The best thing to do to find out if you have a wheel bearing problem is to LISTEN! This is the most common way to know for sure if the sound is coming from your wheels. While driving, make sure to pay attention to where the sound is coming from and which wheel you think it’s coming from as well. This will be important to be able to tell your mechanic when getting your wheels repaired. Bad wheel bearings can make multiple sounds, like a grinding or loud grating sound.

How to tell whichwheelbearing is bad while driving

The condition of your car wheels is key to your vehicle safety! The design and function of your wheels and the wheel bearings are quite complex. Your car’s wheel bearings are the metal balls that are held together by a ring that allows the wheels to spin with little friction. The wheel bearings of your wheels help to bring smooth rotation to your tires and friction free movement on the road. Here are five signs that your wheel bearings could be bad or to keep in mind for the future.

Bearings generally come in the form of balls or tapers within a metal ring that rides on the shaft of the axle and fits into the hub. Due to the nature of the forces placed on wheel bearings, they are more prone to failure than many of the other components we’ll discuss here.

What are wheel bearingsin a car

The seals that sit between your bearings and the drive shaft of your vehicle exist to keep out substances and materials that could cause the bearings to wear out faster—dirt, water, and other debris from the road being some of the most common.

Hubs can become stressed when the bearings they house fail. Since a worn out hub can make your vehicle extremely difficult to handle, you’ll want to replace your hubs as soon as possible whenever this happens.

What are wheel bearingsmade of

The major components of your wheel bearing and hub assembly are the bearings, hub, rotor, seal, and the drive shaft itself. Each of these parts must work in concert with the others to manage the forces that braking and cornering place on your vehicle during regular use.

Because they’re absorbing so much energy on such a frequent basis, brake rotors wear out regularly and need to be replaced. However, driving on worn-out brake rotors can feel very similar to driving on a dead wheel hub. You may experience a wobbling feeling while braking—however, in the case of a dead hub or worn-out bearings, this may also be accompanied by a slight pull to the side with the damaged component. Take your vehicle to a mechanic to determine the exact cause of the problem and find out what part needs to be replaced.

You’ll normally hear a rattling sound for some time before this occurs—so you’ll get plenty of warning. Still, it’s vital to replace a worn-out wheel bearing as soon as possible to prevent performance issues and more costly mechanical problems.

Does your car pull when you are on the road? This could be a sign of a bad wheel bearing. If your car starts to pull in the wrong direction or not to go where you are wanting it to, it could be due to a bad wheel bearing or something related to your tires. Or you might notice your car starts to drift as you drive. The best thing to do is to take it in right away as your wheels are a huge factor to your safety on the road!

Badwheelbearing symptoms

Below, we’ve put together a diagram showing the different parts of wheel bearings and hubs, along with a description of each main component. Ready? Then let’s dive in.

Make sure to keep these five signs in the back of your mind if you ever suspect bad wheel bearings on your vehicle! The more you know how to prevent further damage to your wheels, the better for you and your wallet. It will also keep you and your family safe on the road. Wheel bearing problems can cost from around $307 to $422 for replacement, but the cost is lower for simple repairs. It all depends on your vehicle and the specific repairs it needs.

If you live in the Columbus, Ohio, area, come and check us out at Harris Automotive! We are here to help you with all your car problems and repairs.

Lastly, check your ABS light! If your vehicle has an anti-brake system, your ABS light could be on due to bad wheel bearings. Check the dashboard of your car to see if it’s on. Bring your car into your local automotive shop to have the professionals correctly diagnose the problem.

Frontwheelbearing noise symptoms

A good sign that your wheel bearings need to be replaced is when your steering wheel is shaking continually. First, check the pressure of your tires, and then check to see if it still shakes after that. This shaking happens when your wheel bearings loosen or deteriorate over time. Get your wheels repaired right away to avoid any further damage and high-cost repairs.

The purpose of wheel bearings is to help the wheels of your vehicle turn with minimal friction when torque is sent to the wheels from the engine. When a wheel bearing begins to wear out, it becomes more difficult for the corresponding wheel to rotate, which can eventually cause handling problems and even permanent suspension damage.

Another sign is your car feels loose when driving. What we mean by loose is it can feel like you have less control when driving and less ability to maneuver. Many times, the wheel bearings of cars can become worn and need to be replaced in some way. Your local mechanic will be able to tell you exactly what is happening so you can pinpoint the problem to prevent any future ones.

Wheel bearings and hub assemblies play a vital role in the performance of your vehicle, but they’re easy to overlook. After all, these parts are small and hard to see at a glance—so they don’t always get much thought. Still, you need to understand what they do and buy high-quality replacement parts when the wheel bearings in your vehicle wear out if you want to keep it running properly.

Wheelbearing replacement cost

The hub is responsible for connecting the wheel to the axle of the vehicle. It also houses the wheel bearings. This metal casing typically comes in the shape of a disc with a slightly protruding midsection containing several studs. There’s also a hole in the middle for the bearing.

What are wheel bearingsreplacement

The rotors on your vehicle help you brake while driving. Pressing the brakes in your vehicle causes the calipers to squeeze your brake pads against the rotors, creating friction that eventually causes the wheels to stop spinning and bring your car to a halt.

Average life ofwheel bearings

Understanding where your wheel bearings, hubs, and related components are—and how they function—is vital for keeping your vehicle in proper working order. Use what you’ve learned above to keep a closer eye on these important parts and replace them with high-quality aftermarket components when required.

However, these seals also keep the grease used to lubricate your bearings inside the hub assembly. This grease is vital for prolonging the lifespan of your hub and bearings, so these seals need to be checked often and replaced if they have deteriorated.

The drive shaft of your vehicle is responsible for moving torque from the engine into the wheels, facilitating movement. The transmission sends kinetic energy from the engine through the shaft into the differential, rotating the axle shafts (which are connected to the wheel hubs on each side of the car).

Drive shafts can become damaged in several ways, including when the wheel bearings or hub in your vehicle have begun to wear down. In this case, you’ll probably notice excessive vibrations when accelerating or braking, and might hear a knocking noise.

Below, you’ll see a diagram showing the location of the wheel bearings and hub assemblies on a typical car. The hub, bearing, and rotor on each wheel is connected via a seal to the drive shaft (through the axle shaft). The construction of all wheel bearing and hub assemblies will look similar even when comparing large to small vehicles. For example, a Ford F-150 wheel bearing will be bigger, but look similar to a Ford Explorer wheel bearing.