likely some kind of brake problem. My own diy’er experience w/bad wheel bearings is that heat or steering wheel wobbling aren’t the symptoms you first notice. What you notice first is a sound, a sort of growling sound, that gets louder the faster you go. It sounds sort of like when you drive over a road with a rough-textured surface. Often the wheel bearing sound gets worse when turning too, when turning in the other direction from the side the growling is coming from.

I hadn’t planned on gravity bleeding all 4 sides but I discovered that it had been leaking brake fluid from the last time I tried to diagnosis the problem. This was my first time bleeding brakes and I did it using the gravity method. It worked out better than I expected. It was fairly quick too, about 10 minutes per side of dripping. I think I replaced a lot more brake fluid than I needed to but I wasn’t concerned.

One other reason I suspect the wheel bearings is because: If I drive the car after it has been parked for a day, the symptoms don’t appear until after a some 10 minutes of driving…

Badrearwheel bearing symptoms

A team of WABE reporters take a deeper look at the issues affecting LGBTQ people in Georgia. Plus, LGBTQ Atlantans in their own words, Pride events calendar, LGBTQ coverage from other NPR stations across the South and more.

Thanks for the tip, I inspected the rotors with my fingers and it felt smooth just like the other side. I think the rotors and pads are fine. If not, well it’s another fun project.

While driving on the highway, the steering wheel started wobbling, it seems more pronounced at higher speeds. So, I pulled over to take a look at the front wheels, maybe it’s a rock stuck in the treads (but usually stuck rocks make a clicking sound)----there are no rock pebbles. There is a burning smell, almost like burning rubber coming from the wheel well but the tires look fine, no signs of rubbing. I looked at the inner part of the tires to see if it’s rubbing against something, some suspension component perhaps: nope, looks all good. I reckon if there’s rubbing I would probably feel and hear it inside the car. The burning smell seems to be coming from the passenger front wheel well.

Your steering wheel wobbling? That’s intermittent pulling to one side. By the time the high side of the rotor rolls around again, you’ve reacted to the steering wheel wobble and pulled the car back to straight. If you were only a little bit less competent a driver you’d have your diagnosis by now.

Symptoms of bad wheel bearingreddit

Just took this off my new to me accord. Seller said ball joint was bad. I moved car 10 ft in his driveway and said wheel bearing is bad too.

Frontwheel bearingnoisesymptoms

However, there is one thing that prevents me from being absolutely certain and that is my reasoning that bad wheel bearings on one side that causes the car to lurch and drag would also cause it to pull to one side… this is not happening, it’s not pulling to one side…

Keep in mind that might be a sticking caliper or a failing brake hose at that corner. Internal failure can act like a check valve and not let the caliper release. It’s a 10 year old car, FWIW, I had the first brake hose failure on my truck at 7 years.

Symptoms of bad wheel bearingwhile driving

We’d like to express our #WABEgratitude to our community partners for providing goods and services during our Fundraising Campaign.

How to tell whichwheel bearingisbadwhile driving

You were all right, it was the calipers. In your experience, you knew it was the calipers. My reasoning led me to wheel bearings but I’m an amateur DIY’er.

Bad wheel bearingsound

It might be a small pull…but maybe not. Depends on how sticky the caliper is but the symptoms you just posted scream “brake caliper dragging”

Any time ever I’ve experienced a sticking caliper it was immediately or shortly following brake work (requiring retracting the caliper pistons). CSA

It seems to me that if a caliper is sticking and not fully releasing that a pull would be more likely when the brakes were not being applied. Braking would even out the braking and tend to eliminate or reduce a pull.

Average lifeof wheelbearings

WABE’s mission is simple: “Inform, inspire, reflect and empower our greater Atlanta community. ” We do that through the news, information, and entertainment we bring you via radio and TV, on your phone, in your car, on your smart speaker, or online at the new WABE.org—anywhere and everywhere throughout greater Atlanta. And we can only do this with your help. Please consider becoming a member of WABE today.

Since I’ve had a faulty tires that caused steering wheel wobbles before, I considered that it could be the tires, but these tires are nearly brand new… the tires don’t quite explain the other symptoms.

If you have an IR thermometer, compare the difference in temperature between the passenger side front wheel and the driver side front wheel after a 5-10 minute drive at highway speeds. If you don’t, very carefully touch the wheel with your finger near the lugnuts to compare - but be warned, it might hurt if what I think is wrong is actually wrong.

Member donations are the most important source of support for WABE.  90% of our revenue comes from the Atlanta community. Your gift helps us Amplify Atlanta to the whole community—providing independent and in-depth journalism, masterful storytelling, and the programming you love.

Lift 1 tire off ground with jack. Put on parking brake. Idle motor in drive and listen to right side, than left. If ur lucky only 1 wheel will rumble.

Over the next couple of days, I observe that the car kind of “lurches” while creeping at very slow speeds. It also feels like there’s a kind of drag and release against the car… like something is holding it back and letting it go. It’s subtle but I can feel it at slow speeds.

WABE delivers perspectives, voices and stories as unique and diverse as the people of the greater Atlanta area. Each day, you can count on us for local and national news and stories that are grounded in truth and presented without bias.

I replaced the calipers today, it took a full week to get the part from RockAuto–I ordered Raybesto’s “Opti-Cal” line, it’s a brand new part rather than remanufactured (I chose it because I’ve had good results with Raybestos Advanced Tech brake pads.)

I’m not recommended this, but if you decide to replace the rotors for some reason, be sure to clean them thoroughly with hot water/soap before installing. They are coated with an anti-rust chemical, and forgetting to clean it off is the source of quite a few problems reported here.

Sounds to me like you have a dragging brake caliper combined with an uneven rotor. If I’m right, then your impression is correct - something quite literally is “holding it back and letting it go.”

The burning smell would be hot brakes, which you should really only smell if you’re in the vicinity of a race track. On a street car it means the brakes are being overworked, in your case because the brakes are rubbing on the rotor while you’re driving.