NA front wheel bearing question

[JoshB]

OK, so I have noticed increased road noise from my 94 in the last few months.

Just today I have replaced the worn directional tires with some new Precedas and the road noise seems much the same

I thought it may be front wheel bearings so bought some to replace them myself, but when I jacked the front end and spun the wheels the bearing seem quiet

Is this to be expected? Could they be quiet with no weight on them yet get noisy when the wheels are on the ground?

There might be some increased noise when turning right (loading left front) but it is not what you would say is significantly different from turning left

Would appreciate some advice before I go to the hassle of replacing the bearings

Josh

[OMY005]

What does the \"increased road noise\" sound like?

With the wheel off the ground you should be able to hear them rumbling if they are shot as they should have some preload on them.

Andrew.

[Ben]

i recvently had my front passenger side bearing replace.

the road noise was unbearable when driving a straight line, however it dissapeared when making a turn which took a load off the problem bearing.

[JoshB]

The 'increased road noise' is like normal road noise, but louder

It's a bit hard to explain exactly - just increased rolling noise - still there when coasting in neutral but stops when the car stops

might change the front left and see what that does - it seems to be the main culprit if either of them are the source - neither of them rumble when raised off the ground and spun

I guess the front left cops the camber of the road and might fail sooner

Josh

[Robbo107672]

Hi Josh,
how did you go with this problem?

I have a similar problem with my 90 NA and was wondering if you had swapped out the bearing with positive results?

My mechanic told me that you don't 'see' any problem with the bearing from manual inspection and hand rotation untill the bearing is close to melt down.

Regards, Rob.

[JoshB]

Rob,

I changed both of them myself - fairly easy job with the right tools

Old ones felt rough and turned slowly when taken out so I guess they were worn to some degree

Seems to have quitened the front end noise a bit - I have now taken hardtop off and that always makes the car a bit noisier anyhow

Overall happy I did it as it was not expensive, would need doing soon and has decreased the noise a little

I think my left rear is also a little noisy and will look to replace that one soon too

Hope this helps,

Josh

[Robbo107672]

Thanks Josh,

I'm chasing another problem at the moment which is giving me unusual noises, and I thing the bearings could do with changing so will do that when I find the major problem first.

ps. How much did you get the front bearing packs for ? and where did you get them ?

Thanks, Rob.

[JoshB]

Under $200 for two sides - from CBC Bearings in Newcastle

Any bearing supplier should be able to get them - I think they were made by Timken - but don't quote me on that one

Josh