SET403 | Wheel Bearing and Race Set - set403

2024-08-06 05:37:24

Although it can be a labour-intensive job if one were to fail, the shift to selling entire hub assemblies should make a bad wheel bearing fixable from home, with a decent tool kit and a bit of know-how. So do not fret the next time that horrid whir begins to creep into the cabin, as a fix may be only a ratchet spanner away.

MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Most online parts stores will now sell the entire hub assembly with the wheel bearing pressed into it, saving the hassle and potential scope for mistakes within the specific bearing assembly. It goes without saying, but you should also make sure that, if possible, you or the garage is using an original manufacturer part or one of reasonably similar quality - this is one area you really don’t want to skimp on.

MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Badwheel bearingsymptoms

(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Average life ofwheelbearings

MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE")RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: That is the sound of 2,000 steel marbles.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE")MARTIN: Martin Molin is part of the Swedish band Wintergatan, and he spent two years building an enormous wooden instrument that runs on marbles. It's a magical, musical marble machine. And that's probably the best we can do to describe it, so we'll just ask Martin how he made this happen. Martin Molin joins us on the line from Sweden. Thanks so much for being with us, Martin.MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Like all mechanical parts on a car that rotates, rub and roll, they tend to wear out eventually. There are several signs of a knackered wheel bearing. The most common is a constant drone, hum or growl from the affected wheel, which will get more noticeable as speed increases or the car turns. You may also notice less responsive steering or speed-dependent wheel wobble. On more modern cars, which often have anti-lock brake sensors integrated into the hub assembly, you might get an ABS warning light on the dash.

MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Frontwheel bearingnoise symptoms

MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Wheel bearings play an important role within the drivetrain of any vehicle, as they provide the first connection between the moving and static areas of the car. A bearing – in its simplest form – is a friction reduction device placed within something like a wheel to aid the efficiency of rotation. This is achieved as rolling produces much less friction force than sliding.

MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

To replace a wheel bearing properly, it has to be popped out of the hub assembly, preferably using a hydraulic press. Problems can arise with the re-installation of the new bearing, as the alignment must be accurate to avoid the bearing wearing out rapidly and causing further pain.

MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

How unbearable, those bearings look like Lindor balls all melted up. I’m losing my bearings, I think it’s hazelnut Lindors, but i’m not sure if it’s Dark chocolate or not, or milk chocolate bearing a dark top layer. Bare with me here……….., cuz i don’t really care, I’ll eat them both.

Badwheel bearingsound

MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Wheel bearingnoise when accelerating

A car’s wheel bearing does this by using small metal balls or cylindrical rollers that roll between two smooth rings of metal. Helped along by grease, the bearing rotates in tandem with the wheel’s rotation, the rolling motion of the balls or rollers allowing the wheel hub to rotate as freely as possible. It also helps absorb some of the forces exerted on the car’s wheel during acceleration, braking and cornering.

MARTIN: Martin Molin is part of the Swedish band Wintergatan, and he spent two years building an enormous wooden instrument that runs on marbles. It's a magical, musical marble machine. And that's probably the best we can do to describe it, so we'll just ask Martin how he made this happen. Martin Molin joins us on the line from Sweden. Thanks so much for being with us, Martin.MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

I feel dumb because I cant figure out how the bearings work with the rotating axle and how it doesnt just spin and the wheel not move.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Hey, i have driven a car to the limit where humming sound is so loud inside that you can’t even hear a Radio. They can last a long time before they go, even if they are shot.Also had an situation where from the moment bearing started to hum, till it disintegrated it self, it lasted about 2 km…. I guess it depends on how good brand you use and how lucky you are.

They never seize immediately. No need to fear. I have a comparison to make. My Skoda had 5 out of 4 changed in its 175 000 km lifetime. Only one bearing failure might have been caused by an accident. My E46 has had the originals for 245 000 km and 13 years. And none of them seems to be on their way out.

That is the sound of 2,000 steel marbles.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE")MARTIN: Martin Molin is part of the Swedish band Wintergatan, and he spent two years building an enormous wooden instrument that runs on marbles. It's a magical, musical marble machine. And that's probably the best we can do to describe it, so we'll just ask Martin how he made this happen. Martin Molin joins us on the line from Sweden. Thanks so much for being with us, Martin.MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

If left to wear down further, a wheel bearing could seize and lock the axle, causing all sorts of additional damage to the drivetrain. Worst-case scenario, the wheel may come off the car altogether, so it’s best to get the car looked at as soon as possible if you suspect a dodge bearing. However, considering the forces that a drivetrain has to counteract during its lifetime of usage, it is impressive how long wheel bearings can last if inserted properly and looked after - depending on the car, original bearings can generally last for comfortably over 100,000 miles.

MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: That is the sound of 2,000 steel marbles.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE")MARTIN: Martin Molin is part of the Swedish band Wintergatan, and he spent two years building an enormous wooden instrument that runs on marbles. It's a magical, musical marble machine. And that's probably the best we can do to describe it, so we'll just ask Martin how he made this happen. Martin Molin joins us on the line from Sweden. Thanks so much for being with us, Martin.MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE")MARTIN: Martin Molin is part of the Swedish band Wintergatan, and he spent two years building an enormous wooden instrument that runs on marbles. It's a magical, musical marble machine. And that's probably the best we can do to describe it, so we'll just ask Martin how he made this happen. Martin Molin joins us on the line from Sweden. Thanks so much for being with us, Martin.MARTIN MOLIN: Thanks so much for having me.MARTIN: How in the world did it occur to you that marbles could make music?MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

There’s a decent chance that at some point, you’ve had your car back from an MOT test and found a patch of orange on the results that says something along the lines of ‘play in offside front wheel bearing.’ It sounds scary - after all, in order of everything you want to function correctly on your car, the wheels are pretty far up the list.

MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Wheel bearings should last tens of thousands of miles, but many mechanics will simply hammer the bearing back into the hub assembly instead of precisely aligning it and using the aforementioned press. This will inevitably lead to the bearing not rotating in the perpendicular fashion that it was designed for, accelerating wear and damage to the part. It’s important, therefore, if you’re not 100 per cent confident in your own ability, to ensure you’re using a trusted, professional garage.

As long as you catch a wheel bearing issue early, though, it shouldn’t be a massively expensive or time-consuming fix, and if you’re decent with a spanner, it’s potentially something you can sort yourself. Here’s what a wheel bearing is, why it’s important, and how to tell if there’s something wrong with one.

Carwheel bearing

MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

The most common mechanical failure is due to a seal leak, which allows the lubricating grease to exit the bearing, and water and grit managing to worm its way in. This all amounts to the degradation of the balls and the outer and inner housing of the bearing, often creating that gritty, skimming sound as the wheel is rotating. Looking inside a worn-out bearing, there will often be small specs of metal that have broken off from inside the bearing itself and are grinding their way around the racers, causing more damage. If you have had a minor shunt, it’s always worth having the hub assembly checked over afterwards.

How to tell whichwheel bearingis bad while driving

The wheel bearing is housed within the hub assembly, providing the static connection with the hub carrier through an outer ring or ‘racer’. On driven wheels, the driveshaft travels from the transmission and passes through the centre of the wheel bearing through the inner ring, creating the rotational partnership. Ball-type bearings are generally used on the driven wheels of a vehicle, while tapered roller bearings, with cylindrical rollers arranged around an inner ring, are predominantly used on the non-driven wheels.

MOLIN: I think first and foremost, you have to understand that the concept of marble machines is a big culture, and I did not invent that, so -MARTIN: I have no idea. It's a culture?MOLIN: Yeah, that's why I would usually start with telling that, because if you checked for marble machine on the Internet, you will find loads of them. What I love so much with them is that they actually are for nothing. They are just sculptures.MARTIN: So it sounds like it's artistic as a sculpture, but you took it a step further. You thought that you could somehow manipulate the marbles to hit different notes?MOLIN: Yes, and my addition to the marble machine culture is that my marble machine is programmable. I have a big programming wheel in the middle of the machine, and it has the possibility of putting nails into the wheel. And for every nail you put into the wheel, one marble will fall at that exact time and in that exact position. That is what makes this special. I can tell you also - you know that some cities have these clock towers that plays melodies on bells?MARTIN: In Europe, in kind of the main squares in European towns, yeah.MOLIN: Exactly. So, like, 3 o'clock, it will play you a tune. And in the basement of all those clock towers, they have these kind of programming wheels. So the principle behind this programming wheel is ancient.MARTIN: Can you describe this machine? I mean, you alluded to some of the mechanics of it, but how big is it? What does it look like?MOLIN: It is 2 meters, 30 centimeters high.MARTIN: You're going to make me do a conversion.MOLIN: I wouldn't know what that is in imperial measurements, but it's higher than me, I can say.MARTIN: Maybe 6 feet tall?MOLIN: I wouldn't know, but I think it's a good guess.MARTIN: (Laughter).MOLIN: Are you going to switch over to metric anyway - soon?MARTIN: America, no (laughter).MOLIN: It's a super good system. You know...MARTIN: I know.MOLIN: ...Like hundred, and then when you divide it, you have 50 and stuff. It's so nice.(LAUGHTER)MARTIN: OK, so this thing is big. And obviously, there's a lot of marbles and there's a lot of internal mechanics that are making this thing work. Do you have a background in engineering?MOLIN: No. I was always a musician that had this secret dream about becoming an engineer. And I was always...MARTIN: It's usually the reverse, you know?MOLIN: Yeah, that's true, but I think some engineers are really rock stars. So for me, it's that way.MARTIN: What can you do musically on this? I mean, there must be certain limitations, but what kind of sounds can you make on this that you couldn't make otherwise?MOLIN: It can't make any sound that you couldn't make in another way (laughter).MARTIN: Yeah.MOLIN: No, it's playing bass, it's playing drums and it's playing vibraphone. You could argue that me, myself - alone, I wouldn't be able to play all these five instruments at the same time. But I think the reason why I built it was more for the sculptural, mechanical part of it, not - it's not an easier way to make music. It's just a cool way to make music.MARTIN: (Laughter) Martin Molin of the Swedish band Wintergatan, thank you so much for talking with us.MOLIN: Thank you so much.(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "WINTERGATAN - MARBLE MACHINE") Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Just a few months ago I’ve had the rear wheel bearings of my E36 replaced. When the mechanic popped them out, he said that the rear right bearing was shot beyond recognition and it was a miracle that it didn’t break.

Wheel bearings are generally made from hardened steel, so they can withstand a serious amount of rotational abuse. But apply heat (through lack of lubrication) or dirt and water (broken seal) and all hell can break loose (this is yet another reason to avoid driving through deep water). Hitting one too many potholes or taking speed bumps too quickly can also exert excessive force on your bearings, shortening their useful life.

Which means, that a few months prior, I’ve just hit 210 KPH with broken wheel bearings in what’s essentially a 20 years old coffin on wheels. Yay.

Last year I was driving from Townsville to Brisbane. And about 800km in the wheel bearing on the rear right wheel went which shook the wheel completely off. I was only a learner at the time so it was the scariest thing that had happened to me while driving. The worst part was the car had just been serviced for the trip and the bearings had been replaced.

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