Wheel Bearing

[The Dan]

To check wheel bearings, first, jack up the car. Grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and try to feel for play. If there is not, spin the wheel around and put your hand or fingers on the lower control arm or the upper control arm (lower is better). You should NOT feel any grittyness or small vibrations when you spin the wheel around. It should be smooth and restriction free. Eg. with your fingers on the lower control arm, it should feel the same with the wheel spinning around as it does with the wheel not spinning around.

With the rears it is a little more difficult. You cannot always hear a dodgy bearing with the wheels jacked up and driving at 70. Sometimes they need load on them to make the noise. I also advise against doing this as the vehicle may come off the stands and then you will be in a world of trouble.

Check them the same way as you did the front. Compare each side. if one feels rougher than the other then replace it. If they both feel smooth and have no free play. Have a look at the tyres. They should be wearing perfectly.

The noise should not change note on different road sufaces. Obviously except for the normal noise change when you go from rough to smooth or visa versa. But the bearing noise will always be the same. If it is louder on a smoother road then it is very much more likely to be a tyre noise as tyre noises get louder on smoother roads.

Another option is to just pull apart all the bearings and inspect them by eye or have someone else do it for you. Or you can just replace all of them without checking. They aren't that expensive if you know where to look. They are all probably due for a change now anyway or at least a re-pack.

[benl1981]

Thank 3 LIT - good advice. I will check the way you say. The fronts I checked and one seems quite noisy when youu spin the wheel by hand. The one that is noisy is the one that is most free.

I replaced front wheel bearings on my corolla - though there was more vibration - and it seems odd that this is only really bad between 70km/gh and 80km/h.

Hope it isnt there rear ones as I read somewhere might need to replace the hub..

tnaks again