Wheel Bearing bad??

[hockeyman]

Driving my '03 Envoy tonight, and the radio wasn't on. I was going about 35mph and staring to make a slight right turn on a curved road when I heard a sorta' (very light) grinding noise coming from the front right side. Doesn't happen when I'm making a slight left turn, and the noise only happens at/above 25mph.

Ok, I've read how the front wheel bearings are notorious for going bad on these vehicles. And if I replace one side, I'm doing both at the same time. I don't like to take any chances.

Three questions though:
1- Is there a way to grease-up the front passenger side bearing to see if it's actually going bad? ...You know, if the sound is gone after greasing, then I know where my problem is.
2- Is there anything else up front that would make a noise like that?
3- How else would I test tit to see if it IS in fact going bad?

I have about 122k on my odometer, and I strive to have zero issues with all three of the cars that I own. If I have to spend a bit extra for peace-of-mind, then I'll do so.

One more thing;
If/when I do replace the bearings, I'm going with Timken. I've already read a lot about that brand here on this site. Autozone sells them, and I'll make certain that I'm not getting a knock-off brand when buying.

Thank (in advance) you for any help given

 

[Conner299]

There is no way to grease up the front wheel bearings. It is a sealed, un-rebuildable unit. From what you have described, sounds exactly like a bad wheel bearing. Especially with the mention of it being noticeable at 35mph. Seems to be the magic number. I had the same symptoms, changed mine, and everything has been fine since. As far as I know, nothing else would present the same symptoms.

 

[DDonnie]

Driving my '03 Envoy tonight, and the radio wasn't on. I was going about 35mph and staring to make a slight right turn on a curved road when I heard a sorta' (very light) grinding noise coming from the front right side. Doesn't happen when I'm making a slight left turn, and the noise only happens at/above 25mph.

Ok, I've read how the front wheel bearings are notorious for going bad on these vehicles. And if I replace one side, I'm doing both at the same time. I don't like to take any chances.

Three questions though:
1- Is there a way to grease-up the front passenger side bearing to see if it's actually going bad? ...You know, if the sound is gone after greasing, then I know where my problem is.
2- Is there anything else up front that would make a noise like that?
3- How else would I test tit to see if it IS in fact going bad?

I have about 122k on my odometer, and I strive to have zero issues with all three of the cars that I own. If I have to spend a bit extra for peace-of-mind, then I'll do so.

One more thing;
If/when I do replace the bearings, I'm going with Timken. I've already read a lot about that brand here on this site. Autozone sells them, and I'll make certain that I'm not getting a knock-off brand when buying.

Thank (in advance) you for any help given

Usually the bearings are good for 80-90k, i'd be willing to bet that's your issue. One way to test is to use an infared thermometer on the hubs after driving. If one is significantly warmer than the other, then it's going bad. Don't drive it too long with a bad hub, you don't want the hub to seize on you.

 

[seanpooh]

If it's the wheel bearing, then you would hear the grinding noise when turing. Some say the bearing that's bad is opposite the way your turning. I say otherwise. If you hear the sound from the left, then it's the left but that's just me. Or go ahead and change both.

I don't think there is a way to grease unless you take the hub assembly out and press the bearing out. If you're going to put in that much work and effort, just change the hub. A way to tell if it is bad (what I would do) is to pull the wheel off and brake caliper and rotate to feel for resistance of any kind. I say to remove the brakes since the pads are always rubbing against the rotor.

As for purchasing, good choice on Timken. Just make sure it is a Timken unit in the box. I seen a thread where someone bought a hub assembly from Autozone for the Timken price but the box was a knock off so was the unit. RockAuto has them for $133 which doesn't include the 5% off and shipping.

 

[hockeyman]

Ok, thanks for all of the help. I basically already knew, but I wanted to make sure.

Looks like I'll be purchasing and installing new hubs this weekend. And I won't be driving it until they're done.

Just make sure it is a Timken unit in the box. I seen a thread where someone bought a hub assembly from Autozone for the Timken price but the box was a knock off so was the unit. RockAuto has them for $133 which doesn't include the 5% off and shipping.

Yeah, I actually read that one too. That's why I'm going to double-check once they bring them up from behind the counter.

 

[hockeyman]

Update:
Installed the Timken Hub Assembly this morning and the noise is all gone. I took it up on the highway at 60mph, and the interior is nice 'n quiet again.

Since the driver's side isn't making any noise, I think I'll wait to replace it...for now. I might even wait for Autozone to send me another 20% off coupon in the mail to buy the driver's side hub assembly.

Installation wasn't that bad. I thought it would have taken me longer, but I was quite surprised how easy the task went. Using my Ingersoll Rand Air Gun to remove the 35mm axle nut and 18mm hub/caliper bracket bolts made life much easier too! I re-torqued everything back to spec though.

Great write-up posted here in the FAQ section!:
Offroadtb.com Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

 

[eutechnyx]

The easy way to test a bad wheel bearing(usually) is by jacking up the corner,try moving the wheel up and down,if there is any play in the rim then thats the problem. It doesnt always work but its mostly worked for me everytime.

 

[jrSS]

The easy way to test a bad wheel bearing(usually) is by jacking up the corner,try moving the wheel up and down,if there is any play in the rim then thats the problem. It doesnt always work but its mostly worked for me everytime.

That also could be miss diagnosed as bad ball joints.

 

[eutechnyx]

Well usually you can literally tell the slop is from the bearing,nothing else will move.

 

[navigator]

glad the bearing was the issue.
With mine, the hubs start making noise long before they had enough play in them to tell.
Mine started out sound like I had a tire wearing bad or like I had mud tires on or something.
Even when I decided to replace mine and pulled it out, I could tell nothing by looking at the bearing itself.
The only thing I could tell is that when I rotated the bearing it felt like the grease was a little thick or something.
I think my OEMs had 80-90k on them when they started going bad.

I got the cheap ones off of eBay for $76 per set and have had no issues with them.

 

[hockeyman]

I got the cheap ones off of eBay for $76 per set and have had no issues with them.

I have to be honest here when I say that I was tempted to buy them too. Although, I went with Timken's because I know my own luck.

[Quick /but true\ story] This past December, I bought a cheap-o battery for my laptop from ebay. Since then, I've had to replace it with two other cheap-o's before finally buying one that was a name brand. Haven't had any issues since.

 

[Mooseman]

Been there, done that. Tried cheapos from a local company selling online (Prime Choice) as well as Raybestos, which were all made in China. Prime Choice ones had issues with the ABS sensor from new and hub failed within 6 months. Raybestos was the worst, failed just after one month. Went with Timken, been good for over a year now.

I'll never buy anything but Timken for hubs unless I'm selling it.

 

[jfkmk]

Sounds like mine did just two weeks ago! Mine were showing the same symptoms. I purchased Moog bearings from Advance Auto, they were 170 each, but with the promo codes, got them for 120 each. Suggest you buy new rotors and pads too, since you will have them off. There is also a good video from 1Aauto.com (I think I ran across it on Youtube) that shows the job. It was really easy. The only thing you'll have to have is a breaker bar and a good torque wrench. From the time I put the jack under the Envoy until the time I put it back on the ground was 3 hours. And, since it ws the first time doing this job, I double and triple checked everything. Next time (??) it should go faster.

There are all kinds of ways people say they can tell which one is going bad. Noiser turning one way, putting your hand on the sprong and spinning the tire, etc. I honestly couldn't tell which one was bad until I got it off, and I don't think I would have replaced just one anyway.

Good luck!

 

[gmcman]

If one bearing is bad the other isn't too far behind, especially with 122K miles. Will start to sound like you have off-road tires and progressively get worse.

 

[hockeyman]

Will start to sound like you have off-road tires and progressively get worse.

Actually, that's exactly what it sounded like! I should have known, but now I do.

As I've mentioned, it would have been tough removing the bolts with a standard 1/2" Ratchet, but my Air Impact Gun made life 1,000 x's easier.
I don't know how I went through life (this far) without it! No Breaker-Bar required