Wheel bearing on a carnoise

They may be either tapered roller bearings or ball bearings . Both types need regular adjustment (See Adjusting wheel bearings ) and lubrication with grease.

Average life ofwheelbearings

Unscrew the hub nut completely. Take off the large thrust washer under it to expose the outer bearing. If this is a tapered roller bearing , it will probably fall out (but if it does not, leave it in place).

How to tell whichwheel bearingis bad while driving

Wheel bearingreplacement cost

The noise may be a low-pitched droning at first; then, as the bearing wears more, a scraping sound; finally, just before it seizes , a high whine.

Loosen the wheel nuts of the two wheels you are dealing with, raise the car and support it on axle stands. Chock the other two wheels.

Routine lubrication intervals are normally given in the car service schedule. They are usually very long typically three years, 36,000 miles or 60,000 km. But you may need to repack bearings earlier if a routine check shows that the grease is dirty.

On drum brakes , if the drum is separate from the hub, take off the drum (See Renewing drum-brake shoes ). If the brake drum is not separate from the hub, it can be removed once the bearing is released.

Frontwheel bearingnoise symptoms

Wheel bearing on a carsymptoms

Non-driven wheel bearings - the front-wheel bearings of rear-wheel-drive cars and rear-wheel bearings of front-wheel-drive cars - are similar in design, differing only in detail.

If the inner bearing has come away with the hub, lift it out and SE it aside. If it has stayed on the spindle , free it with a few gentle taps of a soft-faced hammer.

Some of the balls may drop loose, but most of them will stay embedded in the grease. Extract any spacer between the bearings.

Use a flat-faced punch passed through one bearing to rest against the inner face of the other. Give the punch gentle blows with a heavy hammer, moving it around the outer casing until it comes free.

Frontwheel bearing on a car

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You should be able to pull off the hub or the hub-drum assembly by hand. If not, give it a few blows with a soft-faced hammer.

If a disc brake is fitted, move the caliper clear of the disc (See Renewing disc-brake pads ) so that the disc and hub can be pulled outwards.

Eventually, however, bearings may wear out. A worn bearing becomes evident in various ways. There may be excessive play, which adjustment fails to cure. The bearing may be noisy, especially when cornering.

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