Contents
Driving conditions – driving through deep water or mud can cause your wheel bearings to fail. Water, mud or other contaminants such as dust or road salt could get past the seals and enter the bearing, polluting the grease and wearing away the bearings.
In cases where you are in an isolated spot and your wheel bearing starts to go bad, you can possibly drive for about 1600 kilometers. Driving to this distance may not cause significant damage to your wheels.
On average, a wheel bearing alone will cost you between $60 – $150, and an entire bearing and hub assembly replacement is around $200 – $400 for each wheel depending on your vehicle type.
The time taken to replace a wheel bearing is also slightly different depending on whether the bearing is on the front or rear wheel. A front wheel bearing replacement on average takes around 90 minutes, whereas a rear wheel bearing replacement takes on average just under 1 hour.
You should replace your hub assembly and wheel bearings. Here’s how to replace wheel bearings. Even if only one side is bad, it makes sense to replace them in pairs. The “good” side is likely to cause problems in a relatively short time.
Often, a bad CV axle will make a clicking noise when steering the car left or right. A bad bearing makes an intermittent roaring noise, until it fails catastrophically. CV joints clunk or make louder noises on tight turns. Wheel bearings get louder with speed.
Your wheel bearing may have been damaged slightly in the past and has now worn to the point it is starting to make noise. Your mechanic is correct in that the only repair for the bearing is to replace the hub. It is a sealed unit and cannot be disassembled without destroying it.
If your wheel bearing fails, it can cause the wheel to stop while you are driving or possibly even to fall off. At the very least, before a wheel falls off, a failed wheel bearing can/will cause significant damage to your vehicle, so it’s very important to keep an eye on these and keep them maintained.
Bad bearings will affect the alignment of your vehicle and the way your car handles. If your tires are wearing through quickly or unevenly, or your car seems to drift around on the road, a wheel bearing or alignment issue is to blame.
How Long Will a Noisy Wheel Bearing Last? Typically, a wheel bearing should last roughly 1,000 to 1,500 miles after it starts making noise. This doesn’t mean you should keep driving since a noisy wheel bearing is always a risk.
Continuing to drive with a bad wheel bearing is very dangerous. A faulty wheel bearing will affect many other important components on your vehicle like the hub, CV joint, axle and even the transmission. Even worse, if a damaged wheel bearing fails completely, the wheel will seize and you will have an accident.
Most serviceable wheel bearings need maintenance every 25,000 to 30,000 miles, or during every brake service. But, the average life of a sealed wheel bearing and hub assembly is about 85,000 to 100,000 miles, without the opportunity for a technician to repack the bearings.
Changing your own wheel bearings is considered an intermediate job that can be done at home, but will need some speciality mechanic tools. … Be sure to obtain your vehicle’s service manual and identify the type of wheel bearing your vehicle is equipped with before you begin the repair.
Most people describe a bad wheel bearing as making a growling or rumbling noise (the sound is often mistaken for worn tires). Also, in some cases, a bad bearing may make a high-pitched grinding or squealing sound. In either case, the frequency of the sound will correspond to the rotation of the tires.
Unlike a tire balance problem that typically shows up at higher speeds, a vibration in the steering wheel due to a bad bearing will be noticed at slower speeds and progressively get worse as the vehicle accelerates.
A Loud Clanking, Clunking, or Clicking
When constant velocity axles fail, you may also hear an unusual clicking sound may when turning the vehicle as joints become loose. These clicks are on the side of the faulty axle shaft and typically become noisier during sharp or fast turns.
You can test this by gently swaying your car while driving slowly. If the noise lessens when you sway right, then the damaged bearing is likely on a left wheel bearing. If it lessens when you sway left, a right wheel bearing is likely broken.
Wheel Bearing Replacement Cost – RepairPal Estimate. Labor costs are estimated between $158 and $199 while parts are priced between $139 and $181. This range does not include taxes and fees, and does not factor in your specific vehicle or unique location.
Most automotive wheel bearings are one of two basic designs: ball bearings or tapered roller bearings. Each type of bearing has pros and cons, depending on the application.
Wheel bearings are installed in pairs consisting of both inner and outer bearings, whereas axle bearings are installed as a single bearing and only support the outer end of the axle shaft. …
Potholes can absolutely kill a wheel bearing due to impact damage to either the balls / rollers or the bearing race.
The bearings won’t allow the wheel to turn freely, which exacerbates the problem. … Ultimate damage: If you don’t replace a damaged wheel bearing before it fails completely, the wheel will completely seize up. If this happens while you’re driving, the results can be catastrophic.
A steering wheel that shakes when cruising at normal speeds is often written off as a tire problem. … Other tire problems that cause excess vibration often show up at high speeds. On the other hand, a failed wheel bearing can cause vibration issues at much slower speeds, only to grow worse as your vehicle picks up speed.
The more you drive with bad wheel bearings in your steering assembly, the more your tires will become worn. … But since bad wheel bearings cause alignment issues, the tires become unevenly worn. The tire that has the most wear is usually the one that has the bad wheel bearing which needs to be replaced.
It is safe to drive with a bad wheel bearing only if you just started to hear a humming, whining, grinding, or growling sound coming from the front or rear wheels. This indicates that the wheel bearing has begun failing and you would need to replace it as soon as possible.
If the torque applied was too high the bearings can be put into excessive pre-load, or if the torque was too low, the bearings can have excessive endplay. Both of which could affect fuel economy and the performance of the bearings over time.
If your car or truck has a non-serviceable wheel hub assembly with press in bearings, you will need a shop press to remove and replace the bearings. If your car or truck has non-serviceable wheel hubs, simply remove the old wheel hub and replace it with a new part.
Related Searches
average life of wheel bearings
can a bad wheel bearing affect acceleration
premature front wheel bearing failure can be caused by excessive
can a new wheel bearing be bad
how long will a wheel bearing last after it starts making noise
wheel bearing noise when turning right
how to tell which wheel bearing is bad
bad wheel hub symptoms